‘This golf course can bait you into being too aggressive – that’s what happened to Rory out there.’
Tiger Woods, Augusta, 10 April 2011
Ironically, given the misery and loss he felt after blowing up at The Masters of April 2011, this would ultimately be recognised as the tournament that defined Rory. OK, he would go on to win the US Open two months later, but the mighty triumph would always be overshadowed – and analysed – in the light of him turning adversity into glory after suffering at Augusta. Following this, he would forever be known as the boy-man who defied the odds and the despair to dig deep and come back bigger and better when it mattered.
Naturally, it was a devastating setback for the young Irishman at the time, though. He had led for three days of the Major event only to ‘choke’ on the final one. Afterwards, he would not try to conceal his disappointment and pretend all was fine. Always straight and honest and ever-realistic, Rory simply admitted: ‘I was still one shot ahead going into the 10th and then things went all pear-shaped after that. I’ll get over it – I’ll have plenty more chances, I know that.’
And he would add: ‘I don’t think I can put it down to anything else than part of the learning curve. Hopefully if I can get myself back into this position pretty soon, I will handle it a little bit better. It will be pretty tough for me for the next few days, but I will get over it – I will be fine. There are a lot worse things that can happen in your life. Shooting a bad score in the last round of a golf tournament is nothing in comparison to what other people go through.
‘Getting applauded up onto the greens, I was almost a little embarrassed at some points but the support I had here was fantastic and I really appreciate it. I can’t really put my finger on what went wrong – I lost a lot of confidence with my putting but I just hit a poor tee shot on 10 and sort of unravelled from there. I’ll have plenty more chances, I know, and hopefully it will build a bit of character in me as well.’
That was the simple message for the massive gathering of press corps – highlighted by the brilliant line: ‘There are a lot worse things that can happen in your life’. How true it is – and certainly for a boy from Northern Ireland, where The Troubles had cast a dark shadow over his birthland, where simply being alive and relatively happy was far more important than a round of golf, albeit at one of the world’s top four tournaments.
Later, Rory would provide a more open analysis of the situation when he added on Twitter: ‘Well that wasn’t the plan! Found it tough going today, but you have to lose before you can win. This day will make me stronger in the end. Oh and congratulations Charl Schwartzel!! Great player and even better guy! Very happy for him and his family!’
If anything summed up the boy from Holywood, it was that simple, honest tweet. An admission that he just wasn’t up to it on the day, but a vow that he would improve as a result of the experience – and a lovely tribute to the man who had stolen his glory. And the truth of it all was this: yes, he was right – he would improve as a result of the collapse, only even he could hardly have dreamt it would be so quickly down the road.
The final leaderboard at The Masters read like this: -14: C. Schwartzel (SA); -12: J. Day (Aus), A. Scott (Aus); -10: T. Woods (US), G. Ogilvy (Aus), L. Donald (Eng); -9: A. Cabrera (Arg). The Brits came home in this order: -5: J. Rose (Eng), L. Westwood (Eng); -4 R. McIlroy (NI); -3: M. Laird (Sco); -1: I. Poulter (Eng); +1: P. Casey (Eng).
The Sun’s David Facey best summed up the agony of Rory’s display on that fateful final day at Augusta, saying, ‘It was painful to watch, with the youngster from Northern Ireland crashing out of the lead in a flurry of horror shots. A triple-bogey, bogey, double-bogey run saw him unravel over a course that down the years has taken chunks out of some of the game’s greatest players.
‘And it was agonisingly reminiscent of Greg Norman’s final-round collapse in 1996, which saw him surrender a six-shot lead with a 78. That allowed Nick Faldo to romp home by five shots, after shooting a closing 67.’
