Golf: Rory McIlroy brands 2011 Masters melt-down as 'learning experience'

Northern Irish golf ace Rory McIlroy has branded his final-round meltdown at the 2011 Masters as the 'most important day of his career'.

World number one McIlroy threw away a four-shot lead in the final round at Augusta and ended up carding an 80. Terming the collapse as a 'learning experience', McIlroy said that he 'learned so much about himself and what he needed to do the next time he got into that position', the BBC reported.

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McIlroy further said he would not have learned as much if he had not had the whole unravelling, if he had just made a couple of bogeys coming down the stretch and lost by one. The world number one won the US Open in 2011, the US PGA in 2012 and 2014 and last year's Open at Royal Liverpool, and is aiming to complete a career grand slam at Augusta.

McIlroy added that winning all four majors means one is a complete player, insisting that he could achieve something special.