The world of golf is waiting to see if Rory McIlroy can win the big prize at Augusta for the first time this month. McIlroy’s last major title came at the 2014 US PGA Championship.

Yet while he’s looking to break his Masters hoodoo, McIlroy is also gunning to become the sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam at the April showpiece.

Rory McIlroy says his elbow is bothering him ahead of the Masters (Image: Getty)

A blunder in the final round back in 2011 and finishing second to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler three years ago, are some of the near misses he’s had at the Masters. Yet McIlroy enters the fray this year in impressive form, boasting PGA Tour wins at both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship.

Here, we take a look at all the latest news surrounding McIlroy as he heads into one of the biggest months of his career so far.

Injury concern

McIlroy’s pre-Masters preparation saw him tie for fifth place at the Houston Open last Sunday, closing with a stellar six under par 64. However, the 35-year-old admitted that he has some concerns about his elbow, as per the Express.

There’s now some anxiety over whether the four-time major champion can bring his A-game to Augusta. “My right elbow has been bothering me a little bit so I’ll maybe just get some treatment on that and make sure that is OK going into Augusta,” McIlroy said to the Golf Channel.

“I’ve got my coach Michael Bannon coming in [on Monday]. We’ll do some work and make sure everything is in good shape for a week’s time.”

McIlroy won the Players Championship last month ( Image: Getty)

Matching Tiger Woods

McIlroy’s performance in Houston saw him become only the second golfer, after Woods, to surpass $100 million (£77M) in career earnings on the PGA Tour. He accomplished the remarkable feat by bagging $338,000 (£262,287) for his four-way tie for fifth place.

Since making his debut in 2010, he has claimed 28 victories in 262 events on the Tour. The 49-year-old Woods surpassed the $100M mark in prize money back in 2012 and currently boasts a staggering $120M (£93.1M) with 82 wins from 378 events.

Phil Mickelson ranks third on the list with $97M (£75.3M) before he departed in 2022 to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. Dustin Johnson, another LIV recruit, is fourth with $76M (£59M). Scheffler completes the top five with $75M (£58M).

Mentality questioned

As McIlroy undoubtedly feels the heat ahead of the Masters, three-time champion Sir Nick Faldo has urged him to conquer a mental hurdle that may have previously hindered his success at Augusta.

“I think there’s only Tiger Woods and Ben Crenshaw that have gone 11 years between two majors in about the last 40 years,” Faldo, 67, told Sky Sports.”He [McIlroy] has to forget that and he’s got to rewrite some of those things. He’s got to deal with that mental battle. He knows he’s got it physically and technically, just about.

Sir Nick Faldo believes McIlroy can win in Augusta ( Image: Getty)

“He’s 35, playing great. Can he just go to Augusta and absolutely clear all the pictures out from the past? It’s way easier said than done, but he could do it and I’ve got a feeling he might.

“Physical, we can just about see. You can see how strong somebody is, but you can’t see an injury. Technically, we can just about see it – you see the swing and what have you. Mental, we can’t see it and that’s purely hidden to the individual.

“For Rory? Physically, he’s got it. Technically, he’s got it. Where is he mentally? That is the key. He has got the battle of trying to delete 10 years of this gap and saying to us ‘I’m actually the best player in the world right now’. Because, let’s face it, he is.”