'I could not come here in better form,' says Rory McIlroy as Woods and Mickelson win Masters practice round

Rory McIlroy feels he is in the best shape possible as he attempts to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam.

"I feel as prepared as I ever have and I'm excited to hit that first tee shot on Thursday afternoon," McIlroy, who ended an 18-month winless streak with victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, said.

"I could not come here in better form and hopefully I can carry that into the next three days. I play well here and have just not played well enough.

"Hopefully this is my week and I can get myself in there and grab it with both hands."

Today's practice will not banish the memories of their ill-fated Ryder Cup partnership, but Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were finally able to enjoy a victory together today.

Fourteen years after losing twice on the opening day at Oakland Hills after being paired by US captain Hal Sutton, the long-time rivals teamed up to beat Fred Couples and Thomas Pieters in a nine-hole practice round ahead of the Masters.

"They enjoyed beating us badly, I will say that," Couples told reporters afterwards. "I feel bad for Thomas because I couldn't have helped Jack Nicklaus in his prime today. Thomas had a lot on his shoulders."

Starting on the back nine, Couples and Pieters won the first two holes but then saw Woods eagle both the 13th and 15th and Mickelson make five straight birdies.

"I think come Sunday, they might be paired together," Couples added. "They're playing extremely well. They love the course. And they're going to do very, very well."

Pieters, who was fourth on his Masters debut last year, added: "Tiger was brilliant."

Mickelson, 47, who won for the first time since 2013 last month, is aiming to surpass Jack Nicklaus as the oldest ever winner at Augusta National.

And Woods, who underwent spinal fusion surgery last April, is seeking a first major title - and 15th in total - since winning the US Open in 2008.

Asked about the improved relationship between himself and Mickelson, Woods said: "I think Phil and I have been through it for so long and we have been together on these teams (Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup) long enough.

"And then when I got hurt and I had to take a different role on the teams, being assistant captain and really trying to help out on the side, Phil was great. He was trying to help me out when I was trying to make a comeback, my body wasn't feeling very good.

"And our friendship has gotten stronger over the years. We have competed a lot of times coming down the stretch in events.

"And I think it's just age as well. We're at the tail end of our careers, we both know that. He's 47 and I'm 42, and we have had a great 20-year battle.

"Hopefully we'll have a few more, but we understand where we are in the game now versus where we were in our early 20s, battling for who is going to be number one, and that was then and certainly this is now."