McIlroy, who’s hoping to change into simply the fourth participant after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters titles has held a six-shot lead at this level in a serious earlier than.
He went on to win the 2011 US Open by eight pictures – claiming the primary of his 5 majors – and likewise spreadeagled the sphere with an eight-shot victory on the 2012 US PGA Championship.
And he plans to take care of an aggressive method round Augusta Nationwide over the weekend as he bids to match Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino’s haul of six majors.
“Do not defend it. Exit and play freely, maintain swinging,” he mentioned when requested what recommendation his 2011 self would have for him earlier than Saturday.
McIlroy led that 12 months’s Masters by 4 pictures going into the ultimate spherical, however carded an eight-over-par 80 to tumble down the leaderboard.
“A giant a part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was do not get protecting,” he added. “Go on the market and maintain enjoying, maintain making an attempt to make birdies, keep as trusting and as dedicated as potential.”
McIlroy additionally mentioned he plans to look at tennis and spend time along with his daughter Poppy to take his thoughts off the third spherical.
“That distraction is normally an excellent factor for me, particularly with a late tee time and the lead,” he defined.
“There are two actually good semi-finals at Monte Carlo within the tennis. So I am going to watch these.
“We have been watching the tennis early within the mornings. After which hopefully spend a while with Poppy. I feel we’re about midway via Zootopia 2.”
McIlroy has credited his quick begin to the match with spending an enormous period of time practising on the course within the three weeks he took off from enjoying PGA Tour occasions after the Gamers Championship in March.
“I simply do not just like the three tournaments main as much as this occasion,” mentioned McIlroy, who has a house in close by Florida.
“I might reasonably come right here. I did a few days the place I dropped Poppy to high school, flew up right here, performed, landed again residence and had dinner with Poppy and [wife] Erica.
“I felt it was a greater use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t actually about conserving power, however simply I felt the extra time I might spend up right here, the higher.
“I have been on this golf course a lot the previous three weeks. That has been a mix of apply and chipping and placing round greens, after which simply enjoying one ball and capturing scores and ending up in bizarre locations that you just possibly by no means end up and simply making an attempt to determine it out. I feel simply spending a lot time up right here has been a giant a part of it.”
