Rory McIlroy plotting an alternative route to Masters success and elusive grand slam

Rory McIlroy will favour patience and discipline over any highlight reel heroics as he bids to win the Masters and complete a career grand slam.

And the four-time major winner believes missing the cut in his final event before travelling to Augusta National could end up working in his favour.

Since winning the Open Championship in 2014 to claim the third leg of the grand slam, McIlroy has had seven attempts to win a green jacket and join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having won all four major titles.

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On all seven occasions McIlroy has had at least one week off before the Masters, but this year he opted to skip the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and compete in the Valero Texas Open instead, only to make an early exit following rounds of 72 and 73.

“I think it was beneficial in the end,” McIlroy said. “I learned a few things. You always learn more from disappointments or from times where you don’t play so well.

“So, I thought, look, if there’s a cut to miss, it wasn’t a bad one to miss. I got home, did two really good days of practice on Saturday and Sunday and actually felt a lot better about where things were heading up here Sunday evening.”

McIlroy famously held a four-shot lead after 54 holes of the Masters in 2011, only to collapse to a closing 80 and finish 10 shots behind the winner, Charl Schwartzel.

His best finish of fourth came on his first attempt to complete the grand slam in 2015 – albeit six shots behind runaway winner Jordan Spieth – and the 32-year-old has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight starts without really contending on the back nine on Sunday.

“Patie