Rory McIlroy’s emotional Masters win last year seemed to have it all. Tears on the 18th green. Hug in victory with caddy and childhood friend Harry Diamond. He hugged his 4-year-old daughter Poppy heartily.
But there was a notable absence. McIlroy’s parents, Gerry and Rosie, watched their son’s long-awaited Grand Slam moment from their home in Northern Ireland, some 4,000 miles away.
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So when Rory and Jerry visited Augusta National last week, Jerry’s first visit to the club since his son’s historic win, the atmosphere was always high. Some highlights happened in the hallowed Champions locker room. On display here is the 7-iron from which Lowry hit one of the most memorable shots in Masters history. A draw that curves high around a pine tree on the par-5 15th hole. With 208 yards to go, the ball landed softly on the green and curled within six feet of the hole, causing a roar that rattled the clubhouse. (Needless to say he scored the eagle try.)
Last week, at the tree preserve, McIlroy also learned the true identity of his fellow rockers. Ben Hogan won the Green Jacket in 1951 and 1953, and Raymond Floyd won it in 1976. Decent company.
Parents and children can now enjoy playing a round together on the course. (Rory said last month that he intended to play alongside Jerry and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley.) When they arrived on the scene on the 15th from where Rory had worked his magic on Sunday at the Masters, Rory dropped the ball and tried to recreate the shot.
Surely he couldn’t have painted another Mona Lisa?
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Surely he could!
“I almost threw it in the hole,” Rory said Friday at Bay Hill. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he finished the second round with a 68, nine points behind leader Daniel Berger. “It was actually a better shot than I hit in the tournament. It was just incredible. I wish I could have caught it on camera.”
More clubs?
No, it’s a 7-iron again, McIlroy said, adding, “I’ve gotten a little stronger this year. I’ve put a little effort in the gym.”
McIlroy said the ball landed just inches from the hole and rolled onto the back edge of the green.
I don’t want to get too sentimental here, but in what other sport do fathers and sons revisit the site of their son’s biggest victories and try to relive the most memorable moments of those victories? Sure, Tom Brady might throw a TD pass to his father, Tom Sr., at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, or the Dodgers’ Will Smith might steal a BP from his father, Mark, at Toronto’s Rogers Center and hope to repeat his 2025 World Series-winning home run.
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but . . . Masters Sunday magic reignited at Augusta National? It’s in a different league.
Rory summed up the experience in four words.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
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