McIlroy's 2011 Masters' collapse helped shape his career
Heading into the final round of a major with a four-stroke lead only to end up 10 shots back in a tie for 15th is the kind of setback that could derail a player's career. However for Rory McIlroy, it was the exact opposite.
McIlroy went through just that at the 2011 Masters, posting a final round 80 en route to his epic collapse, but rather than wallowing in defeat, McIlroy used the experience to improve his game on the whole.
"I learned so much about myself and what I needed to do the next time I got into that position," McIlroy told the BBC. "If I had not had the whole unravelling, if I had just made a couple of bogeys coming down the stretch and lost by one, I would not have learned as much.
"Luckily, it did not take me long to get into a position like that again when I was leading a major and I was able to get over the line quite comfortably."
In fact it was just two months later at the 2011 U.S. Open that McIlroy again entered the final round of a major with a sizeable lead. This time he was able to maintain the eight-stroke lead he built over the first three rounds and it was the experience he picked up at the Masters that helped him to victory.
"It was a huge learning curve for me and I needed it, and thankfully I have been able to move on to bigger and better things," McIlroy said. "Looking back on what happened in 2011, it doesn't seem as bad when you have four majors on your mantelpiece."
The Masters remains the lone major the 25-year-old has yet to capture during his career. A victory at Augusta would make him the sixth golfer all-time to win all four majors, and while coming up short would make the 2011 collapse all the more painful, McIlroy is confident he can complete the collection before he hands up the cleats.
"If I was to look back as a 60-year-old at my career and had not won a green jacket I would be very disappointed," McIlroy said. "It is the only one left and it is a course I feel I can do well at. I feel I could win multiple times, but getting that first one is the most important thing.
"Winning all four majors means you are a complete player. I can achieve something special."