It took over a decade for Rory McIlroy to beat his Masters demons at Augusta National.
After years of heartbreak on the hallowed turf, McIlroy lastly accomplished the Career Grand Slam in 2025 to etch his identify into the annals of {golfing} lore. This was a golf course that had haunted him, however now it was the web site of his crowning achievement.
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On paper, Augusta ought to be completely suited to McIlroy’s sport. As one in every of the greatest drivers of the ball in golf and an unbelievable long-iron participant, his challenges on the golf course have been psychological, not bodily.
And to win this psychological battle with the most iconic golf course in the sport, the Northern Irishman leaned on recommendation given to him by Phil Mickelson, who had received the occasion 3 times earlier than him.
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Phil Mickelson told Rory McIlroy what he didn’t perceive about Augusta National
McIlroy appeared like he was attempting to outlive Augusta National. He revered the golf course a lot after what it had performed to him in the previous that it paralysed him at instances.
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Even when main down the stretch on Sunday, the course contorted in McIlroy’s thoughts, forcing him into inexplicable errors as he tried to play defence. But Mickelson once told McIlroy that the key to profitable at Augusta is to seize the course by the scruff of its neck.
McIlroy told Golf Digest Australia: “I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson, maybe I don’t know 10 or 15 years ago, probably closer to 15 years ago, and I always remember he said to me, ‘Rory, one of the reasons I love Augusta National is because I feel I can be so aggressive here.’
“I remember thinking, ‘What does he mean?’ I feel the opposite. I feel I can’t be aggressive here because there’s so many bad places to miss. But Phil had so much – still has probably so much – faith in his short game that if he does miss an approach shot by being aggressive, he still feels he can get that ball up and down.
“I think I would say by becoming a better putter and by maybe working on my short game a little bit and becoming better around the greens that probably allowed me to become more aggressive with my approach play at Augusta.
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“I think that’s been a big part of the reason why I’ve well now that I’ve eventually won there but why my play has gotten better there over the years.”
Only through the use of Mickelson’s recommendation might McIlroy slay the demons he created 14 years prior.
2011 stopped Rory McIlroy from profitable The Masters for 14 years
In 2011, McIlroy entered the ultimate day of The Masters with a four-shot lead. He completed the day 10 photographs again.
A wayward drive on the tenth gap despatched him right into a spiral, and he collapsed down the stretch to throw away the win. McIlroy was devastated by the defeat, and the recollections lingered for years.
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From that second, McIlroy feared Augusta. He knew how shortly the course might swallow you up when you didn’t give it its due respect.
And that’s what prevented him from tackling the course as Mickelson did. A younger McIlroy with no scar tissue tried, and look how that ended.
You can’t win The Masters by attempting to not lose. McIlroy discovered that out on the again 9 on Sunday. The second he tried to play defensively, he discovered the water. That pressured him to play with aggression once more, and that’s the place McIlroy refound his kind.
That’s an ideal signal transferring ahead for McIlroy. Not solely has he realized the best way to play the course, however he not has the weight on his shoulders. He can swing freely round Augusta and revel in taking part in the course for the first time in years.
This 12 months, count on to see an aggressive McIlroy taking Augusta by the horns.
