What Phil Mickelson once told Rory McIlroy about Augusta National that helped him win the Career Grand Slam
It took over a decade for Rory McIlroy to conquer his Masters demons at Augusta National. After years of heartbreak on the hallowed turf, McIlroy finally completed the Career Grand Slam in 2025 to etch his name into the annals of golfing lore.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images It took over a decade for Rory McIlroy to conquer his Masters demons at Augusta National. After years of heartbreak on the hallowed turf, McIlroy finally completed the Career Grand Slam in 2025 to etch his name into the annals of golfing lore. This was a golf course that had haunted him, but now it was the site of his crowning achievement.
On paper, Augusta should be perfectly suited to McIlroy’s game. As one of the best drivers of the ball in golf and an incredible long-iron player, his challenges on the golf course were mental, not physical. And to win this mental battle with the most iconic golf course in the sport, the Northern Irishman leaned on advice given to him by Phil Mickelson, who had won the event three times before him.
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images Phil Mickelson told Rory McIlroy what he didn’t understand about Augusta National McIlroy looked like he was trying to survive Augusta National . He respected the golf course so much after what it had done to him in the past that it paralysed him at times. Even when leading down the stretch on Sunday, the course contorted in McIlroy’s mind, forcing him into inexplicable errors as he tried to play defence.
But Mickelson once told McIlroy that the key to winning at Augusta is to grab the course by the scruff of its neck. McIlroy told Golf Digest Australia : “I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson, maybe I don’t know 10 or 15 years ago, probably closer to 15 years ago, and I always remember he said to me, ‘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?