Rory Mclroy reckons he blew his best-ever chance to win the Masters - by trying to imitate Tiger Woods.
Without this pandemic, World No.1 Rory might have been playing the final round at Augusta again today, hunting for an elusive first Green Jacket.
But back in 2011, the Ulsterman led by FOUR shots going into Sunday only to collapse to a disastrous 80 and finish 15th.
McIlroy, now 30, recalled: “I think back to 2011 and the Masters and on the last day I was trying to be someone else that I wasn’t.
“I was almost trying to be like Tiger Woods, trying to be hyper-focused, not look at anyone, not talk to anyone, just be real business-like.
“And that has never been me. I approach it a different way. I play my best when I am a little more happy-go-lucky and relaxed and almost casual about it. But I thought to win the Masters I needed to be like Tiger.
“That was my mindset and that is where it went wrong. It was a different version of myself.”
The four-time Major champion told the Whoop podcast: “At that point I wasn’t into the mental side of things that I am now. I would watch the coverage in the morning and maybe hear what they were saying about me and the other players. Now I focus way more on myself.”
He added: “I have an app called Freedom. It blocks Instagram, blocks Twitter, blocks anything. You can block certain words too so nothing about myself would come up. I like to switch off.
“When my wife travels with me, we do jigsaw puzzles. We do a wee puzzle. She loves doing them, she is a huge advocate of not being on the phone.”
