"A ton of positives to take away" - Rory McIlroy sees a silver lining from the WGC-Dell Match Play ahead of The Masters

Rory McIlroy had to settle for a consolation prize at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as he finished third by beating Scottie Scheffler. As per Rory, it was better than what he expected at the Austin Country Club and he took the result positively.

"Yeah, a ton of positives to take away," Rory was quoted saying by Sky Sports. I think Scottie and I were both disappointed that we lost our matches this morning. It was a bit of a pillow fight there for quite a bit of the match. But we produced some good golf on that back nine and we created some birdies.

"If you had told me that I would make it to the Sunday of the Match Play last week, I would have taken that. I had my chances against Cam this morning, just couldn't quite put him away. But it was nice to come out here and get a win this afternoon."

He lost to Cameron Young in the semifinals. The match needed a playoff to get the result and it was Rory's only defeat of the week.

While reflecting on his game, the four-time Major winner was quoted saying via Golf Magic:

"I had my chances against Cam this morning, just couldn't quite put him away. But it was nice to come out here and get a win this afternoon.

"The only thing I'll be disappointed about this week are those final three holes this morning against Cam, not being able to put him away being 2-up with three to go."

The first major of the season, the Masters, will begin on April 6. With Masters being just two weeks away, McIlroy said he was analyzing his game at the time and felt he was in better form than The Players Championship two weeks ago, where he failed to make the cut.

He was quoted saying via Golf Magic:

"So try to rest and recover a little bit over the next couple of days, and, yeah, all eyes on Augusta and just making sure that the game's ready. But everything feels in really good order, just work on some things that I know that I'll need for that week and just make sure I'm ready and rested."

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How has Rory McIlroy fared this season so far?

Rory McIlroy began the year as World No. 1 but couldn't hold onto it for long. He started well by winning the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic in January but has been winless since then. His next best came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month, where he finished as a runner-up.

The 33-year-old will make his 15th appearance at Augusta National, the only major he's yet to win. He is aiming to join the likes of Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player as the only players to win the career Grand Slam.

Last year, McIlroy finished in the top 10 of all the majors. He posted a 64 on the last day of the Masters to finish runner-up, his best performance of the tournament.