Rory McIlroy won his second consecutive Masters and, after doing so, told three backstage stories that, in a way, help explain how a victory like that is built at Augusta National. One originates at the 12th tee and was taught to him by Tom Watson many years ago. Another he learned from Jack Nicklaus, by listening to how he prepared the majors. And the third concerns his family, his parents and a superstition that hovered over the tournament for months and that this Sunday was definitively buried.
McIlroy admitted that one of the decisive shots of the tournament was at the 12th, probably the most delicate point of Amen Corner when the wind blows and everything seems to change from one second to the next. There he relied on a very specific lesson. “I played a practice round with Tom Watson in 2009, and he told me on the 12th tee that he always waited until he felt where the wind should come from and then he would hit. You know, hit as soon as you can”. That was exactly what Rory did this Sunday. He waited, showed patience and, when he felt the right direction, he executed. “I checked the wind, looked at the flags, but I didn’t hit until I felt it on my face. I knew it was a perfect three-quarter 9-iron”, he explained. The shot came off, held the tension and ended up being, in his own words, “a huge, huge shot”.
It was no coincidence. McIlroy also explained that he had approached the whole week with a different, much deeper preparation, almost as if Augusta were already an extension of his own home. And that’s where Jack Nicklaus comes in. Rory had been practising on the course for three weeks and acknowledged that part of his plan came from what the The Golden Bear had told him so many times about how to prepare the majors. “I think that, when I’ve talked with Jack Nicklaus over the years about how he prepared the big events, he would go the week before and simulate a tournament. He’d play one ball for four days, do rounds, and so, when the tournament came, it felt natural to him. That’s what I did”.
McIlroy took note and tried to reproduce it at Augusta. He didn’t limit himself to playing practice rounds, but sought to compete against the course before the real championship began. “Get to the venue early, do the preparation, play. And not simply play and look at things, but actually play. Go out with one ball, keep score and try to do it that way”. The plan gave him decisive familiarity with the course. “I felt that, wherever I hit on the course, I more or less knew what to do. I knew where to miss. I feel quite comfortable with all the shots around the green”.
And then there’s the most intimate, the most emotional part, the one that connects to the Rory who last year completed the Grand Slam without his parents at Augusta. McIlroy admitted that, after that victory, the first thing he wanted to do was fly home to see them. This time they were there. “I had to convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t here”.
The superstition was there. The little bad omen too. But McIlroy broke it outright. “I said it on the putting green: I’m glad we’ve shown that that wasn’t true, so they can keep coming as much as they like”. The sentence perfectly captures what this second Green Jacket meant to him: not only winning again, but doing it with his parents by his side, sharing the moment they had missed a year earlier. “It’s really nice to have them here”, Rory said. “I’m really looking forward to celebrating with them tonight”.
