Every time Rory McIlroy returns to the Masters, there is an extra weight of history which has appeared to become a burden at times over the past 10 years.
McIlroy won four majors between 2011 and 2014 – twice at the US PGA Championship, plus The Open and US Open.
It leaves the Masters as the one he needs to become only the sixth man to complete a career grand slam.
This week, the 34-year-old Northern Irishman’s game this week has not been at the levels needed to finally win at Augusta.
He carded a one-under 71 on Saturday, leaving him three over and, yet again, too far back to mount a serious challenge on Sunday.
But the world number two says his mindset will be to go out and “give it a go”.
“If the conditions stay the same and you pick up four, five six shots you will get up the leaderboard. I will try to finish the week on a positive note,” said McIlroy, who has earned six top-10 finishes in his pursuit of a place in golfing history.
Defending champion Jon Rahm scraped into the weekend after only beating the cut by a shot, but was also unable to shoot the low score he needed to chase down the leaders.
An uneventful round saw the 29-year-old Spaniard bogey the seventh before a birdie on the 17th ensured he signed for a level-par 72, leaving him five over for the tournament.
He said that not challenging for the title on Sunday was a “sour feeling”.
“Worse case I’ll be a part of the ceremony,” added the LIV Golf player, who will put the Green Jacket on the eventual champion as tradition dictates.
There will be live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app from 20:00, with live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app starting at 18:30.
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