Masters Predictions 2012: Rory McIlroy Will Threaten Tiger Woods

The golf world is still raving about Tiger Woods' apparent comeback, which is fine with Rory McIlroy—it will take a little bit of the pressure off him as the golfer with the best odds of beating Tiger at Augusta.

Woods is coming off his first PGA Tour win in 30 months and has thrust himself back into the race full-throttle, but McIlroy's recent string of success still paints him as a favorite, despite his flop at Augusta last year.

In three PGA Tour events this season, McIlroy has finished in second place, first place and third place, but it was his performance at the U.S. Open a year ago that really proves what he can do.

Last June, McIlroy shot a record-low 268, 16-under (-16), winning the tournament by eight shots. It was his first major championship, and it took away any supposition that McIlroy was just flash in the pan, thrusting him into the conversation for good.

Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 majors, was one of the first to buy into the hype. He told The Guardian's Lawrence Donegan:

"

Rory is going to have a great career, there is no question about that. He has got all the components. He is a great kid. He is humble when he needs to be and confident when he needs to be confident. He's got a great swing. He looks a little cocksure when he walks, which you need to have. I like it.

"

The U.S. Open win took away the sting of his performance in last year's Masters, when he blew a four-stroke lead on the final day. After nine holes, McIlroy's lead had been cut to one, and after triple-bogeying the 10th hole, he continued to unravel to a 15th-place tie.

During the first three rounds, McIlroy, then 21, had three bogeys. On Sunday alone, he had four, as well as a triple and a double.

Lee Westwood of England had a theory about McIlroy's collapse, telling USA Today's Gary Mihoces that the young golfer tends to succumb to pressure:

"

I have played with Rory a lot. When he gets under a bit of pressure, he's got a pull hook in his bag, and he hit it on 10. ... So that's something he'll learn to cope with [as he gains] experience, but that's why they go on so much about experience at the Masters, the value of it.

"

As they say, experience is what you get when you don't get what you want—and McIlroy got plenty of that last year at Augusta. Everything happens for a reason, and perhaps the reason McIlroy collapsed at last year's Masters was so he could learn how to avoid such an outcome in 2012.

And just in case McIlroy's tendency to fall in the face of pressure hasn't dispersed quite yet, Woods' recent resurgence couldn't have come at a better time. With all eyes on Tiger, McIlroy will be left to focus on his game instead of the sideshow that accompanies the PGA Tour's biggest stage.

McIlroy has survived the pressure of the spotlight as the world No. 1. At Augusta this year, he'll justify that ranking.