Rory McIlroy Masters excitement fuelled as Butch Harmon claims he's fixed big fault

Rory McIlroy has primed his short-iron game to finally conquer the Masters after learning his lessons from last year, according to Butch Harmon. Desperate for guidance on his approach play before last year's first major, he sought the wisdom of the esteemed American swing coach.

Despite being ranked second in the world, McIlroy could only muster a tied 22nd at Augusta, lagging 15 shots behind the champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

However, Harmon, serving as a Sky Sports analyst, has appraised McIlroy's current form-including the 9-iron he nailed during The Players playoff-as proof that he's shored up his game's final frailty.

Harmon sees massive potential for McIlroy this year, citing his top form recently, punctuated by two tournament wins. "I think he has got a great chance this year," Harmon said to the Mirror. "You saw how well he has played in the last few weeks. He has already won twice.

"What I worked on with him was shots from 150 yards in. He was hitting the ball left all the time. I wanted him to follow through and take the ball out of the air a little bit.

"An example of all the work we did was when he won in the playoff at Jacksonville. That shot he hit on the 17th hole in the playoff into the wind, a flighted down 9-iron. It was just perfect."

Emphasising the individual effort McIlroy has put into honing his skills, Harmon commended his dedication. "That is really what I worked on with him. The rest of his game was fine. He has gone on and done the work himself and he has done a good job.

"He is the only one to have won twice this year. Him and SS are going to be the co-favourites because Scheffler played well last week.

"You look at how they are playing going into this thing. Rory has already won twice, he had a good final round at Houston where he had a run at it. I think he is in good stead."

However, Harmon, now 81, revealed that he witnessed first-hand the pressure McIlroy felt leading up to the Masters last year. "He wants it so bad, he just has to relax when he gets there.

"It got to him last year - you could see it in his demeanour and how quickly he walked. Even in his warm-up, things weren't as calmed down.

"He needs to relax, take it easy, don't push, don't get all wrapped up in the hoopla, he is going to have to do a lot of media. If he can just relax and play his game, he is going to have a hell of a chance."

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