McIlroy says acceptance of pain can aid Masters quest

Rory McIlroy believes acceptance of the "heartbreak" that has accompanied his occasionally painful quest for Masters glory could be the key to finally laying his hands on a Green Jacket.

- Ewan Murray

McIlroy's latest bid to complete a career grand slam of majors at Augusta begins tomorrow.

McIlroy needs no reminding that almost 11 years have passed since he won the last of his four major titles and yesterday he revealed an attitude switch he decided upon at the end of 2019. Since then, he has posted 11 top-10 finishes in majors.

"It's a self-preservation mechanism," he said of his previous approach when he was unwilling to be psychologically damaged. "You're trying to not put 100% of yourself out there because of that.

"It happens in all walks of life. At a certain point, someone doesn't want to fall in love because they don't want to get their heart broken. Instinctually, as human beings, we hold back sometimes because of the fear of getting hurt, whether that's a conscious decision or subconscious decision and I was doing that on the course a little bit for a few years.