The Daily Mail’s Derek Lawrenson urged readers to say a little prayer for Rory: ‘In the entire history of major championship golf we’ve rarely witnessed anything like this. We’ve seen any number of players choke, we’ve witnessed plenty more simply not having the skills to cope with the suffocating demands of a Sunday afternoon. But has a man in a position to win ever suffered three holes to match those that befell poor Rory McIlroy in the final round of The Masters on Sunday? Amen Corner they call it, and everyone had better say a prayer for the young Northern Irishman after this disintegration.’
And Rory’s local paper, the Belfast Telegraph, had this to say about his darkest day on the green: ‘It was ecstasy for South African Charl Schwartzel in The Masters at Augusta today – and total unmitigated agony for Rory McIlroy. Schwartzel, 26, grabbed his first Major title after yet another amazing day of high drama that saw Tiger Woods charge into a share of the lead and McIlroy, four clear overnight, collapse to an 80.
‘The 21-year-old’s suffering was the biggest last-day collapse in a Major since Jean Van de Velde blew it from five clear at Carnoustie in 1999. Three years before that, of course, Greg Norman was six in front at Augusta and with a nightmare 78 lost by five to Nick Faldo. Now McIlroy’s name will, for the time being at least, be grouped with theirs. He finished only 15th, an incredible 10 shots behind.’
Yes, it was that bad – Rory had now joined the likes of Van de Velde and Norman in the ‘biggest chokers in golf’ history books. So, how had it all gone down the pan after such a brilliant start? Well, let’s rewind the tape to that first day at Augusta on a bright Thursday morning on 7 April. Rory had been working hard in preparation for the event and was confident he would be able to do himself justice. He did just that with a magnificent opening round 7-under-par 65 that left him joint top of the leaderboard with Spaniard Alvaro Quiros. Two behind in third were Koreans Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi, while Tiger Woods hit a 71 to become joint 24th and defending champion (and favourite) Phil Mickelson with a 70 for joint 14th spot.
Rory’s opening statement of intent brought back memories of his Major record-equalling first-round 63 in The Open at St Andrews of the previous July and he needed no reminding that he then went on to follow up with a soul-destroying 80. Now convinced he had the mettle to avoid such a demoralising repeat of fortune, he said: ‘At the time it was very disappointing but looking back, it was probably very valuable in my progression as a golfer. I hope it will help me. I now have that experience to draw on, especially being in a similar position to last year at St Andrews. I feel like I’m better prepared to tee off in the second round of a Major with the lead. My start here was not as explosive or as spectacular as St Andrews, but it was very solid and it’s a great start.
‘I felt as if my game’s been really good all season and after working on my game in Florida for 10 days with my coach, Michael Bannon, I feel very comfortable. I’m still relatively inexperienced but I feel I am a pretty quick learner. There’s no substitute for experience and I’ve still got a lot of learning to do, but I am getting there.
‘It was nice to see a few putts drop in as well and hopefully I can build on it. I think what happened at St Andrews will be a massive help.’
Indeed it was a brilliant start at Augusta – the best, in fact, since Greg Norman’s 63 of 1996. Rory was certainly far happier than some of the players predicted to be his biggest rivals for the tournament.
Mickelson, for instance, said: ‘A 70 is just OK. I didn’t shoot myself out of it, but I didn’t make up the ground I wanted.’ And Woods felt his game was picking up: ‘We’re in a Major championship and it’s full systems go. I’m only 6 back.’
Lee Westwood – supposedly Rory’s biggest challenger from back home – was concerned about his putting. He groaned: ‘It’s how my game is at the moment. If you can’t hole it out from four feet, you’re going to struggle, aren’t you?’
Meanwhile, Rory kept his head while all those about him appeared to be losing theirs. On Friday’s day two of proceedings he stayed calm and easily avoided a repeat of that nightmare 80 he carded at St Andrews. He hit a 69 to go 10-under-par and was now out on his own as leader in the tournament – two ahead of Aussie Jason Day.
