Augusta — Top-ranked Dustin Johnson is favoured to capture the 81st Masters, but plenty of golfers see Rory McIlroy as a green-jacket threat when the year’s first Major championship begins on Thursday. A showdown of global greats at the 7,435-yard Augusta National has Johnson arriving on a three-tournament winning streak and second-ranked McIlroy, a four-time Major champion, seeking a Masters crown to complete a career Grand Slam. "I’ve done all the preparation I can. It’s just about going out on the golf course and getting it done," said McIlroy, mindful of 2011, when a back-nine Sunday collapse saw him squander the Masters lead. "Having a chance to win a few years ago and not giving myself a chance since … internally, that’s not good enough. I want to give a better account of myself ... on this golf course and I feel like I can." That will make a strong start even more imperative than usual at the Masters. "It’s always important to get off to a decent start but especially here. Yo...

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