What happened to Rory McIlroy? Why is the golfer missing from the iconic Masters Champions Dinner photo

Rory McIlroy missed the iconic Champions Dinner because he is yet to win The Masters. The dinner was specially organized for past Masters winners and was hosted by last year's champion, Scottie Scheffler. It only includes golfers who have won The Masters in the past, and no other golfer can be a part of the historic Champions Dinner.

Rory McIlroy has won four major tournaments in his career, but he is yet to wear the green jacket. McIlroy missed an opportunity to win The Masters last year.

Masters officials shared a group picture of guests attending the Champions Dinner on their social media accounts. Fans asked them in the comments section about Rory McIlroy. However, he did not attend the dinner as he has not won The Masters.

The Holywood-born golfer has been dominating the golf course for the past few years and is unarguably one of the most successful golfers in the world.

Rory McIlroy has won 36 professional events since turning pro in 2007. He has 23 PGA Tour events and 15 European Tours. McIlroy has also competed in four of the major tournaments and won three of them. He is looking for a victory at The Masters.

The former World No. 1 won the first major tournament of his career in 2011 when he was victorious at the US Open. McIlroy also registered victories in two PGA Championships and The Open Championship, which he won in 2014.

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“I’ve been knocking on the door for that fifth one" - Rory McIlroy looking for a victory at The Masters

Rory McIlroy arrived at Augusta on Sunday, April 2, and has been preparing for The Masters. He finished in second position in 2022 and is looking to promote that to victory.

In a press conference on Tuesday, McIlroy said that he was aware of his game and what he needed to work on to win the green jacket.

Speaking to the media, the Northern Irish golfer said:

“I’ve won four of them. I’ve been knocking on the door for that fifth one for a while. I feel like I am as good, if not better a player, as I was the last time I won a major championship. So, I’m feeling pretty good about it.’’

Rory McIlroy also spoke about his performance last year at the Masters. Although he did not win the title, McIlroy impressed people with an eagle on the last hole of the final round to finish in second position. McIlroy recalled:

“The last time this tournament was played, I walked away from the course and the tournament pretty happy with myself. I proved to myself that I could do it."

He added:

"As much as I didn’t really get into contention [to win], there was a part of me on that back nine last year that felt that I had a chance. And to play the way I did, and to have those feelings, in my mind anyway, I felt like it was a breakthrough.’’

Tee times for The Masters are out and the first round will start on April 6 at 8 am ET.