Rory McIlroy has warned the elite of golf that he will set further lofty goals after successfully defending the Masters title at Augusta National. The Northern Irishman prevailed by a single shot over Scottie Scheffler, becoming just the fourth golfer to win the tournament back-to-back. McIlroy, who now has six major titles, insists he has no intention of resting 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,” McIlroy 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 but I still want to enjoy it as well.” He added that he would not suffer the same motivational lull he experienced after his first Masters win.
The emotional victory was made sweeter by the presence of his parents, Rosie and Gerry, who had not attended the previous year. “It’s really cool to have them here,” McIlroy said. “They missed it last year and the first thing I wanted to do was fly home to see them. 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 far from straightforward, having found just 55% of fairways and hitting only 48 of 72 greens in regulation. The six-shot lead he held after 36 holes had vanished by the end of the third round, and from the final tee he drove into the 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.”
Comparing this victory to last year’s, McIlroy said: “Not as emotional, but just, wow, it’s amazing. I can’t believe I did it again. We lose a lot more in golf than we win, so when the winning comes around, you have to celebrate it to the fullest.” He planned to enjoy the evening with family before flying back to Florida.
