Data from Rory McIlroy's fitness wearable WHOOP has revealed the moments of greatest stress during his latest Masters victory. The Northern Irishman's heart rate soared to 135 beats per minute after his errant tee shot at the par-four 18th landed in the pine needles near the adjacent fairway, threatening his two-shot lead.
“I’d say walking off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was. I think that was the moment of greatest stress,” said the world number two, who joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat Masters champions.
McIlroy’s heart rate then dropped to 121 bpm as he recovered by sending the ball over the trees into the front greenside bunker. It jumped again to 136 bpm as he stood over the bunker shot, before he blasted out to 12 feet. His heart rate then fell steadily to 117 bpm on the first putt and 105 bpm on the winning putt.
At the moment of victory, when he looked to the sky and let out a roar, his heart rate reached 150 bpm. The six-times major winner was recently announced as an investor in Boston-based WHOOP, joining a roster that includes Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James.
