Rory McIlroy has warned the rest of elite golf he will set further, lofty goals after a successful defence of the Masters. The Northern Irishman prevailed at Augusta National by a shot over Scottie Scheffler, becoming just the fourth golfer to win the tournament back-to-back.
McIlroy, who now has six major titles, said he has no plans to rest on his laurels. “I just won my sixth major and I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my game and my body,” he said. “I don’t want to put a number on it, I don’t want to say a stop on the journey, but it’s just a part of the journey. I still have things I want to achieve.”
The victory was made more special by the presence of his parents, Rosie and Gerry, who were not at the Masters a year ago. “It’s really cool to have them here,” McIlroy said. “I had to sort of convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t here. I’m glad we proved that wrong.”
McIlroy admitted the win was not straightforward, having seen a six-shot lead after 36 holes evaporate. From the final tee, he hit a wayward drive into trees. “I don’t make it easy,” he said. “Walking off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was, I think that was the moment of greatest stress.”
