Rory McIlroy has warned nan remainder of elite play he will group further, lofty goals successful his athletics aft a successful defence of nan Masters.
McIlroy prevailed astatine Augusta National by a changeable complete Scottie Scheffler, meaning nan Northern Irishman becomes conscionable nan 4th golfer successful history to triumph nan tourney back-to-back. While McIlroy will cherish his win, he has nary plans to remainder connected his laurels.
“I conscionable won my sixth awesome and I consciousness for illustration I’m successful a really bully spot pinch my crippled and my body,” McIlroy said. “I don’t want to put a number connected it, I don’t want to opportunity a extremity connected nan journey, but it’s conscionable a portion of nan journey. I still person things I want to execute but I still want to bask it arsenic well.
“I’ve waited truthful agelong to triumph nan Masters and each of a abrupt I triumph 2 successful a row. So I still want to bask it. I’ve sewage a mates of weeks disconnected earlier I spell backmost to playing competitory play but I don’t deliberation I’ll spell done that lull of information aliases nan benignant of things that I was emotion past twelvemonth station winning this tournament.”
While 2025 astatine Augusta delivered nan profession expansive slam, location was emotion for McIlroy astatine nan conclusion of nan 2026 version. The golfer’s parents, Rosie and Gerry, were not astatine nan Masters a twelvemonth agone but were connected manus to spot their boy clasp nan Green Jacket.
“I caught myself connected nan play people a mates of times reasoning astir them,” McIlroy said. “I was like, ‘No, not yet, not yet.’ It’s really cool to person them here.
“They missed it past twelvemonth and nan first point I wanted to do was alert location to spot them because I evidently wouldn’t beryllium sitting up present if it wasn’t for them. I had to benignant of person them to travel this twelvemonth because they thought nan logic I won past twelvemonth was because they weren’t here. I’m gladsome we proved that wrong, truthful they tin support coming arsenic agelong arsenic they want. It’s astonishing to person them here. I’m excited to observe pinch them tonight.”
Comparing his ain authorities of mind betwixt Masters wins, McIlroy said: “Not arsenic emotional, but just, wow, it’s amazing. I can’t judge I did it again.
“We suffer a batch much successful play than we win. So I deliberation erstwhile nan winning comes around, you person to observe it to nan fullest. I’ll person a bully clip tonight, and I’ll astir apt person a sore caput flying backmost to Florida tomorrow morning.”
McIlroy’s triumph arrived successful typically melodramatic circumstances. He recovered conscionable 55% of Masters fairways complete 4 rounds and deed only 48 of 72 greens successful regulation. The six-shot lead McIlroy held aft 36 holes had gone aft 54. From nan last tee connected Sunday, wherever he was 2 ahead, McIlroy deed a bad boy thrust correct and into trees.
“I don’t make it easy,” he admitted. “I utilized to make it easy backmost successful my early 20s erstwhile I was winning these things by 8 shots.
“I thought it was truthful difficult to triumph past twelvemonth because of trying to triumph nan Masters and nan Grand Slam. This twelvemonth I realised it’s conscionable really difficult to triumph nan Masters. I had tried to person myself it was both.
“Walking disconnected nan 18th tee not knowing wherever my shot was, I deliberation that was nan infinitesimal of top stress. It could spell anywhere. It could beryllium anywhere.”
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