2026-05-25 09:32:36

Rory McIlroy’s parents were afraid it would be bad luck to watch him at The Masters.

The Northern Irish golfer battled to a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler last month to become just the fourth player to successfully defend his title at Augusta and while victory felt more special this time because his mum and dad were watching, he admitted it took some persuading for them to be there.

Asked how special it was to have them in attendance, he told Golf Monthly magazine: “I caught myself on the golf course a couple of times thinking about them and I was like, ‘No, not yet.’

“It was really cool to have them there.

“They missed it last year, and the first thing I wanted to do was fly home to see them.

“I had to convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t there.

“I’m glad we proved that wrong.”

Meanwhile, Rory recently admitted he feels “motivated” to build on the successful defence of his Masters title.

He told reporters: “It [returning to action] feels a lot different [to last year].

“I’ve spoken about this a lot, I felt like winning the Grand Slam was going to be this life-changing thing and in some ways it was, but in other ways I had to remember, ‘No, I still have a lot of my career left and I want to keep playing and keep competing.’

“This year, I think winning was validation for all the work that I’ve put in over the last few years to get myself back to this place where I’m winning majors. I’m excited for the road ahead.

“I’m excited for this week, I’m excited for Aronimink next week [PGA Championship], Shinnecock [US Open], Birkdale [The Open]. I feel like, if anything, I’m more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I’ve ever been.”

McIlroy experienced a slump in form after completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters in 2025 but insists that things feel “different” this time around.

The world number two said: “It [celebrating] has been amazing – maybe not quite as hectic as last year. I think this win felt a little bit different than the first win at Augusta.

“It’s been really nice to spend time at home. I’ve done a couple of things, but I didn’t do the media trip up to New York. It was nice, my parents were in the States, so I didn’t have to fly home and see them. It was nice to just get a little bit of downtime and chill.

“Did some fun stuff. Erica [his wife] and I took a trip to New York, which was nice. Then did the State Dinner at the White House (last week), which was an amazing evening. So fitted in some fun stuff.

“I gave myself a good 10 days to enjoy myself and then thought I needed to get back on the range and start to practice and get ready for this stretch coming up.”

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