Rory McIlroy said on Wednesday he was surprised at how his Masters victory, which ended years of heartbreak and made him only the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors, resonated with so many others.
McIlroy overcame a late collapse during the final round of the Masters 10 days ago before prevailing in a sudden-death playoff that ended his 11-year wait to join golf’s most exclusive club.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans where he and friend Shane Lowry are defending champions in the PGA Tour’s only official team event, McIlroy spoke about the magnitude of his Masters triumph.
“The big thing for me is just how the whole journey sort of resonated with people and the people that have reached out to me. That’s been absolutely amazing,” McIlroy told reporters at TPC Louisiana.
“Look, it’s not every day you get to fulfill one of your lifelong goals and dreams, and I’ve just really tried to enjoy everything that comes along with that.”
Since slipping into the Green Jacket at Augusta National, the 35-year-old Northern Irishman has been to London with his wife and daughter to see the home they are building there and then made a trip to Belfast to visit his parents.
McIlroy has also been in touch with many people eager to offer their congratulations, including several from outside the world of golf.
“I spoke to two presidents the day after, which was pretty cool,” said world number two McIlroy. “Just people reaching out from all walks of life, whether it be sports, entertainment, culture. Just all of it.
“People that you would never even think that would watch golf or would know what’s going on, that was very, very humbling, I guess.”
After soaking up his career-defining Masters win, McIlroy is eager to get back to competition and feels doing so this week in a team event where “it’s not all on me” is an ideal way for him to return.
No team has successfully defended their title at the Zurich Classic since the team format was introduced in 2017 and McIlroy may not be at full strength when the opening fourball matches start on Thursday.
“As you can hear, I’ve picked up a bit of a cold on the way, so feeling a little bit under the weather,” said McIlroy.
“But obviously it’s been an amazing few days, but I’m excited and I’m happy to be here with my man, and we’re looking forward to a great week and trying to defend.”
