ORLANDO, Fla. — Rory McIlroy’s trip to Augusta National last week was special for numerous reasons.
It was, of course, his first opportunity to play the course since his Masters victory a year ago. He also played the round with his dad, Gerry, who was unable to see McIlroy’s playoff victory over Justin Rose in person.
And while he was there, McIlroy popped into the exclusive champions locker room, where he’d been assigned a locker with a couple of other luminaries.
“Raymond Floyd and Ben Hogan,” McIlroy said.
Floyd won the Masters in 1976; Hogan captured it in 1951 and 1953.
Because the room is relatively small, the 28 oak lockers are shared by champions. There are multiple names on each nameplate.
Tiger Woods shares a locker with Jack Burke, Jr. for example. Jordan Spieth’s locker is with Arnold Palmer. Scottie Scheffler shares with Charles Coody and Byron Nelson.
The room is small and overlooks Magnolia Lane. It can only be used by those who have won the Masters.
Also now in the room: a 7-iron McIlroy donated to the club. It’s the club he used to hit an important approach shot around a pine tree on 15 during the final round, which set up a two-putt birdie that helped him get back on track after a couple of disastrous holes.
Last year while leading by three shots in the final round, McIlroy made a 7 on the par-5 13th after he pitched his third shot into the water. He followed with a bogey at the 14th to fall a shot behind Rose. He then tied him when he birdied the 15th before a birdie at the 17th and a bogey at the 18th dropped him into the playoff.
During the round last week with his dad—and Augusta chairman Fred Ridley—McIlroy went to the spot left of the 15th fairway and hit the exact same sweeping hook around the tree.
“I hit the shot on 15 again, just to replicate it,” McIlroy said Friday after the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I nearly pitched it in the hole. It was actually a better shot than I hit in the tournament. It was actually unbelievable, I wish I could have got it on camera.”
Asked to elaborate, McIlroy said he again hit a 7-iron and “like literally, the pitch mark was that (inches) from the hole, and just sort of went to the back edge of the green.”
It was hard to beat the entire experience, McIlroy said.
“It was great,” he said. “Yeah, it was fun. It was a lot of fun.”
McIlroy shot 68 during the second round and was in the tournament’s top 10 at 4 under par through 36 holes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Shares Surprising Details From Practice Round at Augusta National.
