It takes a long time in major weeks for the real action to begin. And at Augusta, the wait is not measured in days but weeks and months. In fact, it begins pretty much as soon as the new year is welcomed in.
For players every bit as much as patrons, this tournament is not only a tradition like no other but also a tournament like no other.
If you are going to get yourself in contention for the Green Jacket, it seems not getting over-Mastered by the Masters is the key to success.
ALSO: Masters tee times Thursday 2026: Pairings in the first round revealed
ALSO: Masters Friday tee times 2026: Pairings for the second round revealed
It is no small wonder that successful defences are so rare here – only Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966) have ever achieved the feat.
Being the champion carries such an emotional burden, even if it is a privilege and even if nobody would ever do anything other than embrace every minute of it.
In the build-up to this, the 90th Masters Tournament, it is not difficult to see why it was so hard for Rory McIlroy to fulfil his destiny and finish what he had started back in 2011, when the Green Jacket was his for the taking. Fifteen years ago, in reaching out to grasp it, it he was unable to accept it.
The greats of the game, those aware of golf’s history and their own place within it, don’t just want to win at Augusta National – they need to do so.
Coming back to Georgia each April to do it all again is a non-negotiable for them. The only way to guarantee their invitation indefinitely is to win. The danger, then, is over-stimulation on arrival – whether that is those electric-yellow flagsticks, the white caddie suits, the gloriously old-fashioned leaderboards or any of the other countless elements of the game’s most photogenic major.
Advertisement
At Augusta, time stands still, but it waits for no man – well, only the chosen few at any rate.
Now, McIlroy is among their number. In perpetuity. What that means is that, on arrival at the start of the week, McIlroy was able to use the Champions’ Car Park for the first time.
On Tuesday evening, he got to go to the Champions’ Dinner for the first time.
On Wednesday afternoon, he led his daughter, Poppy, around the Par 3 course, in the company of his wife, Erica, and two of his closest friends, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.
Everywhere he has gone, he has been saluted. Now he is not just the patrons’ champion in what must now be considered – for the moment at least – the post-Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson era. He is the owner of a Green Jacket. He has unlocked a new level of fame and fulfilment.
Boy, has he looked like he is enjoying himself so far this week.
Now, though, the fun stops and the serious part begins.
Quite where this unique major preparation has left his game and his mindset remains to be seen.
It feels plausible that an under-raced and under-focussed McIlroy will beam his way to an inconsequential finish this week, floating on the warmth and enthusiasm of the galleries who are now his people. He has absolutely earned the right to do so.
And yet, it is also possible that McIlroy is in a state of nirvana inspired by the surroundings and the outpouring of adulation.
That the sights, sounds and smells of Augusta will suffuse him. That he will simply pick up from where he left off last year.
McIlroy loves to be loved and is always eager to please. This most emotional of great golfers is a force of nature. Now that he has finally won in Georgia, perhaps he will not be able to stop.
Either way, what a ride it promises to be as he soars and plummets his way once more around the impossibly spectacular Augusta undulations.
NOW READ: Why Rory McIlroy won’t be winning the Masters again this year
NOW READ: My eye-witness account of Rory McIlroy winning the grand slam at Augusta National
Can, or will, Rory McIlroy win the Masters again? Tell us on Facebook!
Advertisement
