How this major winner's advice helped Rory McIlroy win the Masters
On the pivotal 12th hole of the final round of the Masters, Rory McIlroy drew on some old Augusta National advice from Tom Watson. Getty Images Perhaps no shot was more pivotal in Rory McIlroy’s march to a second green jacket than his tee shot on the par-3 12th. The devilish short par-3 — known as Golden Bell — has dashed many a Masters hopeful’s dreams.
Jordan Spieth in 2016. Seve Ballesteros in 1982. Gary Player in 1962.
Heck, just last week, amateur Asterisk Talley saw her own ANWA dreams unravel with a 7 on the hole. Jack Nicklaus once called it the “hardest hole in tournament golf. ” Despite measuring just 155 yards, the 12th is one of the most treacherous tests in the game.
That’s why, even with McIlroy firmly in the driver’s seat Sunday afternoon at Augusta, a palpable tension hung over Amen Corner as he stepped onto the 12th tee. And it’s what made what came next so remarkable. Conventional wisdom says the play at the 12th on Masters Sunday is simple: aim for the centerline bunker, take your two-putt from 25 feet, and run to the 13th tee.
McIlroy had other ideas. He sent his tee shot over the right side of the bunker with cut spin toward the pin. “Probably didn’t anticipate it to drift as far right as it did,” McIlroy admitted.