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Rory McIlroy will play Augusta National for the primary time since his Masters victory subsequent week, and can accomplish that in good firm.
Almost a yr on from his well-known career Grand Slam triumph, McIlroy’s defence of his Masters title is rising ever-closer.
Last December McIlroy made a return as defending champion to the well-known Augusta grounds, however he’s but to exit and play the golf course totally.
Following this week’s Genesis Invitational although, he’ll get the prospect to do this, and can accomplish that alongside Augusta chairman Fred Ridley and his dad, Gerry.
Asked if he had managed to play the golf course since his win alongside his dad, McIlroy mentioned: “That’s coming up. I’m going to go up there and play with the chairman next week actually.”
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It is set to be a special second for McIlroy, who didn’t have his mum and pa current on website when placing on the Green Jacket final April.
Having not had Gerry beside him that championship Sunday, the Northern Irishman has been eager to return down Magnolia Lane in his firm.
Speaking final August on the Tour Championship, McIlroy mentioned: “My dad wasn’t there once I gained, so I believe that’ll be a cool second to be with him.
“It’ll be emotional. Like I nonetheless get a bit emotional fascinated by it. But it’ll be actually cool. To go there, I’ve quite a lot of members there which have grow to be good associates over time.
“To be able to enjoy that with them and play the golf course again and sort of reminisce over the good and the bad that happened over the course of the week, yeah, that’ll be really cool.”
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At Riviera earlier this week, McIlroy offered an perception on what his first return final December was like, commenting: “It was cool to stand up to the champions locker room and see my nameplate alongside the opposite two champions that I share a locker with.
“Yeah, it was somewhat nostalgic. I wouldn’t say it was emotional but definitely there was nice memories. Yeah, different feels the first time staying on site without having to need a member there. There’s a lot of perks you get with being a champion.”
As for the change to the seventeenth tee field for this yr’s Masters, McIlroy added: “They haven’t moved the tee box of 17 back, they’ve moved the plate where it was played from back 10 yards to make it 10 yards longer. But apart from that, the course is pretty much the same.”