But there was danger lurking as the Tiger advanced: Woods moved up to joint third after hitting a fine 66 to leave him 7-under. Tiger, who last won The Masters in 2005, warned: ‘I’m right where I need to be. I kept staying patient, I was trying to get under par at the turn and piece together a good back nine and I got a bit hot. I closed the gap to three and hopefully, I can piece together another good round tomorrow.’
Mickelson was one-under but also issued a warning to Rory that he was gunning for him: ‘These next two days are my favourite two days of the year, the weekend of The Masters. To be a couple under par, you can make up a lot of ground out here. I was able to do it last year on Saturday and I’m going to have to make a good run tomorrow, too.’
But Rory was not concerned about the rest – he knew success now depended solely upon his own game. If he could keep up the momentum, he would win his first Major, simple as that. He was pleased with his second day’s work and that he was out in front, adding rather cheekily that, well, it was nothing new – well, was it? Rory said: ‘I played the front nine really nicely. I didn’t hole as many putts as I would have liked on the back nine, but I can’t really complain – I’m in the lead going into the third round of The Masters. I’ve been in this position before at other Majors and I am relishing the fact I am in a good position again.’
Those were the words of a 21-year-old who knew he was good enough to win. Now all he had to do was keep his cool and not bottle it. Which he managed easily enough the next day, too.
On the Saturday he turned in another fine display to end with a 2-under-par round of 70 and a four-shot lead over 2009 Masters champ Angel Cabrera of Argentina, Charl Schwartzel, K.J. Choi and Jason Day. Luke Donald (69) and Adam Scott of Australia (67) finished on 7-under, with Tiger Woods 5-under after a stuttering 74 and Mickelson 3-under with a 71.
Rory, who picked up three birdies in the final six holes, was delighted with his performance. His lead after 54 holes was the largest since Woods carved out a 9-stroke lead in 1997 – and ended up winning by 12. Rory said: ‘That birdie at 17 was a bonus. I hit the putt perfectly where I lined it up. It was tracking the whole way and just dropped in the middle, it was great timing.
‘I remember watching [Tiger in ’97] with my dad. I was seven years old at the time. That’s when Tiger sort of grabbed all our imaginations and broke so many records; it was a huge moment in the game of golf. It would be nice to get a Major early and show some of the young guys that it is possible, but we’ll see what happens because four shots on this golf course isn’t that much – there is still a lot of golf to play. I’m not going to think about anything but that first tee shot.
‘It’s a great position to be in. I stayed patient, I’m really happy with the way I stuck to my game plan and it paid off in the end. I feel comfortable with my game, with the way I’ve prepared and all of a sudden, I finally feel comfortable on this golf course.’
Rory told the press that he had been inspired by his pal Graeme McDowell, who had failed to make the cut and was urging him on. ‘Actually he just texted me and told me he loves me – I don’t know what that means,’ said Rory, sharing a laugh with the army of golf hacks. ‘I don’t know if that’s him or the beer talking!’
Rory was confident – and quite rightly so. He felt he had the taming of the course and his game had shown no sign of crashing. Indeed he appeared mentally, physically and emotionally ready and able to lay claim to his first Major crown.
Even the bookies believed he would now finish the job he had started. Betfair’s Paul Krishnamurty explained why he was confident Rory would ‘complete his masterclass’, saying, ‘Augusta has repeatedly proved itself to be a front-runner’s course, with 19 of the last 20 winners coming from Sunday’s final group. More importantly, what possible sign has there been of a McIlroy collapse? In truth, we should be grateful that his putting has been ordinary because Rory would otherwise be completely out of sight. The majesty of Rory’s long game this week has been eerily reminiscent of Tiger Woods when he won his first Masters title in 1997. We may be witnessing a similar “changing of the guard”.
‘McIlroy looks so well suited to this layout that this may be the last opportunity for several years to back him at even money in a two-ball there. Having shown no weakness in the “bottle” department so far, I expect we’ll see Rory cruise round today, playing conservatively while others struggle to play catch-up, before maximising the par-fives. I should point out that this doesn’t suit my book, having already employed a successful trading strategy on Charl Schwartzel and backed Angel Cabrera at silly prices. If either man is to get close, however, I suspect they will have to shoot low rather than waiting for Rory to flounder. There’s been precious little sign of it ever since he hit the front on Thursday.’
