McIlroy ready to seize history with a Masters title

AUGUSTA, GA. » Rory McIlroy paused under a towering Georgia pine just off the 14th green, mimicking a swing and going over some of the finer points of Augusta National with practice partner Ian Woosnam.

Good thinking. Woosnam has one of those coveted green jackets. McIlroy needs one to join a very exclusive club.

“You have to embrace and relish the opportunity that is put in front of you,” he said, “and go out and grab it.”

Funny thing, it looked like the Masters would be the first major championship of McIlroy’s career. In 2011, riding the hype as the game’s brightest new star, he led after each of the first three rounds and was still out front making the turn Sunday.

Then, in one of the greatest collapses in major championship history, he played the final nine holes at 7 over to shoot 80. At the time, it felt like his world had collapsed.

Looking back, he considers it a turning point in his career.

“I feel like it made me a better player, I feel like it made me a better person,” said McIlroy, who is among many favorites in the loaded Masters field after his victory a couple of weeks ago at Bay Hill . “It took me a while to get over it, but I knew if I looked at the big picture it would serve me well in the long run. And I don’t think I would have had the career I’ve had so far if it wasn’t for that day.”