Rory McIlroy has said that he approached his final round at Augusta last year in the wrong way.
The 22-year-old blew a four-shot lead going into Sunday, which cost him the green jacket.
McIlroy, who went on to win the US Open two months later, said that he was "too focused" and failed to play his natural game.
"I think one of the things I learnt was that as a person and as a golfer, I wasn't ready to win the Masters," said the Northern Irishman. "I wasn't ready to win a major. I was trying to be too focused, too perfect.
"I'm more relaxed with a bounce in my step and my head up looking around at other people. It was like I didn't want the outside world to get in instead of embracing the situation and saying, 'I've got a four-shot lead at the Masters, let's enjoy this'. That was the real difference.
"That was something that I tried to put into practice at the US Open when I had to go out with the lead and try and just get the job done. Mentally, now I feel like if I get myself in a position again, I'll be able to approach it a lot better."
McIlroy will tee off his Masters challenge alongside Angel Cabrera and Bubba Watson.
Michael Penkman
