Rory McIlroy is awaiting the familiar feeling of "butterflies" when he gets set to hit the only shot in golf that still makes him nervous, the first stroke of the Masters.
The world No. 1 heads to Augusta as the favorite to collect his first green jacket and complete a career grand slam in the process — something only five players have achieved.
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Rather than shy away from the challenge, McIlroy is itching to get started at the first major of the season, although he admits there will be some nerves when he tees off.
"I think the first tee shot is probably the only first tee shot of a tournament these days I still get nervous about," the Northern Irishman said at a press conference Tuesday. "You get butterflies and your heart races a little bit faster than it does usually. I still get that feeling that I did as a rookie back in '09.
"It's a golf course that is very special not just to me and to the players that are playing this week, but to the game. Augusta National is a very special place and I'm just glad to be back. I've done a lot of work over the past couple of days to prepare and I'm looking forward to getting going now."
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McIlroy endured a nightmare Sunday collapse in 2011 when a round of 80 caused him to surrender a four-shot overnight lead. His best finish at the Masters came when he tied for eighth last year.
The four-time major winner said he believes he must learn to judge the right time to take risks at Augusta and play better on the par 5s.
"The hype and everything else feels the same because it's always exciting to be here," McIlroy said. "The one thing I learned from the first couple of years I played was that this course makes me a little bit tentative over iron shots. I had to learn to be more aggressive rather than looking at the pin and thinking about the places not to miss it. Last year I had six sixes and four were on par 5s. Sometimes on par fives with my length I can be a little over-aggressive.
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"If you turn two of those sixes into fours, all of a sudden I finish third in the tournament. You want to give yourself a decent chance of three but make sure you get a four. I've been thinking about the eagle rather than the birdie and if you look at the previous winners here, they have all played the par 5s well."