Rory McIlroy admits that his failure to win a Masters weighs over him heavily as he searches for a win at Augusta National. The first major of the season kicks off on Thursday, and McIlroy aims to solve his Masters puzzle and finally secure the coveted Green Jacket.

The 35-year-old golfer appeared on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast in January 2024 to discuss his career and admitted that his ongoing wait for a victory at the tournament still haunts him in many ways.

Rory McIlroy has confessed his Masters losses affect him to this day (Image: YouTube)

Former Premier League soccer star Gary Neville asked what else McIlroy could achieve in the sport before he retires, to which he replied: ” I mean, I’d love to win the Masters. It’s the only major that I haven’t won.”

Arsenal legend Ian Wright then stated that he refuses to watch the remainder of the tournament if there isn’t a possibility that the Northern Irishman could triumph. Wright also highlighted another aspect of the Masters that annoys him, as he said: “The only thing I don’t like about the Masters is I get in there and there’s some blokes who can go in that place with their Green Jacket and I can’t go.”

McIlroy, who spotted an opportunity to poke fun at himself, chimed in: “How do you think I feel? That’s the same [for me]! You need a Green Jacket!”

With his dry humor, the seasoned golfer not only showed his ability to laugh at his own shortcomings but also revealed his lingering disappointment at not having won the final prestigious major of his career.

Neville questioned the significant appeal of the Masters, prompting McIlroy to celebrate the Augusta event’s unique allure for golfers through the ages. He explained: “St Andrew’s is where the game started but it has become this like cathedral of golf in some way and all the greats of the game have won there in the past.

The Masters begin on April 10, with McIlroy aiming for his inaugural win ( Image: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

“It’s the only major that we go back to each and every year on the same golf course so it just becomes this like [big thing]. It just seems like it gets bigger and bigger every year, and it’s the first major of the year too so everyone is more hyped up and more [excited].”

At the 2024 edition of the tournament, McIlroy’s initial strong start devolved into a tie for 22nd place, finishing four over par. The champion, Scottie Scheffler, concluded with an impressive 11 under – a solid major win.

The veteran athlete explained his new preparation strategy for the future, emphasizing the importance of not getting distracted by outside noise. While discussing his mental state during a good or bad start at a tournament, McIlroy said: “They’re different sides of the same coin in terms of like having to stay in the present, in the moment, all the cliche stuff. But, even a good one this year, I shot even par the first day, which was like an average enough first day, but it wasn’t terrible.

“And I was on the first green on the second morning and I saw Brooks Koepka was coming up the eighth and there’s the big white scoreboard there by the eighth green and I saw that he’d already got to 10 under and I’m even par. But I’m like it’s only 19 holes into the tournament but I’m there thinking, ‘Jeez I’m 10 behind already’, like I have to start pressing.

Rory McIlroy is still awaiting his first Masters win ( Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

“But actually, what’s worked best for me is like I say, ‘I can’t control what he does, I can’t control the leaderboard’, and like the worst thing I did that day was look at the leaderboard because if I hadn’t have known, [it would’ve been fine]. The winning score ended up being 10 under, I think.

“So I thought I needed to get to 10 under in the space of like 18 or 27 holes, when I actually could have said ‘okay chill out it’s fine, go and play your normal game and see where you’re at’. But I think whenever I’ve gotten into trouble, especially at that tournament, is when I start looking around and I’m like, ‘Oh well, he’s doing this, and I should be there’, and you start putting pressure on yourself.”

The Masters is set to kick off on April 10 at the renowned Augusta National Golf Course. The final rounds will commence on April 13, with a whopping $20million (£15.6m) prize purse up for grabs.