Rory McIlroy has revealed how a conversation with Phil Mickelson almost 15 years ago helped him finally end his misfortune at the Masters.
The world No. 2 became the sixth male golfer and the first European to achieve a career Grand Slam when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff in April. This ended his 11-year wait for his fifth major and the green jacket that had long eluded him.
But it was advice Mickelson gave during a past practice round that helped change McIlroy’s perception of the iconic Augusta National course.
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2025 marked McIlroy’s 11th attempt at a career Grand Slam.
“I think Augusta has made me quite tentative over the last few years, especially in my approach play. Once you become tentative you can start to put yourself in really bad spots and it’s hard to get up and down,” McIlroy said.
“I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson probably 10 or 15 years ago, and I always remember him saying to me, ‘Rory, one of the reasons I love Augusta National is because I feel like I can be too aggressive here.’”
“I remember thinking, ‘What does he mean?’ I feel the opposite. I don’t think we can be aggressive here because there are too many bad places to miss.
“But Phil believes in his short game so much that even if he misses an aggressive approach shot, he still thinks he can get the ball up and down.
“I think being a better putter, working on my short game a little bit more and getting better around the greens has allowed me to be more aggressive with my approach play at Augusta.
“I ended up winning, but I think that was a big part of why my game got better over the years.”
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The moment Scottie Scheffler placed the Green Jacket on McIlroy, who became the 2025 Masters champion.
McIlroy described the morning after his victory as an unparalleled moment in his career. “I woke up and had to make sure it wasn’t a dream. People were talking about that pinching moment and I was really thinking, ‘Did that really happen?'” he added.
“The morning after I won world number one, I felt this empty feeling. There was nothing like it, but I felt incredibly grateful for everything that had happened in my life.”
McIlroy was hampered by a back injury ahead of last week’s Players Championship, keeping the defending champion out of contention for four days.
However, he shared positive news about his current fitness.
“I’m really happy with how my body responded to that little setback,” McIlroy said, adding that he plans to get some work done in the coming weeks before making the further trip to Augusta National.
Who will win the Masters? Watch the opening major match live exclusively on Sky Sports this April. The live broadcast of the opening round begins on Thursday, April 9. Get Sky Sports now or stream with no contract.
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