Few would have disagreed with Krishnamurty’s assessment on Saturday night – and the prospects of a first-ever European Tour clean sweep of the Majors. The stark fact for Americans as they watched the contest unfold on their TV sets and at the course was that by the Sunday night, their country could be without the four Majors and the Ryder Cup for the first time in history. Certainly the threat of Mickelson would seem to have evaporated as he struggled to maintain contact with the leading pack on the Saturday – and Tiger knew it would take a miraculous final round for him to win. Woods said: ‘I’m pleased with the way I played, but I just made nothing. I also had a couple of three-putts out there, so not very good. I’m going to have to put together a good front nine and see what happens.’
Meanwhile, the fans backed the idea that Tiger would not pull through and dominate on the Sunday; some questioned whether he would ever be as good as he once was. One fan, Michael, typified this view when he observed: ‘The Tiger is a house cat. His domination is over and will never return. This guy pulled the wool over millions of fans as well as his adversaries on the PGA tour. So he gets a just reward. Be interesting to see what he does. But expect that his reign is over.’
Rory’s army of supporters were confident he would finish the job at Augusta, though. One, James Edmonds, told me at the time: ‘He has done so well over the first three days it would be a massive shock if he went and blew it now. He has looked cool and calm and has not let anything get to him. OK, he has made a couple of duff shots, but he never panicked when that happened. He just kept on, steady and certain as if he were playing towards a date with his destiny. He has managed to keep his rivals at bay and has continued to dominate them.
‘If he keeps that strength and composure tomorrow, I’m convinced that he will lift his first Major. He has got the right attitude and a brilliant support around him with his dad and his management team, all he needs to do is keep on keeping on – and not let the pressure get to him. He can only lose to himself now…’
Prophetic words indeed.
The crowds had gathered in force to hail the new hero on the Sunday – some of the young Americans waiting 10 hours to get a glimpse of Rory. But many of them left early rather than watch him troop disconsolately back to the clubhouse after a nightmare final round. Rory had begun the day with a four-stroke lead and ended it ten strokes behind the victor Schwartzel, finishing a dreadful 15th. He made the history books for all the wrong reasons: his 80 round on the Sunday tied the worst final-round score by a 54-hole leader in the history of The Masters.
It was down to nerves and bad putting, as the Belfast Telegraph explained: ‘Rory McIlroy missed a short putt at the first hole in the final round of The Masters and it set the tone for the day. On Thursday morning at the first three holes, his stroke was assured. The first real test came with a tricky par-putt at the seventh and in it went.
‘His stroke was more tentative on Sunday. After the débâcle of the triple-bogey at the 10th, the weakness was cruelly exposed.’
Colin Montgomerie was one of the first Brit golfers to offer his commiserations – and to make it clear that this was not the end for Rory but merely the start of an era when he would lift the Majors. Monty said: ‘He will have learnt from this experience. The next time he is in this position here – and it’s a matter of “when”, not “if” – he will pull through.’ And Luke Donald, who tied for 4th, was just as sympathetic, saying: ‘My heart goes out to Rory. When I saw he made triple on 10 and backed it up with a couple more tough holes on 11 and 12, I was gutted for him.’
Rory’s fans were also convinced he would learn from this massive setback to re-emerge wiser and stronger. One of them, Terry, said: ‘Rory, you have nothing to apologise for. The way you conducted yourself after your final round was a credit to you: you must have felt like running away but saw it through, unlike our petulant football managers who refuse to face the cameras after a match.
‘Your time will come again – you have too much talent and a natural gift of being gracious in defeat. I feel certain that you have won a new army of fans both sides of the pond. You should feel proud to have led The Masters for 63 holes. Another opportunity will come soon. All the best.’
