Masters 2026: How Rory McIlroy learned how to turn regretful misses into major triumphs
At 36, McIlroy is a more complete player. Not in the way that will win majors by eight, but in the way that that will win them more often.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — I was slow to warm to Rory McIlroy the player. He was 20 when I first followed him for a full round, on the Sunday of the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
Mop-headed, skinny fat and loose limbed, he smashed his drive on the 490-yard par-4 first hole with a sublime blend of rhythm, speed and balance. Then, after slightly pushed approach that left him in a very manageable place close to the green, he rushed through four more shots before holing out for a dumb double bogey. Rory bounced toward the next tee seemingly unbothered, as if certain he would erase such a big mistake with inevitable brilliance.
And sure enough, McIlroy quickly whipped off three birdies in a row. He would shoot a two-under 70 to finish an impressive T-3, five strokes behind Y. E.
Yang, up to then his best finish in a major. By the time he’d won the 2011 U. S.
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