Rory McIlroy names the player he wanted to win The Masters if he didn’t
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images Rory McIlroy has revealed which player he was hoping to present the Green Jacket to if he failed to defend his Masters crown this past week at Augusta National. McIlroy clearly relished his duties as the defending champion going into this year’s Masters. The 36-year-old obviously wanted to make the most of the opportunity having waited so long to finally get his hands on the Green Jacket.
Some may have expected that to impact the Northern Irishman’s hopes of winning again this week. History certainly was not on his side, with just three players previously winning The Masters in successive years. Rory McIlroy says who he wanted to win The Masters if he failed to do so But Rory McIlroy added his name to that exclusive club on Sunday.
He finished one shot clear of Scottie Scheffler to secure his sixth major championship. McIlroy had set the pace for much of the week at Augusta. However, he did not have things all go his own way, particularly on Sunday.
A number of players threatened to snatch the crown from his grasp. One of those who went into Sunday with a realistic chance of victory was Shane Lowry . And as it turns out, McIlroy was hoping that his good friend would be the one to get across the line if he faltered.
“Yeah, same target. I thought, if I could get to 15-under at the start of the day, that would be a good goal. Again, late on a Sunday afternoon, the golf course gets tricky,” he said.