'He Has Just Got To Relax And Play Golf' - Butch Harmon Gives Rory McIlroy Assessment Before The Masters

The question of when Rory McIlroy will win at Augusta National is one of the big talking points whenever The Masters comes around. So far, he has come close on a number of occasions and, just a week before the first Major of the year, McIlroy is calling on all his experience to challenge for a Green Jacket.

Prior to the Valero Texas Open, the final event before The Masters, McIlroy revealed that he had visited Las Vegas for a lesson with legendary coach, Butch Harmon. Now, speaking to the media of The Masters, Harmon has revealed details of the visit, as well as how McIlroy will be in contention come Sunday at Augusta National.

"At TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship) he made 26 birdies and finished like 20th," stated Harmon. "For his bogeys, he was missing greens with nine-irons and wedges, so that was some of the work we did.

"We were trying to get his swing from what I would call 150 yards in, which is where he plays most holes from, and control the distance of the ball and the shape of the shot. We worked hard on that. There were a couple of little, minor fixes to his swing that, unless I showed you the film, you probably wouldn't even recognise them. He was very happy, took it away, and said he played really well when he was at Augusta (practice round)."

Memorably, in 2011, McIlroy endured one of the worse collapses in Masters history having led going into the back nine on Sunday. Since then, the four-time Major winner has posted a number of excellent results, including a runner-up finish at the 2022 tournament after a final round 64.

Mind set, then, will be a huge factor and, according to Harmon: "It will be interesting to see how it goes but, I think mindset wise, his (McIlroy's) head is in the right place and the right space. I think he has much more confidence now in what he is doing, so we will just have to see. If he can just relax and play golf, then he gives himself a chance. If he gives himself a chance, he is hard to beat."

Going into The Masters, McIlroy is currently second favorite to win the tournament, some way behind World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, but anything can happen at Augusta National, as we know!

"You can always say he has got to be one of the favourites going in there. His game is built for there with his ability to drive the ball", explained Harmon. "He has just got to relax and play golf, which is very easy to say but he wants it so bad. We want it for him. The press wants it for him. The fans want it for him. His family wants it for him and that gets in the way of allowing you to be yourself.

"I think if he can just go and be Rory McIlroy, he is going to have a great time and have a great chance on the back nine on Sunday, which is all you can live for."