"I appreciated the moment"- Rory McIlroy on a holed-out bunker shot at the 2022 Masters

Rory McIlroy finished in second position at the 2022 Masters as he ended the final round three strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.

The Northern Irish golfer chipped in for a birdie on the 18th hole from the bunker and celebrated it like a carefree child, despite losing the match. His reaction was exuberant.

Rory McIlroy recalled the iconic moment from Augusta's field ahead of the 2023 Masters. As quoted by The Guardian, McIlroy said:

"It was the first year in a long time I came away from Augusta feeling really happy about the week. Yes, I started too many shots behind on Sunday, but … when you get into scenarios like that, I didn’t know what Scottie was doing so there’s still that hope that something could happen."

"He played great and ended up winning, but walking up that hill and going to sign my card on a Sunday, the dominant emotion has been disappointment."

He added:

“That was the first year in a long time that I felt joy and happiness. I appreciated the moment and where I was rather than thinking about what I hadn’t done. It was almost like going through some sort of mental barrier. I wanted a 90-hole Masters rather than 72. I wanted another crack at it right away."

Rory McIlroy played the last round of 64 at the 2022 Masters. He started the last round with a birdie on the first hole. McIlroy made six birdies and an eagle in the fourth round to wrap up a scoring deficit of 8.

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"I would love to win the Masters" - Rory McIlroy talks about the Masters

Rory McIlroy has won four major tournaments in his career, however, he is yet to wear the green jacket. McIlroy is looking forward to winning the 2023 Masters.

The 2023 Masters will take place next week from April 6 and the final round of the tournament will be held on April 9 at the Augusta National Golf Course.

Speaking about the major tournament, McIlroy said:

“I would love to win the Masters. If I ended my career and hadn’t slipped on a Green Jacket would there be a twinge of regret? 100%, absolutely. But I have other things going on in my life."

"A Green Jacket pales in comparison to seeing my daughter happy, spending time with my family. I’ll never lose that. My life isn’t going to automatically become better if I win a Green Jacket."

Having turned professional in 2007, Rory McIlroy has won 36 professional events in his career. He has won 23 PGA Tour events and 15 European Tours.

McIlroy won the first major of his career in 2011 at the US Open and then won the PGA Championship in 2012. The former world No.1 lifted the third major tournament trophy of his career in 2014. He won the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2014. McIlroy's best finish at The Masters was registered in 2022 when he finished in second position.