Rory takes new direction in his bid for Masters glory

TWO years ago at the Masters par-three tournament, Rory McIlroy sent the photographers into a tizzy when he had Caroline Wozniacki as his caddie. Last year it was the same thing again with Niall Horan from One Direction carrying his bag. There will be no such attention this year. ‘No distractions’ has been the theme of his build-up, with no media interviews conducted on his bid to complete the career Grand Slam and, in keeping with this, he will give the par-three tournament a miss a week tomorrow. ‘It’s just too much hassle and a bit of a distraction,’ he said, pointing out the only other time he did not play in it was in 2011, when he had his best chance so far to win, with a three-shot lead going into the final round. McIlroy completed his competitive preparations with his fine defence of his WGC World Match Play title on Sunday, where he lost in the semi-finals to Jason Day. After all the hype and hoopla last year, when he was going for a third straight major, he is more than happy to have the attention spread around. ‘I feel a lot more chilled than last year,’ he said. ‘You have Jordan Spieth going back to defend and what Jason Day and Adam Scott have been doing, so the spotlight is going to be a lot less intense than a year ago.’ McIlroy will arrive next Sunday evening and will play practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday, followed by nine holes on Wednesday morning. One will be with the English pair, Matt Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan. ‘I was going to say it will be nice to show them the ropes but they’re so talented I’m sure they will learn very fast,’ he said.