With the 83rd Masters set to tee off at Augusta National in less than a week, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have the Masters on the mind.
For Woods, who took home four green jackets before the age of 30 but hasn’t won at Augusta in 14 years, this year’s tournament is a chance for him to prove he’s all the way back to being one of golf’s elites by winning a major.
For McIlroy, it’s a chance to claim victory at the lone major which he has yet to win and finish off the final leg of his career Grand Slam.
Though he hasn’t been very good in five tournaments this year, Woods has been in the hunt in the last two majors he’s played in and has a history of playing well at Augusta.
“I’m right there where I need to be,” he told The Associated Press. “I’ve gotten a little bit more consistent with my play, and I think that everything is headed on track toward April.”
Currently ranked No. 3 in the world, McIlroy has been installed as the favorite at the Masters. Despite that, the Irishman isn’t putting added pressure on himself to finish his career Grand Slam.
“I would have said a couple of years ago, ‘I need to win a Masters, I need a green jacket,’ where now it’s, ‘I want to win it.’ And I’d love to win it,” he said. “But if I don’t, I’m OK. Maybe some people will say that I’m not motivated enough. Believe me, I am motivated to make the most of what I have and to put my name among some of the greats of our game.”
Jordan Spieth, who has two runner-up finishes and a wire-to-wire victory at the Masters since his debut five years ago, also should be in the mix next weekend.
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