Grand Slam wouldn't change me, says McIlroy

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy "desperately" wants to win the Masters and golf's Grand Slam, but says he is already fulfilled in his life.

Rory McIlroy is keen to win golf's Grand Slam but says glory at the Masters would not change him.

Next week's event at Augusta National is the only major McIlroy is yet to win as he bids to become the sixth golfer to win all four elite tournaments across his career.

But while much has been made of McIlroy's failure to so far deliver a Masters victory - he is playing for an 11th time this year - he is content with his life as it is.

The Northern Irishman insists he would feel no differently even after writing his name into the history books with an "unbelievably cool" achievement.

"I would join a group of people who are legends of the game that I fell in love with as a kid," McIlroy told the Guardian. "That is really cool. That is unbelievably cool.

"If I win the Masters, I'm not going to wake up on Monday morning as a different person. I'll be the same Rory, with the same parents, same wife, same group of people around me. Nothing is going to change.

"I desperately want to win it, because I want to feel that satisfaction that I had worked hard, persevered, persisted and eight years later, after having that chance to win the Masters [in 2011, when he had four-shot lead entering the last round but finished 10 off the pace], I'd achieve something I hadn't done before.

"That's hugely motivating but it's not going to make me a different person. It won't change the opinions of people I value.

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"I live the greatest life I ever thought I could. I am thinking of the bigger picture; will it change the fact I'm married to a great person? Will it change that I'll hopefully have kids one day and a great family?

"All that stuff isn't going to change if I win four majors or 10.

"It's not a lack of motivation, it's fulfilment in my life. Winning tournaments makes me happy, satisfied I've achieved something, but that's not fulfilment. Fulfilment is much bigger than golf tournaments.

"I don't need to fill a void in my life by winning majors. I don't have that void. So does it scare me that I might not win another major? It doesn't scare me at all. but that doesn't mean I don't want to."