Rory McIlroy has revealed that he made sure to avoid one mistake that he made after winning The Masters for the first time last year.
McIlroy became only the fourth golfer to win The Masters in successive years with his victory at Augusta National last month.
Of course, the 37-year-old completed the Career Grand Slam with his win at the first major of the season last year.
Rory McIlroy says he avoided making the same mistake he made after his first Masters win
Many questioned what was next for Rory McIlroy after he won The Masters in 2025. Some expected the floodgates to open and the Northern Irishman to quickly push towards double figures for major wins.
Unfortunately, McIlroy took some time to get back on track. He appeared to struggle to find his purpose on the golf course for some time until he won the Irish Open later in the year.
His win at Augusta National this time around confirms that McIlroy’s hangover is well and truly over.
And speaking on New Heights ahead of his return to action at the Truist Championship this week, McIlroy confirmed that he made sure to not take too long to enjoy his latest major win.
“I did a solid 10 days of celebrating, enjoying it. And then I was like, you know, I felt after last year, not that I got complacent, but I got a little this thing that you’ve wanted to do your whole life and you do it, and then it’s okay, what’s next? I sort of went through that lull I think that all athletes go through where it’s like okay, I’ve achieved the dream. I’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve. So I didn’t want to fall back into this year, so I gave myself 10 days,” he said.
“I celebrated, I had a good time. But I’ve been practicing for the last 10 days, and there’s still a lot of golf left this season and I feel like I’m in such a good spot that I don’t want to waste a couple months of the season like I did last year. I’ve enjoyed it, absolutely, but I feel like it’s time to lock back in.”
Rory McIlroy compares his two Masters victories
McIlroy would have had a completely unique perspective as he drove down Magnolia Lane this year as the defending champion.
All of that pressure that had built up, particularly since his collapse in the final round in 2011, had disappeared. So it should have come as no surprise when he managed to win for a second time.
He went on to explain the difference in his emotions following both of his two Masters wins.
“I don’t think anything will ever touch last year. It’s 17 years you’re waiting to do this thing. You get to the point where you wonder if it’s ever going to happen. And then just the emotion, I don’t think anything will top the euphoria of it all last year,” he said.
“But I think this year was validation. I proved last year that I could do it at this place. And then I go back and arguably without my best stuff, I built a really big lead over the first two days, but to get it done in the manner in which I did it, lost a lead on Sunday, came back, played really solid to get it done, I think validation on my part that this is where I should be, this is the level I should be operating at.”
For a long time it appeared that McIlroy would never win The Masters, despite clearly having the game to thrive around Augusta National.
The pressure was getting to be too much. But now that the shackles have been removed, it would be a surprise if McIlroy ended his career with just two Green Jackets.