Diana, an American golf fan in Illinois, said: ‘Watched the match on TV and CBS, mercifully, stopped showing Rory after he triple-bogied. I, for one, was rooting for him all the way, and was so sad to see the meltdown. I just keep hoping that his positive attitude will let him forget this misery and continue to play his magnificent golf.’
Meanwhile, back in Blighty, fan James Edmonds added: ‘He’s 21 and he will win this title in the future, no doubt about it. I know we’re a nation of knockers, but isn’t it time we actually got behind a young man who is so talented? If we support him and keep on encouraging him, he can only get better. Why is there a culture in Britain that demands we have to kick our sportsmen and women when they are down rather than give them credit for getting so close to pulling off unbelievable achievements, like Rory did? He’ll be back and better than ever.’
There was something in what James had to say: although the majority of golfing enthusiasts were, quite rightly, supportive of Rory in his hour of need, some decided this was an opportune moment to put the proverbial boot in, accusing him of being a ‘choker’.
One said: ‘The curse of being a British sports star strikes again. The press big it up and then boom, it’s the big flop! England football, cricket, Andy Murray, Rory, Henman – the only ones seemingly unaffected are the English rugby team.’
Another gloated: ‘Can’t imagine he’ll ever recover from that, he’s obviously a choker and as for saying there are worse things happening in the world, that’s out of context and irrelevant; Majors won’t be for Rory McIlroy but, eh, he’ll earn a decent living and be successful.’
Even the august Business Insider website was caught up with the ‘Rory dilemma’, asking if the youngster could recover from the setback, fretting: ‘He can only get better, right? Or will he? There are plenty of young superstars who have showed the promise of a budding champion – some even won majors – but then disappeared. The truth is that you don’t get a lot of chances to lead The Masters after 63 holes, and not every 21-year-old is equipped to handle such a devastating loss. McIlroy is doing OK, so far. Only time will tell if he can get back to the top.’
Rory himself, meanwhile, appeared before a plethora of media outlets and typically, was unwilling to make excuses. He told it as it was: he had thought he was on to a winner but it had all gone sour in that horror of a final round. As he laid the blame at his own door, he was honest and likeable – yes, he had lost his game after losing his nerve and no, it wasn’t down to the course or the fact that he had a handful of the world’s top players (including Woods) breathing down his neck as he started to crack up.
And as he kept on saying, South African Schwartzel deserved the fullest credit for keeping his nerve and winning the event – and let’s not forget he was only four and a bit years older than Rory. For if there was one big positive to come from The Masters of 2011, it was surely for golf in general; that optimistic, fresh youth was making itself felt on the world’s most prestigious greens at the world’s most prestigious tournaments at a time when it was most needed after the dark cloud that descended over the sport with Tiger’s descent into badness and madness.
Yes, Rory McIlroy was more than happy to doff his cap to this ambitious fellow young golfer. Schwartzel had his hands on his first Major, but he himself would soon be following his example. Kevin Gartside, writing in the Daily Telegraph after The Masters, summed up the new era that was dawning in golf: ‘This has been a tournament at which the New Generation has come of age. And what a generation. Charl Schwartzel, the exceptional champion, is just 26. Behind him on the leaderboard was Jason Day, who at 23 is only two years McIlroy’s senior. Also on the course was Japanese supernova Ryo Ishikawa, a global star at 19, and poster boy Ricky Fowler, at 23 already a force in the game. Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, Martin Laird, Alvaro Quiros and Gary Woodland were just some of the twenty-somethings launching rockets off the tee on the final day.’
Lifelong golfing fan Tony Woodward also applauded the way younger players now appeared to be grabbing the gauntlet at Majors: ‘Probably the best Masters’ finish I have ever seen. Certainly Rory did not hand it to Charles Schwartzel: he earned it as anyone having birdies on 15-16-17-18 deserves the recognition of winning a tournament. Hard luck for the Aussies though, but didn’t they do well! Take heart, Rory – you have the talent and spirit to overcome this setback. Fantastic final day! Let’s hope the rest of the PGA season is as good. The talent in world golf at the moment is amazing.’
