\u2018It\u2019s crazy\u2019: Everything you need to know about Masters as \u2018incredible\u2019 Aussie truth emerges \u2014 Guide<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI feel like I\u2019m still young, but I\u2019m very experienced. I\u2019ve been doing this for a long time. This is my 18th start,\u201d McIlroy said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI do feel like I\u2019ve got another hopefully 10 good shots at this. Not that I don\u2019t at the other majors, but I just think that everything here is a little more predictable. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just think the more experience you have around this golf course, the better it is.\u201d <\/p>\n
This year, however, McIlroy has a new outlook. It\u2019s what helped him arrive on Saturday instead of Monday and relish in the perks of being a Masters winner. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor the past 17 years I just could not wait for the tournament to start,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cAnd this year I wouldn\u2019t care if the tournament never started. That\u2019s sort of the difference.\u201d <\/p>\n
McIlroy during a practice round on Tuesday at Augusta.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
– No less motivated –<\/p>\n
Knowing he will have the chance to return as often as he likes has not dimmed motivation, McIlroy said, even with the pressure of winning the slam released. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s completely different. I feel so much more relaxed. I know I\u2019m going to be coming back here for a lot of years, going to enjoy the perks that the champions get here,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make me any less motivated to go out there and play well and try to win the tournament, just more relaxed about it all.\u201d McIlroy is already pondering the places at Augusta National where he can attack the course better. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always going to have to pick and choose your spots around here, where to be aggressive and where not to, but I definitely think there\u2019s places where I could be more aggressive off the tee,\u201d McIlroy said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a few tee shots out here where I\u2019ll just try to be a bit more aggressive, and then if you do hit a good tee shot, you turn a potentially tough hole into a birdie hole.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Love being back here’: Smith on Augusta | 02:16<\/p>\n
SCHEFFLER JUGGLES INFANT SON AND MASTERS PREPARATION<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler is getting plenty of sleep and practice time for this week\u2019s Masters even with infant son Remy and his family at Augusta, although green jacket safety causes concern. <\/p>\n
World number one Scheffler, seeking his third Masters title in five years and fifth major victory overall, has not played the past three weeks with wife Meredith giving birth to son Remy on March 27. <\/p>\n
Scheffler has enjoyed being a dad again after two-year-old Bennett but realises he must set aside family life to focus on this week\u2019s challenge at Augusta National. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you drive down Magnolia Lane, everything else melts away and you get to be here and be focused,\u201d Scheffler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place is almost a challenge in a sense that you need to be able to get your stuff done and go home because I could camp out on that range for days and days and continue to practice.\u201d The 29-year-old American is the reigning British Open, PGA Championship and Olympic champion and can compete a career Grand Slam with a victory in June at the US Open. <\/p>\n
This week, his wife\u2019s caretaking is nearly as crucial as anything a caddie could offer on the course.<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler is getting plenty of sleep and practice time for this week\u2019s Masters even with infant son Remy.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting plenty of sleep. My wife is a trooper,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cHaving a newborn is always an interesting thing, but Remy is so young right now, they sleep a lot of the day. I think he\u2019s used to being in the womb at this point. Yeah, I\u2019ve been able to get a decent amount of sleep.\u201d Scheffler, however, has had to help out, as when he was wearing his green jacket on Sunday while holding Remy as he walked into the Augusta National clubhouse. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m wearing it near him, I\u2019m just hoping he doesn\u2019t ruin it or anything like that,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cThrow up on it. Who knows?\u201d It\u2019s a battle for balance of life and work that has Scheffler concerned about keeping his private life private, especially for his children. <\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I think it feels like we live almost two separate lives, where I have this life where I come out here and play and compete, and sometimes my friends are brought into that arena that I kind of live in,\u201d Scheffler said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still feel like I go to work each day. It doesn\u2019t feel like I\u2019m sitting at a desk obviously. I love my job, but I don\u2019t feel any different than I did when I was a kid. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo I don\u2019t see why I would need to live any different or do anything like that. There\u2019s no reason that my kids need to be on TV or on my Instagram or whatever it is. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids need to have a normal upbringing or as normal as I can, and we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIV vs. PGA set to unravel at Masters | 01:26<\/p>\n
