The Phil Mickelson advice that helped Rory McIlroy win the Masters
Rory McIlroy met with reporters to discuss his 2026 Masters Champions Dinner, Augusta and some insight he learned from Phil Mickelson.
Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy during a 2020 Zozo Championship practice round. Getty Images When Rory McIlroy won the Masters last April, dropped to his knees and started to sob, you could sense the enormity of the moment. McIlroy had waited his whole life for this , to win the tournament that had alluded him for years.
He held a four-shot lead after 54 holes in 2011 but imploded on Sunday, shooting 80 and tying for 15th. He had seven top 10s since then, but never a win, not until last year, when McIlroy outlasted Justin Rose in a playoff to win the green jacket and complete the career Grand Slam. And with winning the Masters, you get a pre-Masters press conference, like McIlroy did virtually on Wednesday with a handful of reporters.
One of the questions he was asked was what he learned about how to win the Masters by winning the Masters. His answer? The importance of staying aggressive.
And he even gave an assist to Phil Mickelson . McIlroy said he played a practice round with Mickelson, a three-time Masters champ, about 15 years ago and Mickelson told him, “Rory, one of the reasons I love Augusta National is because I feel I can be so aggressive here. ” “I remember thinking, ‘What does he mean?