Late riser Rory to shine says Dad

From Brian Keogh in Augusta

Rory McIlroy's dad Gerry believes he will be bursting to go when he tees off in the last group on Thursday. And that's because he knows that teenagers just love a lie-in.

Gerry said: "Rory just loves that draw and it will mean he can have a long lie-in and see how the scoring is going and whether he need to be a wee bit more aggressive than he might have been.

"Rory also likes the fact that he is one of three teenagers in the field, and having Ryo Ishikawa alongside him will be a good thing.

"He's asked someone how to say hello in Japanese, and introduced himself to Ryo before the draw was even made. He also gets along great with Anthony Kim as another of the younger players on Tour, so it is  a great draw for him."

Tiger Woods goes off in the group just ahead of McIlroy, Ishikawa and Kim.

And Gerry reckons that will be a good thing for his son, explaining: "It won't bother him a bit to be that close to Tiger's group.

"He will be able to see what Tiger is doing, and all the fuss and the big galleries running round to get a better position will just wash over him."