McIlroy using circus tricks & meditation to get his head right for another assault on the career slam
RORY McILROY revealed the unusual approach he is using to try to close out the career Grand Slam at the Masters this week – meditation and juggling.
The Northern Irishman has finished in the top 10 for the last five years at Augusta National.
But a mellow McIlroy believes the Zen-like state he is trying to find will make the difference in turning the near-misses into a Green Jacket.
The 29-year-old goes into the season’s first Major as favourite having played some of the best golf of his career in a glowing start to 2019. He has not finished outside the top 10 at any event and won the Players Championship. The one that really matters, though, is the Masters.
Victory on Sunday, at a place where he blew a fourshot final round lead eight years ago, would make him only the sixth man in history to win all four Majors.
The quest was in danger of becoming an obsession, which is where the new, calming approach comes in.
“My routine now consists of meditation, juggling, and mind training – all the stuff to get yourself in the right place,” said McIlroy.
“I’m not going to go and live with the monks for a couple of months in Nepal, but it is just to be able to focus.
“It is 10 minutes a day – it’s not as if I’m being consumed by it – but it is definitely something that has helped, especially in situations where you need your mind to be right. I meditated for 20 minutes on the Sunday morning of the Players.”
And the juggling?
“I was watching the Augusta National Women’s Amateur over the weekend and I saw a few women on the range juggling so it’s catching on. How many balls can I juggle? Just three. I’m a rookie.”
It will be a more chilledout version of McIlroy that takes part in his 11th Masters tomorrow.
He is making a point of appreciating what he has rather than cursing what he does not have. Nowhere does that apply more than here at Augusta.
“My best experiences of Augusta have been when it’s not Masters week,” he said. “It’s quiet. It’s serene. You could describe it as a spiritual place. It’s very similar to walking into an empty church. It’s just got
5.10pm – Bernhard Langer, Matt Wallace, Alvaro Ortiz
6.49pm – Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas 7pm – Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka that aura, that feel, and it’s a really nice place to be.”
McIlroy goes out in the meat of the pack in tomorrow’s first round alongside fancied American Rickie Fowler and Australia’s Cameron Smith in the group behind former world No.1 Tiger Woods.
In Friday’s second round his group goes out last – his least favourite spot in the draw. But he was not going to allow that to disturb his equilibrium yesterday.
“I’m in a great place,” McIlroy said.
“I’m happy with where everything is, body, mind, game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever started a season this well in terms of finishes, and looking at all my stats, they are right up there with some of the best years that I’ve had.”