Rory McIlroy’s key ingredient to his Masters win at Augusta National may well be the addition of a Dr Bob Rotella.
The Northern Irishman finally won the green jacket, and completed the career Grand Slam after years of heartache.
His playoff victory over Justin Rose saw him end a ten-year wait for the career Grand Slam in Georgia.
Prior to Sunday’s final round triumph, the Down native’s most memorable moment at the iconic course was his 2011 meltdown as he failed to add a fifth major for ten seasons.
He also had heartache at the US Open last summer, after he missed two short putts to hand Bryson DeChambeau a second major success.
McIlroy did his best to throw away a Masters he had in an iron grip for most of the final day at Augusta – but he didn’t.
And he knew heading into the 2025 PGA Tour campaign that conquering Augusta National takes more than good form alone.
McIlroy arrived at Augusta in red-hot form, having already won twice on the PGA Tour this year at The Players Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach.
So, he recruited Vermont-based sports psychologist, Bob Rottella, whose guidance has been instrumental in more than 80 major victories across the men’s and women’s games.
Rotella spoke about ‘taking the pressure off’ McIlroy, the highly respected mind coach commented on the Down native’s Sawgrass win on the ‘Musings on Golf’ podcast ahead of the Masters.
He said: “Are we really glad that he did it? Yeah.
“Might it be helpful? Yeah. Might it have put on more pressure? Yeah. It’s all about getting in the right state of mind at the Masters.
“But yeah, it’s a really good thing, and we’re thrilled that he did it. I loved how he played and where he got his head… it’s another step in the right direction.
“But, you know, we’re probably going to spend as much time talking about the fact that whether you win the Masters or don’t, you’re going to have an unbelievable career.
“We’re probably going to find ways to take pressure off it so that he can win it… he’s doing everything humanly possible to give himself a chance. But he also understands there’s lots of other great players.”
The win on the iconic course put the Holywood hotshot alongside side some of the game’s greats.
He now joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to have ever won all four majors.
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