Rory McIlroy believes there is no way Augusta National can surprise him as he prepares to defend his Masters title, but he also knows avoiding complacency will be key.

Last year, McIlroy became only the sixth man – and the first from Europe – to achieve golf's career Grand Slam when he became Masters champion for the first time.

And, after joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in that exclusive club, McIlroy is among the favourites for the first major of 2026.

The Northern Irishman is the only player from outside the United States to have won the Masters in the last 11 editions, and he could now become the first back-to-back green jacket winner since Woods in 2001 and 2002.

And, on the eve of Thursday's opening round, he feels a sense of calm that he never enjoyed prior to last year's triumph.

"The one thing I do know is there's not much more this golf course can throw at me, and I've still been able to come out the other side of it with a green jacket," McIlroy told RTE Sport.

"So I feel like when I play here, I'm prepared for everything that it's going to throw at me because I feel like I've seen everything that it can throw at me.

"And that gives me a certain level of comfort going into the week as well. It's amazing to feel relaxed and not have that angst that I felt leading into the Masters each and every year."

Since 2017, McIlroy's 19 top-10 finishes at the majors are the most of any player, ahead of Xander Schauffele (17).

So far this year, his best results have seen him tie for second place at the Genesis Invitational and third place at the Dubai Invitational, and he knows he cannot afford to rest on his laurels.

"At the same time, there's a difference between being relaxed and being complacent. And I don't want to be complacent whatsoever," McIlroy added. 

"So, I think to not have that complacency, you still need a slight edge.

"I think everyone saw that for the first couple of months after I won the Masters, I struggled to find my feet again and get that motivation.

"But 12 months on, reflecting on that a lot and thinking about the next 10 years of my career, what do I want that to look like? What excites me? What motivates me? Those are the questions that I had to ask myself over the past 12 months.

"And I'm excited I get another opportunity to win another green jacket. I said in the press conference, I've probably got 10 realistic chances at winning this tournament again, and I'm determined to make every one of those 10 count."