{"id":571992,"date":"2026-03-29T11:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T11:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/571992\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T11:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T11:58:10","slug":"rory-mcilroy-documentary-does-a-fine-job-tracing-his-journey-from-meltdown-to-immortality-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/571992\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy documentary does a fine job tracing his journey from meltdown to immortality \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know how it ended. Rory McIlroy<\/a> released his putter and sank to his knees, unleashing a visceral roar after finally winning the Masters<\/a> and completing the Grand Slam. But the journey to that point \u2013 the ups and downs and all of the demons that got in his way before he finally found deliverance on that Sunday in April \u2013 is no ordinary story.<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait, is a documentary directed by Emmy award winner Drea Cooper and can be viewed on Prime Video. In it, the Northern Irishman\u2019s quest is superbly relived through his own words and deeds, and those of his parents and backroom team. It all comes together in a way befitting of a lifetime ambition being achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew my son was very, very special,\u201d remarks Rosie McIlroy, of never doubting that he would become just the sixth male golfer to win the career Grand Slam. In doing so, he joined an exclusive club including Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.<\/p>\n

A quiet person who normally remains out of the spotlight that follows her son everywhere, Rosie brings wonderful insights. The same can be said for her husband, Gerry McIlroy. <\/p>\n

In a way, they are stars of the documentary. Their devotion to their only child is evident and they instilled life values which contributed to his success. Their presence here is casual yet informative.<\/p>\n

There are a number of nuggets from both parents, including a story from Gerry dating back to the morning of the US Open at Congressional in 2011, when his son won his first Major championship. That victory came just months after his meltdown in the final round of the Masters.<\/p>\n

Gerry recalls reminding his son he\u2019d worked three jobs, 90-hour weeks for eight years so that his golfing dreams could be chased. He told his son: \u201cThe more you put into anything, the more you will get out of it, son.”<\/p>\n

\"RoryRory McIlroy with his parents, Rosie and Gerry McIlroy, along with the trophy after the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic in the UAE in January, 2024. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

The honesty and delivery of the words from Rosie and Gerry are placed at different times of their son\u2019s journey in the documentary, although Rory\u2019s own words \u2013 told with hindsight \u2013 provide honesty too. There is no attempt to hide away from the demons which manifested year after year following his 2011 meltdown.<\/p>\n

McIlroy revisits that final-round collapse, referring to the back-nine journey as \u201ca death march to the 18th green\u201d.<\/p>\n

On reflection, he observes: \u201cGolf is the ultimate game where it\u2019s on you and nobody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoubt and fear will kill you,\u201d remarks Dr Bob Rotella, the psychologist and author. McIlroy listened to an audio version of Rotella\u2019s bestselling book, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, which provided the catalyst for the player to reach out as part of the mental healing process. <\/p>\n

McIlroy frequently refers to the \u201cmental scarring\u201d and \u201cbaggage\u201d that followed him around Augusta National, especially from 2015 to 2025 when he sought to add to his Majors collection.<\/p>\n

The documentary is beautifully filmed and produced. Many of the tell-tale interviews with McIlroy, his putting coach Brad Faxon and manager Se\u00e1n O\u2019Flaherty were conducted at Augusta National. There is clever use of various commentaries of that final round, with Iain Carter\u2019s Radio 5 Live coverage adding a nice alternative to those of the television commentators.<\/p>\n

This is not just a replay of the final round of last year\u2019s Masters win. Each hole is but a part of the overall picture, with clever breakaways. To McIlroy\u2019s youth. To Holywood Golf Club. His parents. His team. Himself. His past and his present.<\/p>\n

\"RoryRory McIlroy receives his green jacket from Scottie Scheffler after winning the 2025 Masters at August National. Photograph: Simon Bruty\/Augusta National\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Of that dream to become a member of golf\u2019s most elite club, that of the career Grand Slam, McIlroy questioned himself. \u201cAm I worthy?\u201d he asked. \u201cIs that what I am meant to do? It\u2019s like imposter syndrome. Me? That\u2019s the scary part.\u201d<\/p>\n

When explaining how he and his team engaged with the new documentary, McIlroy recently said: \u201cI think it certainly was something I wanted to document. I was probably a little reluctant at the start because I was like, you know, I\u2019m still not finished with my career and maybe I want to do a documentary at the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I talked to a few people who have been through that process, different athletes, and I think the common theme was, \u2018it doesn\u2019t have to be a tell-all of your whole life \u2013 it can just be a snapshot in time of this certain moment\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

And of course, that final-round Sunday provides the focal point in finding his deliverance. His poor start. His standoff with Bryson DeChambeau on who would putt first on the ninth green. His approach to the 15th. \u201cOne of the greatest shots I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d claims none other than Jack Nicklaus. His missed putt on the 18th. His playoff win over Justin Rose.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a wonderfully magical recall of McIlroy\u2019s Masters win.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait premieres on March 29th on Prime Video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We know how it ended. Rory McIlroy released his putter and sank to his knees, unleashing a visceral…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,756,85],"class_list":["post-571992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-rory-mcilroy","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}