Rory McIlroy took some souvenirs with him from Augusta National after the Masters won. The Masters Shop had 1,100 pin flags left at the end of the tournament. McIlroy said he took the last one with the intention of signing inside the logo, a tradition reserved for the Masters Champion.
McIlroy completed his career grand slam in April with the elusive Masters title, beating Justin Rose on the first hole of the playoffs to secure the green jacket.
“It was a lot,” McIlroy said ahead of the tour championship, which signed countless flags. “But I’m not tired of signing them. I’ve been waiting 17 years to sign that flag in the middle, and I’m not going to complain about doing it.”
The number of times McIlroy had brought with him to sign the 1,100 flags may even rival the amount of time he spent wearing his green jacket, but that wasn’t yet.
Rory McIlroy discusses the new PGA Tour schedule for 2026 and the absences from recent big events
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“I’m reluctant to wear it,” McIlroy said. “It’s not like I’m wearing it too much. I hang in my wardrobe where I can see it every day. I’d always never have been a master.
For months from the pinnacle of McIlroy’s career, he struggled to repeat the success he found on the sacred grounds of golf in Georgia. His best finish came last month when he was tied up to second place at the Scotland Open. The lows were particularly low as he missed a cut at the Canadian Open in June and finished 47th in the PGA Championship in May.
Despite the ups and downs over the past few months, McIlroy (17/2) will enter this week’s Tour Championship as one of his two distinct favorites, along with Scotty Schaeffler (3/2). The duo will open play together on a first round top pairing at 2pm on Thursday.
