'You’re Rory McIlroy, for Christ’s sake' – Four unflinching hours in Las Vegas in bid to spark The Masters bid

Butch Harmon has urged Rory McIlroy to simply “relax and play” before his latest crack at completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters.

The world No.2 has gone nearly 10 years without winning a Major and had only one top-20 finish on the PGA Tour this season before this weekend’s Valero Texas Open. But American swing guru Harmon said: “I told him: ‘You’re Rory McIlroy, for Christ’s sake, one of the best players who’s ever played the game.’” The Northern Irishman went for a four-hour lesson last week with Tiger Woods’ former coach, now 80, in Las Vegas. McIlroy claimed Harmon is “sort of half golf coach, half psychologist” after his trip.

And the American revealed they worked on the four-time Major winner’s short-iron play – on top of how to approach his 16th attempt to don a Green Jacket. The Sky Sports analyst said: “We had a really good session, then we talked about Augusta and his mindset going in there. We all know how much he wants it. This is his chance to complete the career Grand Slam. This is the only one missing. He’s had his opportunities before and they’ve slipped away.

“So I talked to him about how to relax, how to enjoy himself – and how to enjoy the moment. I said just, ‘Go play golf, shot by shot – you’re Rory McIlroy, for Christ’s sake, one of the best players who’s ever played the game.’ And the course was built for him, if you look at the way he drives the ball. It sounds easy but he wants it so bad, he just puts an excess amount of pressure on himself. He just has to relax and play golf, which is very easy to say because he wants it so bad. We all want it for him and that gets in the way of allowing you to be yourself.

“If he can just go and be Rory McIlroy, he will have a great time and a