Belief is key to Mahan's rapid rise up the rankings

AUGUSTA DIARY:In-form Hunter Mahan's win in the Shell Houston Open did more than make him the first multiple-winner on the US Tour this season: it sent him to Augusta as the top-ranked American in the official world rankings.

The win move him to number four in the world, one spot ahead of Steve Stricker and three in front of Tiger Woods.

Mahan, who has six top 25s (including two wins) in seven outings on tour this season, has adopted a new attitude which has reaped benefits on the course and has credited Canadian sports psychologist Jim Murphy with making the difference. “It’s easy to let your mind run wild and get down on yourself. That’s what I used to do. I’m trying to pump myself up more and just believe in myself.”

McIlroy was unsure if ISM were leading him down the right path before split

Rory McIlroy has claimed that one of the reasons for leaving ISM for Dublin-based Horizon Sport last October was because of being “led down the wrong path”.

In an interview with www.golf.com, McIlroy claimed of his decision not to play in last year's Players Championship at Sawgrass – the US Tour's flagship event – that it was "another example of being involved with Chubby and ISM and maybe being led down the wrong path, or a path that I didn't want to go down. It was something I sort of felt like I had to do."

Later in the interview, McIlroy expanded on the reason for bypassing the tournament:

“I think just spending a little bit of time around Chubby and Lee (Westwood) and hearing their view of the PGA Tour – obviously, they’re very pro-European Tour – while I’ve always been one who wanted to play on the PGA Tour. Maybe that was one of the decisions I look back on and regret a little bit.”

Top two in the world take Twitter vow of silence

Rory McIlroy has adopted a code of omerta – as far as Twitter is concerned – for this week’s Masters. “Going offline for the rest of this week. Thank you all for your support in advance. Next time I speak to you hopefully I have a green jacket in my possession!!” tweeted McIlroy in signing off from his account until the Major is over. He wasn’t alone.

Luke Donald, the world number one, signed off for the week from his Twitter account too . . . but not before advising any of his followers in the town for the week to taste a glass of wine from his Luke Donald Collection at a local cafe.