Does Augusta National need to consider a rules change following Rory McIlroy’s back-to-back wins at The Masters?
McIlroy won the 2026 tournament, finishing at -12. It’s his second straight win at Augusta National in Georgia. McIlroy went nearly 20 years without winning The Masters – the only major championship he’d yet to win – before winning in back-to-back years in 2025 and ’26.
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But some are accusing McIlroy of getting an “unfair advantage” this year. He got to play the course several times leading up to the tournament, while skipping some PGA Tour events. Not everyone gets that opportunity.
Apr 13, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy holds the Masters championship trophy during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
“McIlroy was allotted the opportunity to play Augusta National multiple times in the weeks leading up to this year’s major. An advantage, a privilege really, which is not against the rules, but creates quite a competitive disparity among the other golfers in the field,” Outkick wrote.
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“To reiterate, yes, Tiger was known for playing a limited schedule in his prime, and especially later in his playing career, which meant skipping the Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open, like Rory has this season. He also certainly played pre-tournament rounds at Augusta, but there is no verified public record of how many times he played before a given Masters tournament.”
Is that an unfair advantage?
Golf fans think Augusta National should limit play from competitors prior to the tournament
Should McIlroy and other past champions be able to play the course as much as they can leading into the tournament, while others don’t have that same privilege?
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“As long as anyone else in the field can do this too but didn’t , it’s fair,” one fan wrote.
“It’s not fair at all. No one should be allowed to play on the course before the tournament begins,” one fan added.
“So, people are mad that he did something legal that might help him win. I’m shocked, well not really cause haters are going to hate even if they have to just make something up to hate!” one fan added.
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Should The Masters consider putting limitations on when players can play the course leading into the tournament?
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.