( CNN ) -- Rory McIlroy says he 's not listening to any of his critics in the buildup to the Masters , as the world No . 2 reflects on his troubled start to 2013 . The Northern Irishman missed the cut at January 's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship after announcing a deal with sponsor Nike which could see him earn as much as $ 250 million . McIlroy followed that by walking off the course at the Honda Classic a month ago before apologizing , having struggled to produce his best golf with a new set of clubs . That stuttering start to the season prompted the 23-year-old to change his schedule -- pulling out of a charity event -- to unexpectedly play this week in the Valero Texas Open , citing the need for more practice ahead of the year 's first major at Augusta . `` No one knows what I 'm trying to do more than me , '' he told CNN 's Living Golf in an exclusive interview . `` There was a lot of hype at the start of the year obviously with the switch to Nike , coming off the back of such a great year last year . It 's nice now everything 's settled down a bit . `` I know what I 'm doing . And I know what I 'm working on the course . Of course you see some things sometimes , but you try just to block it out and try , I guess , to have faith in what you 're doing . '' McIlroy was intending to be in Haiti this week as part of his role as a UNICEF ambassador , but the two-time major winner took the advice of his caddy J.P. Fitzgerald and traveled to San Antonio to play more competitive golf ahead of the Masters . `` I decided after my second round in Houston last week , '' explained McIlroy . Blog : Putting key to Tiger 's revival . `` My caddy mentioned it to me and I took a moment to think about it . And I thought it was the best thing to get ready for the Masters . '' McIlroy 's play was patchy at Houston , and he laughed as he recalls hitting the ball in the water 10 times . But he was also the longest driver in the PGA Tour tournament , and the seventh best putter . He finished tied for 45th , 12 shots adrift of winner D.A . Points . Resurgent Woods . McIlroy , who won the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2012 PGA Championship , readily admits such play will not be good enough to prosper this year -- especially given the form of a certain player who has just knocked him off the top of the world rankings . `` Tiger 's played great golf this year , '' said McIlroy of his new Nike stablemate and 14-time major winner Tiger Woods . `` It was coming . You could see last year he was getting very close . He won three times last year as well . `` He 's been putting very well , which is a big key , and if he putts like that for the rest of the season he 's going to be very difficult to beat . '' After Texas , for which McIlroy made the deadline to enter by just half an hour , he heads to Augusta -- where he will seek to win his first coveted green jacket . At the 2011 Masters , McIlroy missed out on the first major win of his career as he threw away a four-shot lead in the fourth and final round . `` It 's still the same , '' he said . `` It might not be quite the same as the first time I went down but you still get a special feeling , a special excitement when you drive down Magnolia Lane . It 's just a different atmosphere to anything in golf . '' His excitement will be more than matched by golf fans should the Masters turn into a showdown between McIlroy and a resurgent Woods .
Rory McIlroy is paying no attention to his ranking heading into the Masters . The world No . 2 has endured a troubled season since switching to Nike clubs . He has been replaced at the top of the world rankings by Nike stablemate Tiger Woods . The 2013 Masters at Augusta begins on July 11 .