RAHM CONFIDENT OF PLAYING \u201827 RYDER CUP AND DP WORLD TOUR<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm says he is confident he will play in next year\u2019s Ryder Cup and on the DP World Tour in September despite a dispute with the European circuit over fines. <\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Spaniard, the two-time reigning LIV Golf season champion who is seeking his third major title at this week\u2019s Masters, said Tuesday that he remains in talks with the DP World Tour about more than $3 million in accumulated fines for playing events in the Saudi-backed rival series. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep talking about the DP World Tour and trying to figure out a solution that works best. I didn\u2019t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody,\u201d Rahm said Tuesday. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have faith in us and the DP World Tour. We\u2019re going to find a good solution for both of us.\u201d Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion, dropped an appeal against the fines last month but refuses to pay, leaving his Ryder Cup and DP World Tour status in doubt. <\/p>\n
Rahm said he was confident he would be able to play in the 2027 Ryder Cup for Europe at Ireland\u2019s Adare Manor and compete in DP World Tour events in September after the LIV Golf campaign. <\/p>\n
For now, Rahm said he is not sure he could play a DP World Tour event until the matter is resolved.<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm says he is confident he will play in next year\u2019s Ryder Cup.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly don\u2019t know. I\u2019m not planning to play until September. So that\u2019s a bit of a positive. If I were unable right now, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Rahm said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep talking to them and we keep trying to negotiate. I have given in quite a bit in a few things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to work it out. It\u2019s going to work out. The DP World Tour is doing what they need to do and following the channels they need to follow, but I\u2019m confident this will be sorted out before I tee it up in September.\u201d Rahm tees off Thursday in his 10th Masters start coming off a LIV Hong Kong title last month and runner-up efforts in South Africa, Adelaide and Riyadh plus a two-week break before Augusta. <\/p>\n
\u201cHappy to have two weeks off in this time and kind of reassure that what I\u2019ve been working on is the right things,\u201d Rahm said.<\/p>\n
Rahm said he spent much of his three-month winter break working on swing adjustments.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the time off was really nice. Over the three months, I could definitely think about what I could improve on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did a lot of good work and I think that set the base for how I\u2019ve played this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott relaxed ahead of 25th Masters | 03:02<\/p>\n
EXTRA MASTERS SECURITY EASES ANXIETY BATTLE FOR WOODLAND<\/p>\n
Gary Woodland will have special security this week at the Masters as he battles anxiety and stress following 2023 brain surgery. <\/p>\n
Woodland had not won since the 2019 US Open until two weeks ago at the Houston Open, taking the title just two weeks after going public with his mental health struggles. <\/p>\n
The 41-year-old American underwent surgery to remove part of a brain tumor and has since battled post-traumatic stress disorder that made him want to run off golf courses at times. <\/p>\n
Just as with his PGA Tour events, Woodland will have extra security measures this week at Augusta National, qualifying after his Texas triumph. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve met with Augusta. I\u2019ve met with their security team,\u201d Woodland said Tuesday. \u201cJust like on tour, I\u2019ll have security with me. The main deal is they were showing me where security is. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole deal for me is it\u2019s visual, right? If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I\u2019m safe constantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I have a good idea now where security is on every hole. The big deal for me, my caddie knows too, so he can constantly remind me.\u201d Woodland never knows what might cause an episode, so even with 12 prior Masters starts, it\u2019s a new challenge. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have control when this thing hits me, and it\u2019s tough,\u201d Woodland said. \u201cIt can be a fan. It can be a walking scorer. It can be a camera guy running by me, just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. <\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing where the security is is a constant reminder that I\u2019m safe.\u201d Woodland said speaking publicly about his issues has brought him greater strength to deal with them. <\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking about it and how I feel afterwards made me a lot stronger,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know that releasing this battle was going to make me stronger, and it has done that. I feel a lot stronger now than I did three weeks ago, I can tell you that. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how hard it is out here, I know I have someone I can talk to, that I can have security.\u201d <\/p>\n
Even his victory at Houston did not come without having to fight down his feelings. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had a big battle Friday of Houston. I got hypervigilant on the ninth hole and I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me,\u201d Woodland said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI talked to tour security that night and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast year I didn\u2019t talk to tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful. Turning around and knowing that I\u2019m safe, having somebody there with me, it\u2019s the only reason why I won two weeks ago.\u201d Woodland has received messages from several people who has had their own struggles to overcome and been inspired by his story. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt just shows that everybody is going through something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Spieth suffers HORROR meltdown in 2016 | 02:02<\/p>\n
