The perks of being the Masters champion are numerous, the greenbacks and the trophy and the lifetime exemption; but the green jacket is the item which – in weaving its own tradition – has singled out one above all.
Rory McIlroy had it placed on his shoulders by Scottie Scheffler in the fading light of a Sunday evening one year ago. The Northern Irishman has returned to Augusta National – wearing the jacket to his pre-tournament press conference and then at the champions dinner, to be among equals – but with recalibrated ambitions for the follow-up act to his career Grand Slam.
The loaded question of his past failings was absent this time, banished forever by his playoff win over Justin Rose. The future? Well, it’s about adding to legacy and seeking to become just the fourth player to go back-to-back, a feat only previously achieved by Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
“The story as it relates to me is what do I do from now onwards? What motivates me? What gets me going? What do I still want to achieve in the game? I think that’s the story. And there’s still a lot that I want to do. You think every time you achieve something or have success that you’ll be happy, but then the goalposts move, and they just keep nudging a little bit further and further out of reach.
RM Block
“I think what I’ve realised is, if you can just really find enjoyment in the journey, that’s the big thing because honestly I felt like the career grand slam was my destination, and I got there, and then I realised it wasn’t the destination.”
“The nice thing now is instead of it being, ‘come on, Rory, you know you can do this’, it’s back-to-back. There’s a real positive connotation to it instead of, ‘Geez, Rory, we’ve been waiting a while. When are you going to get this done?’ It’s just very different, and maybe that’s just my perception of it. But it is so nice to walk around property or be out on the golf course and just not have that hanging over me. It feels that it’s a big weight off my shoulders.”
In seeking to add to his Major championship haul, McIlroy – who has five career Majors - identified Augusta National as his best opportunity to increase his number of wins.
“When you’ve had the experiences that I’ve had around here, good and bad, I think that can stand to you. The other Major venues, we don’t go back to the same place every year. I feel like I’m still young, but I’m very experienced. I’ve been doing this for a long time. This is my 18th start (in the Masters), I do feel like I’ve got another hopefully 10 good shots at this. Not that I don’t at the other majors, but I just think that everything here is a little more predictable.
“You know the golf course pretty much (stays the same). There’s subtle changes year after year, but the hole locations are always in similar spots. I just think the more experience you have around this golf course, the better it is. That’s why I think here.”
McIlroy has been one of the most innovative of any Masters champions in conveying the message of his win and the route it took to get there, completing the career Grand Slam, with the recent Prime documentary Rory: The Masters Wait among his chosen tools.
The documentary certainly conveyed the role his parents, Rosie and Gerry, played in his development “Yeah, they were the stars of the show,” said McIlroy.
“My mom and dad have always been very reluctant to say anything or go on camera, but I thought that the documentary wouldn’t have felt complete if we didn’t hear from them. Again, knowing how they feel about it all, I would have been absolutely fine if they didn’t want to do it, but they were willing to participate. I thought they did an amazing job.
“I think in terms of what they instilled in me, I think work ethic ... my mom worked night shifts, my dad worked multiple jobs. That was normal for me. That was normal as an upbringing. I never spent a lot of time with my parents together. It was either with my dad or with my mom because always the other one was working.
“Because they knew their son had a dream to play golf, and golf is a less expensive sport to play in Ireland, but it’s still a pretty expensive game to have to drive your son to different golf clubs and play in tournaments and golf equipment and everything else. So they sacrificed a lot.
“I think that that work ethic, that’s the thing I feel like they instilled in me the most and the belief. I talk about my dad being an eternal optimist and being able to see a silver lining in the worst of days, and I feel like that’s what he’s given me as well.”
As McIlroy closed one door in achieving the career Grand Slam, a new door opened, offering a new light to follow. Starting here.
