Masters 2026: We're still missing the thing that makes Rory McIlroy great

When Rory McIlroy three-putted the fourth green on Sunday at Augusta, I had it all figured out, and I told my friends: He had lost this tournament on the 12th hole on Saturday. At that point, the six-shot lead he built up through the first two rounds had disappeared, the Friday luck had worn off, and he was starting to pay for his wayward driver. Everything that had happened since, right up to the three-putt, was just playing out the string—the fool's gold had been exposed, his game wasn't as strong as it had seemed, and the two short misses would break his spirit.

Now, he'd be swept by the tide: somebody like Justin Rose or Cam Young or Scottie Scheffler would blow him away. For any other player, I still think I would have been right. With Rory, I should have known better.

According to us, what is the fundamental essence of Rory, here in his 20th professional season? Is it his talent? His trophies?

His heartbreak? Is it his personality and charisma, which inspires legions of love but also pockets of hate, polarizing on what seems to be an 80/20 split in his favor, yet allowing no room for neutrality? I'd submit that these are all very colorful surface decorations, effective at keeping him in the spotlight but disguising the truly remarkable thing at his core that drives the vehicle.