Rory McIlroy 'trying to block out that noise' before Masters - ESPN

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy said Tuesday that he's trying to block out noise and that this week might be his best chance to capture an elusive green jacket at the Masters and become only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam.

The four-time major championship winner would join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only golfers to win the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship.

It will be McIlroy's 11th attempt at trying to achieve the feat at Augusta National Golf Club.

«It's just narratives. It's noise,» McIlroy said during a news conference Tuesday. «It's just trying to block out that noise as much as possible. I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year. Look, I understand the narrative and the noise, and there's a lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job.»

Rory McIlroy is currently one of 12 golfers one leg shy of the career Grand Slam. Of those 12, five were missing a Green Jacket.

A victory at Augusta National Golf Club would also end McIlroy's major championship drought of more than 10 years. He last won a major at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2014. He has gone 0-for-38 in the big four since then.

If McIlroy slips on a green jacket on Sunday, it would have been 3,899 days since his 2014 PGA Championship victory, which would be the sixth-longest span between wins by a player in a major championship, according to ESPN Research.

It might be one of McIlroy's best chances to do it. He finished in the top five in eight of his past 11 worldwide starts, including