The hidden Masters advantage Rory McIlroy used to crack Augusta code

In the end, this second Masters championship for Rory McIlroy is almost unavoidably going to become a milestone. If last year’s emotional triumph to complete the Grand Slam was a destination - the destination – then retaining it puts him in rarefied air but doesn’t answer the only question which will ultimately matter when all is said and done; where this child prodigy from Northern Ireland turned golfing superstar will rank among the all-time greats. That is the competition for him now: how many majors he can amass, how many records he can break.

By his own admission on this Sunday night in Georgia, at American golf’s most famous course in its crown jewel competition, he won’t always have this level of preparation for a major. But it was his preparation that ultimately proved crucial in holding off a late charge from some of the world’s best . After 71 holes of rollercoaster golf, the 18th hole on Sunday was a microcosm of it all.

Needing to avoid a double-bogey on the last to win back-to-back Masters championships, McIlroy was once again wayward when the fairway was wide open for him. “Coming off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was, that was probably the moment of most stress; thinking this could be anywhere. ” Not for the first time, McIlroy’s driving put him out of position heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead (AP) The Ulsterman had been long but inaccurate off the tee all week , and found the pine straw yet again.

An iron to salvage things ended up in the bunker, but he splashed out to give himself a par putt that would have won the Masters . Drifting only a matter of inches past the hole, a bogey was still enough. On Tuesday, McIlroy had commented that he felt “winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one.