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Butch Harmon talks McIlroy, Mickelson and Woods ahead of Masters

Image: McIlroy: has two Majors to his name at the age of 23

Butch Harmon thinks that Rory McIlroy's Masters chances have improved - because he is no longer world number one.

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Phenomenal
Fourteen-time Major champion Woods notched his third title of 2013 at Bay Hill, adding to triumphs at the Farmers Insurance Open in February and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March. The 37-year-old, who is just five victories shy of Sam Snead's PGA Tour record of 82, dropped below the 50-mark in the world rankings during his much-publicised malaise, but Harmon says the California-born player's hunger to improve has allowed him to rise again. However, the New Yorker, whose father, Claude, seized the Master trophy in 1948, says Woods could still encounter problems at Augusta, where he finished tied for 40th last year, 15 strokes behind winner Watson. "There has never been a golfer like Tiger Woods," said Harmon. "I think Jack Nicklaus is our greatest champion because he has won more Majors than anyone, but I've never seen anybody who could play golf like Tiger. "I think everything he does is phenomenal; he would talk to all the great stars and ask them how they did things. He has always been willing to learn, and had this desire to get better. He is never satisfied and that's one of the reasons he's so good. "I think we are starting to see Tiger feel a lot more comfortable with his golf swing and with his ball striking - but I think he can be a lot better, and he still has to show that he can drive the ball the way he used to. "His natural shot now is a normal little left-to-right fade and it looks like he has tried to eliminate the left side of the golf course to allow himself to be more consistent. "But when you get to Augusta you know you've got a lot of dog legs where he's going to have to turn the ball from right to left - but Tiger is looking pretty darned good right now."

Sky Sports will show all four days of the Masters (April 11-15) live and in high definition, while there will also be special 3D coverage for certain portions of the event. Check out our Augusta microsite here for more details, as well as news, features, blogs, player profiles, and videos.

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