Rory McIlroy cannot begin to contemplate a career where he will be ineligible to have breakfast in the Masters Champions Locker Room at Augusta National.
McIlroy singled out Greg Norman and Ernie Els, who have both been denied such an opportunity and then witnessed compatriots who grew up idolising them succeed at Augusta.
It is why McIlroy desperately seeks to become the first Northern Irish golfer to be fitted with a green jacket.
“It has to be tough because you can look at someone like Greg Norman seeing Adam Scott win last year,” McIlroy said. “Then there’s Ernie, and he sees Trevor Immelman winning, he sees Charl Schwartzel win and he sees all these young South Africans playing so well, like Louis Oosthuizen going so close in a play-off against Bubba Watson.
“Ernie should have won in 2004 when Phil Mickelson birdied two of the last three. It’s why I’m determined, at 24, that I don’t want to get to that point when I’m 44. So that’s why it would be great to win one Masters sooner rather than later.
“It’s why I just cannot contemplate a career without a green jacket, as the Masters just stands out from the other majors because we go back to the same venue every year. And I’d be disappointed if I ended my career and wasn’t able to go up and have breakfast in the Champions Locker Room.”
McIlroy already has a bit of good news. A recent ice storm brought down the famed Eisenhower Tree, but it also felled the large overhanging branch down the left side of the 10th fairway that McIlroy collected during his gut-wrenching 2011 Masters meltdown.
He was told that the storm had brought down the huge branch from “Rory’s Tree” when he played a practice round last week.
“Whenever the members play Augusta there is a guy who has a beverage cart parked on the 10th tee and he mentioned it to me when I was up there Tuesday, before heading to Houston,” McIlroy said.
“He just said to me: ‘Oh that branch, it’s not there any more’ and then, when I looked, it was gone, broken off in the ice storm, and Augusta had to take it away.”
McIlroy has a bizarre statistic to back his hopes of winning. On the four occasions since 1997 that Tiger Woods has not contested a major – and the world No 1 is to miss the Masters because of back surgery – a golfer from the Emerald Isle has succeeded: Padraig Harrington at the 2008 British Open and 2008 PGA, McIlroy at the 2011 US Open and Darren Clarke at the 2011 British Open.
“That’s a good omen,” McIlroy said, smiling. “I’m not that superstitious but maybe it gives you an extra bit of ‘Oh, I might have a bit of an extra chance this week’.”
McIlroy arrived at Augusta after a confidence-lifting final round 65 to share seventh place in the Houston Open. It was his best round in America’s fourth-largest city in four appearances at Houston.
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.