Yes, it was true – the South African’s win at the 75th Masters was no walk in the park despite Rory’s collapse. He birdied the last four holes at Augusta to see off the challenge of Aussies Adam Scott and Jason Day by two strokes. It is worth noting that no Masters champion had ever finished with such a run – and Schwartzel had the added pressure of having to hold off 10 challengers, including Tiger Woods, as he attempted to keep his nerve and emerge triumphant.
Afterwards, the likeable Schwartzel said: ‘It’s a dream for me. It’s such a special feeling, I just felt really comfortable. I’ve never been in a situation like that in a Major and I felt surprisingly very calm. It was just a phenomenal day. There were so many roars. The atmosphere out there was incredible.
‘Adam Scott was making birdies and I needed to do something. I made some good iron shots and some good putts. From the word go on the first hole, things started going for me. It’s always nice when things start in the right direction.
‘Every single hole you walk down, someone has done something. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at the leaderboard, but sometimes I would look at it and not register what I was looking at, and I think that sort of helped.’
The win in 2011 was all the more special for the South African as it came 50 years to the day after his countryman Gary Player became the first Masters’ winner from outside America. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever done so much praying on a golf course in my life,’ said Schwartzel. He also paid tribute to his fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen, whom he said had inspired him at Congressional in winning the previous year’s Open. ‘To see Louis win The Open was just such a big inspiration,’ he told the press corps at Bethesda. ‘Just to see him do it made me realise that it is possible and it just took me over the barrier of thinking that a Major is too big for someone to win. We grew up together from a young age and we still play almost every single practice round together.
‘We used to play every single team event, every tournament against each other and we represented South Africa for so long. We always travelled together, so we basically are the best of mates.’
And he sent his commiserations to Rory but stressed he was ‘certain’ that it would not be too long before the then 21-year-old would follow closely in his footsteps. He said he was delighted to have held his nerve, especially with the Tiger on his trail. For Woods, this was another disappointment as he tried desperately to put the furore over his private life behind him: he had now not won in 22 events, had not won The Masters since 2005 or indeed a Major since the US Open in 2008. Despite this, he claimed to be in good spirits: ‘I got off to a nice start,’ said Woods. ‘On the back nine, I could have capitalised more. I hit it good all day – and I’m happy about that.’
Schwartzel would also later pay tribute to his father – which, with the benefit of hindsight, could be seen as a good omen for Rory, who was to do exactly the same when he came up trumps at the US Open. And the sentiments would almost echo his own, a couple of months later, as the South African said: ‘My dad played such a big part in my golf and without him, I wouldn’t have the golf swing I have or be where I am now.’
Rory was to remember those tender words when he spoke about his own father at Congressional but for now, he would have to lick his wounds and plan for the day when he too would win a Major. Plus, he had the benefit of an early chance to put the nightmare behind him in the Malaysian Open, which would begin soon after The Masters.
And there was one welcome surprise as he trudged back to the clubhouse at Augusta – his sweetheart, Holly Sweeney, was waiting for him. His management team had flown her in after he had taken the early initiative in The Masters, with the idea being that she would be there to throw her arms around him when he won the tournament. The Sun reported that she was kept out of sight for two days so that he would not become distracted as he went about his business.
In the end, she would provide a welcome shoulder to cry on for the young man, who buckled under the pressure. ‘He was truly delighted to see her,’ revealed a source. ‘They hugged and it helped ease the disappointment for him – it was a lovely move by his managers.’
The young Northern Irishman with the world at his feet was once again ready to move: he now had four tournaments in which to get his game in shape before the next Major. Time to go back to work and to sort out both the psychological issues and the putting problems that had cost him so dearly in The Masters.