The Down golfer briefly looked like he was cantering to victory when he momentarily opened up a five-stroke lead after birdieing the 10th on Sunday, however things took a wildly different turn after a botched third shot at the famous 13th hole.<\/p>\n
Memorably, Padraig Harrington’s first Open Championship victory in Carnoustie in 2007 was achieved in similarly hair-raising fashion, when he survived a double-bogey at the 72nd hole to return and win the title in a play-off.<\/p>\n
By contrast, when Harrington returned to defend the championship successfully, at Royal Birkdale the following year, he enjoyed an almost serene march to victory on Sunday, winning by four strokes.<\/p>\n
When asked whether he felt he worked out whether to win around Augusta in “trauma free” fashion, a relaxed McIlroy reflected that he felt he survived whatever the course could hit him with.<\/p>\n
“The one thing I do know is there’s not much more that this golf course can throw at me and I’ve still been able to come out the other side of it with a green jacket,” McIlroy told RT\u00c9 Sport’s Greg Allen.<\/p>\n
“So I feel like when I play here, I’m prepared for everything that it’s going to throw at me because I feel like I’ve seen everything that it can throw at me.<\/p>\n
“And that gives me a certain level of comfort going into the week as well.<\/p>\n
“It’s amazing to feel relaxed and not that angst that I felt leading into the Masters each and every year.<\/p>\n
“But then at the same time, there’s a difference between being relaxed and being complacent. And I don’t want to be complacent whatsoever.<\/p>\n
“So I think to not have that complacency, you still need a slight edge.”<\/p>\n
![\"Masters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00242dbd-614.jpg\"\/)
\nRory McIlroy speaking at Tuesday’s press conference<\/p>\n
McIlroy acknowledged that he struggled for motivation in the aftermath of last year’s Augusta.<\/p>\n
He failed to contend at the PGA Championship at a course – Quail Hollow – where he had boasted a stellar record over the years and subsequently missed the cut at the Canadian Open.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always needed something, whatever that is, to strive towards,” McIlroy says.<\/p>\n
“And I think everyone saw that for the first couple of months after I won the Masters last year, I struggled to sort of find my feet again and get that motivation.<\/p>\n
“But 12 months on, reflecting on that a lot and thinking about the next 10 years of my career, what do I want that to look like? What excites me? What motivates me?<\/p>\n
“Those are the questions that I had to ask myself over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n
“And I’m excited I get another opportunity to win another green jacket. I said in the press conference, I’ve probably got 10 realistic chances at winning this tournament again.<\/p>\n
Watch every shot from Thursday’s Featured Groups on https:\/\/t.co\/rSr9YUhCX2<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/LhDAPrZfAG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “And I’m determined to make every one of those 10 count.<\/p>\n “I know that I still have time and I still have opportunities. And these are the tournaments that excite me and still keep me going because I need that. I need that drive and those goals to stay motivated and stay focused.<\/p>\n “And if the majors can’t do that, then nothing can.”<\/p>\n McIlroy has had a slow start to the year, a second placed finish at the Genesis Invitational being followed by a withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill, induced by a back injury which also affected his defence of his Players Championship crown in March.<\/p>\n “Certainly, I’m a little light on form and now I’ve had three weeks off, which I think has been a good opportunity to address the back issue, and to do some work on my game.<\/p>\n “Michael Bannon [his coach] was out for 10 days in Florida and we did some good work, played a lot of golf, made a few trips up here [Augusta].<\/p>\n “So preparation-wise, I feel like I’m in a good spot. Now it’s just about going out there and executing.”<\/p>\n Follow Live Updates of the 2026 Masters on rte.ie\/sport<\/a> from opening tee on Thursday 9 April.<\/p>\n