Rory McIlroy reveals what must be done to win the Masters at Augusta

Modified Apr 09, 2025 00:52 GMT

PGA: Masters Tournament - Third Round - Source: Imagn — Rory McIlroy, Masters Tournament (Image via Imagn)

Rory McIlroy is preparing to tee it up at Augusta National this week in a bid to earn his maiden Masters Tournament victory. The Ryder Cup star recently spoke to Taylor Zarzour on the Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, where he shared his plan to win the green jacket.

The host asked McIlroy about his mindset heading into the week, also mentioning his experience at the 2025 Players Championship. The Northern Irishman won the event in a playoff but was unable to get proper rest the night before due to his stress and anxiety.

Rory McIlroy stated that he used the Players Championship as a learning experience. He believes that in order to perform to the best of his abilities on the golf course, he needs to "turn off" his mind off the course.

Here's what Rory McIlroy had to say about his game plan heading into the 2025 Masters Tournament (via X @SiriusXMPGATOUR):

“I think you have to turn your mind off when you're not at the golf course. I think you’ve got to turn your mind on when you're here because it demands so much concentration and attention in what you're doing. It's almost like, yeah, you’ve got to, at the end of the day, leave your brain in your locker and go home, and then pick it up the next day when you come back. That's the analogy that I'm trying to go with this week."

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McIlroy also went on to say that he aims to treat the much anticipated Masters week as just another regular week on the PGA Tour. This week will mark the TGL co-founder's 17th start in the prestigious tournament.

Rory McIlroy's Masters Record

Rory McIlroy has made 16 appearances at Augusta National for the Masters Tournament. Having made the cut in 13 events, he has posted 12 finishes inside the top-5.

The four-time Major championship winner won his last Major in 2014 at the PGA Championship by defeating Phil Mickelson by one stroke. McIlroy came very close to winning the Masters Tournament in 2022, but had to eventually settle for a solo runner's-up finish.

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's track record at the Masters Tournament:

2009 - Tied for 20th place
2010 - MISSED CUT
2011 - Tied for 15th place
2012 - Tied for 40th place
2013 - Tied for 25th place
2014 - Tied for 8th place
2015 - 4th place
2016 - Tied for 10th place
2017 - Tied for 7th place
2018 - Tied for 5th place
2019 - Tied for 21st place
2020 - Tied for 5th place
2021 - MISSED CUT
2022 - 2nd Place
2023 - MISSED CUT
2024 - Tied for 22nd place

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma