Rory McIlroy has worn the air of a man intent on peaking at the right time this week . He has played well , racking up five birdies in succession at one point during his second round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational , the first time he has accomplished that on the PGA Tour , but there has still been a sense of a man playing within himself . Everything is about the build-up to Augusta where the US Masters begins in a little over a fortnight ’ s time . It is there that McIlroy will attempt to join a select group of the greats of the game by winning the only major that has eluded him . Victory would lift him into the company of Gene Sarazen , Ben Hogan , Gary Player , Jack Nicklaus , and Tiger Woods who all won the Masters , the US Open , The Open and the US PGA at least once in their careers . Rory McIlory has been tuning up for the Masters this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational . This week 's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is McIlroy 's last competitive action before Augusta . The Masters is the one major that McIlory is yet to get his hands on having won the other three . Despite his uneven form in the last month , McIlroy , 25 , has looked and sounded like a man who is exactly where he wants to be in the run-up to the tournament where victory eluded him three years ago when he collapsed on the back nine of his final round . If he gets into the same position this year , it is safe to bet he will not let it slip . It was important to him to play here at Bay Hill , partly to honour Palmer , who has seemed hurt in recent years when McIlroy decided to skip the tournament . But McIlroy also wanted to replicate his routine from 2011 when he had a fortnight off before the Masters . ‘ It worked pretty well at Augusta , at least for 63 holes , ’ he said .
Rory Mcilroy five shots behind leader Morgan Hoffman at Bay Hill . World No 1 had dinner with Arnold Palmer on Thursday night . Rickie Fowler says Florida must be favourite for the Masters next month . First time in eight rounds this year that Florida broke 70 in McIlroy . Matt Every one shot behind Hoffman - Ian Poulter one behind Florida .