FITZPATRICK TRIES TO BALANCE GOALS AHEAD OF MASTERS<\/p>\n
Matt Fitzpatrick said his hot form means he has never been more confident entering the Masters, but the world number six but will be keeping his expectations low when he tees off. <\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Englishman, who won last year\u2019s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, captured last month\u2019s PGA Tour Valspar Championship a week after finishing second at the Players Championship. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely the most confident I\u2019ve been,\u201d Fitzpatrick said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that means I\u2019m going to go out there and play well. The key is obviously to have as low expectations as possible and as high a confidence as possible. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is definitely the best form I\u2019ve been coming into this tournament. Just kind of trying to roll with it and enjoy that.\u201d \u201cDefinitely a lot of momentum,\u201d said the 2022 US Open champion. \u201cThe weird thing is winning and then having two weeks off and then you come in again. I think winning the week before is a bit more on a roll. You\u2019ve got the same swing feels and whatnot. <\/p>\n
Matt Fitzpatrick said his hot form means he has never been more confident entering the Masters.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that two weeks off, there\u2019s a few things that just felt like were maybe a little bit different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just managing that and making sure I\u2019m on the right track.\u201d Fitzpatrick, who is making his 12th Masters start having made 10 consecutive cuts with a best finish of seventh in 2016. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe experience is the biggest thing here. The more you can learn about the golf course, the better,\u201d Fitzpatrick said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much to learn on every different hole, particularly where to put the pins and where to miss around the greens, as well as just looking at the history of the event and what holes you can be a little bit more aggressive on and which holes you need to play smart.\u201d Fitzpatrick spoke to his psychologist ahead of the Masters, working on the balance between confidence and overconfidence. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt just goes back to the expectation standpoint,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taking the confidence from that, that things have improved so much from where they were last year, but as well as having those expectations you can\u2019t have the high expectations. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m playing really well, but golf is golf. It can change quickly or it can continue for how it is.\u201d \u201cEvery year I feel like I\u2019m a completely different player to the one before,\u201d said Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bryson DeChambeau says he always wants to \u201cabsolutely beat the living you know what out of\u201d Rory McIlroy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":592873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[6074,2620,2095,289451,289452,1724,289450,64,129216,11537,63,289461,46936,289448,1365,90530,6933,3193,289459,102760,5951,277127,2057,289455,289460,3738,289439,755,9262,5505,29991,143867,289454,24416,289458,289447,289464,24415,265286,289462,289441,289463,289453,6937,121148,56363,10917,2041,2067,3583,5492,265601,289442,51108,289444,289438,289446,756,289445,289333,942,289440,1183,2812,18780,289443,85,42307,248262,3370,9244,289457,2614,12000,289449,289456,10911,289465],"class_list":{"0":"post-592872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-africa","9":"tag-agence-france-presse","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-american-won","12":"tag-anxiety-battle","13":"tag-asia","14":"tag-aside-family-life","15":"tag-au","16":"tag-augusta","17":"tag-augusta-national-inc","18":"tag-australia","19":"tag-back-to-back-winners","20":"tag-bennett","21":"tag-birdie-hole","22":"tag-brain-surgery","23":"tag-brain-tumor","24":"tag-bryson-dechambeau","25":"tag-cameron-smith","26":"tag-continual-learning-process","27":"tag-dp-world","28":"tag-dubai","29":"tag-elk-sliders","30":"tag-europe","31":"tag-expectation-standpoint","32":"tag-form-means","33":"tag-fox-sports","34":"tag-goalposts-move","35":"tag-golf","36":"tag-golf-course","37":"tag-golf-courses","38":"tag-golf-tournament","39":"tag-green-jacket","40":"tag-green-jacket-safety","41":"tag-greg-norman","42":"tag-group-final","43":"tag-horror-meltdown","44":"tag-infant-son","45":"tag-jack-nicklaus","46":"tag-learning-lesson","47":"tag-living-you-know-what","48":"tag-masters-preparation","49":"tag-masters-security","50":"tag-masters-win","51":"tag-matt-fitzpatrick","52":"tag-mental-health-struggles","53":"tag-meredith","54":"tag-nick-faldo","55":"tag-north-america","56":"tag-northern-america","57":"tag-northern-europe","58":"tag-northern-ireland","59":"tag-paul-gow","60":"tag-placement-lessons","61":"tag-post-traumatic-stress-disorder","62":"tag-remy","63":"tag-right-places","64":"tag-rival-series","65":"tag-rory-mcilroy","66":"tag-security-team","67":"tag-simmering-feud","68":"tag-singapore","69":"tag-slam-quest","70":"tag-south-africa","71":"tag-south-eastern-asia","72":"tag-southern-africa","73":"tag-special-security","74":"tag-sports","75":"tag-state-of-georgia","76":"tag-tee-shots","77":"tag-texas","78":"tag-tiger-woods","79":"tag-traded-ball-bashing","80":"tag-united-states-of-america","81":"tag-western-asia","82":"tag-win-drought","83":"tag-winter-break","84":"tag-world-number","85":"tag-yellowfin-carpaccio"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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