How was he feeling down the stretch?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Data from the WHOOP tracker he wears on the course revealed<\/a> that when McIlroy, holding a two-stroke lead, sliced his drive into the trees on the 72nd hole, his heart rate jumped to 135 beats per minute. Then, after his second shot, it dipped to 121 beats per minute, a sign of composure. However, when that shot landed in the bunker, the Northern Irishman was back up to 136. After his out, he was down to 117 beats per minute and then, with a tap-in for the title, dropped to 105.\u00a0<\/p>\n Soaking in the victory on the 18th green, though, with tears in his eyes as his parents watched on for the first time in Augusta, McIlroy peaked at 150 beats per minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Rory is a rare repeat winner at Augusta!” pic.twitter.com\/f9GLKxvGZM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Golf on CBS \u26f3 (@GolfonCBS) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n According to WHOOP, at a moment when most players\u2019s nervousness would skyrocket, McIlroy physiologically calmed down. Perhaps that\u2019s why he is a six-time major champion and one of the greatest players of this generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the course of four rounds, McIlroy\u2019s WHOOP recovery, which is \u201ca daily measure of how prepared your body is to perform,\u201d was 87% on Sunday, 94% on Saturday, 79% on Friday and 89% on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also slept an average of eight and a half hours a night during the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n And walking eight holes requires many miles and a lot of time on your feet. McIlroy took over 24,000 steps on Sunday and had 91,247 steps across all four rounds. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to win golf tournaments,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cEspecially around here. You\u2019ve had maybe a couple of runaway winners over the years, but it always seems to be a very tight finish at this golf course. I think it\u2019s the nature of the golf course, it\u2019s the nature of what\u2019s at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n More Golf from Sports Illustrated![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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