McIlroy keen to stoke heat of battle ahead of Masters date

RORY McILROY is desperate to contend for the ZOZO Championship as he plays his final warm-up event for the Masters in three weeks.

The world No 5 has not won since he captured the WGC–HSBC Champions in Shanghai last November and after failing to contend since golf returned in June, he knows it’s important to feel that heat.

“It’s a great opportunity to try to get a win and get into contention and I think that would be a big step if I were able to,” he said. “I haven’t really been in contention much since coming back from the lockdown. If I could get into contention this week and have a chance to win, I think that would be great for just overall confidence.”

He says he’s tried to gain more speed with the driver and sharpen his short game to attack Augusta National.

“One of the conversations I remember having with Phil (Mickelson) back in the day was he always tried to get his short game so good at Augusta so then he could be ultra-aggressive with the second shots knowing that he had a short game to bail him out if he did miss it on the wrong side,” said McIlroy, who tees it up with Webb Simpson and Mickelson (7.41pm Irish time).

Asked how he was minimising his risk of contracting Covid-19 – on the day Australia’s Adam Scott withdrew from the Lake Sherwood, California event after testing positive – McIlroy said he was being cautious.

“I think going into Augusta, I mean the next two weeks while I prepare there, I try to be as careful as possible.

“I try to take all the necessary precautions. I’m loading up on zinc and magnesium and vitamin D and all the stuff that’s said to maybe help protect you from it.”

On the European Tour, Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell is looking to build on last week’s career-best seventh-place finish in the Scottish Championship with another big week in the Italian Open in Brescia. The Bangor man is 122nd in the Race to Dubai and needs a massive few weeks to get close to the top 60 who qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Meanwhile, Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow tee it up in the LPGA Drive On Championship in Georgia, hoping to seal their places in December’s US Women’s Open.

Maguire is ranked 52nd in the money list with Meadow 72nd and both must be inside the top-10 not already exempt on Sunday night to book their tickets to Champions Golf Club in Houston in December.

Maguire is just inside the top 10 but Meadow needs a big week in the last event before the November 11 cut-off. Italian Open Live, Sky Sports, 11.30am

The ZOZO Championship

Live, Sky Sports Golf, 10pm