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Unlucky 13: the record high at the Masters

History is made on the golf course when a player does something that no other player has ever done before.

The best remembered records are usually for players who have – in a good way – outperformed all others in their field.

Unfortunately for Tom Weiskopf, Tommy Nakajima and Sergio Garcia this is not always the case. 

As far as records go, one you probably don’t want on your repertoire is the record for the highest record score above par on a single hole at the Masters – 13.

Last November, many thought that Tiger Woods’ 7 above par on the 12th hole at Augusta might have been the highest on Masters record. It wasn’t, but we’ll get back to that later in the series. 

Tommy Nakajima of Japan, was the first to reach unlucky number 13 at the Masters in 1978 – on the 13th hole, no less. Next came American Tom Weiskopf in 1980 on hole 12 and then, after a long wait, Spaniard Sergio Garcia in 2018 on the 15th. 

More from the countdown series: Apollo 14 and the first golfer in space

“I don’t like to be one of the three that is always going to be mentioned as making the highest score on any hole. But it sure doesn’t haunt me,” Weiskopf said, reflecting on the shot.

Tom Weiskopf reacts to the crowd after sinking an 80-foot putt on the second hole during second round play in the US Open 1996 (Image: Getty)

And neither it should. Weiskopf has had an otherwise successful career, picking up 16 PGA Tour titles and winning the British Open in 1973 in Troon, Scotland. 

It’s Garcia, however, whose 13 on the 15th in 2018 contributed to the single worst round in Masters history: 169, or 97 over par. With that, the previous year’s green jacket winner made history two year in a row.

Sergio Garcia accepts the Green Jacket from Danny Willett after winning in a playoff during the final round of the 2017 Masters Tournament on April 9, 2017 in Augusta, Georgia. (Image: Getty)

No other player can recount such highs and lows at the Masters in such a short space of time.

This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.

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14: to Augusta and Beyond

Next up in our countdown series we’re asking: what’s the furthest golf has ever been played from Augusta?

Technically speaking, it’s the moon. Astronauts hit a few golf balls on the moon’s surface during the Apollo 14 mission.

A bit too far to go to get some swing practice?

Apollo 14 was the third manned lunar landing mission. Between January 31 to February 9th 1971, it was commanded by Alan B. Shepard, Jr, who had been the first man in space.

1971: Astronaut Alan B Shepard holds the pole of a US flag on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 14 mission. (Image: Getty)

Of the three astronauts aboard, Edgar D. Mitchell was the youngest at age 40 and lived until 2016.

November 1970: Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell. (Image: Getty)

Commander Shepard hit two golf balls with a six-iron head strapped to the handle of a tool used for sample collection.

He also holds the record for the first (and only) extra-terrestrial hole in one after they found one of the golf balls in a crater.

Apollo 14 commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. is seen playing golf using tools he had smuggled in during the mission’s second moonwalk activity on February 6, 1971. (Image: Getty)

The only other sport to be played on the moon is javelin. In the same Apollo 14 mission, Shepard threw a javelin that landed just a few meters ahead of his golf ball.

While there might not be an official course on the moon (yet), there are still plenty of golf courses in extreme locations here on Earth: 

Davis Golf Links in Antarctica: golfers have to play with brightly coloured balls so they don’t get lost in the snow-covered landscape.

Arctic Links in Finland’s Arctic Circle region: in the summer, this course is open all day long due to the 24-hour daylight.

Himalayan Golf Course in Pokhara, Nepal: visiting golfers can play among the clouds, right in front of the worlds largest mountain range.

None of these courses are more extreme than the single par 3 hole at the UN Joint Security Area between North and South Korea. You’d better be confident with your short game as the green is surrounded entirely by land mines!

Maybe it won’t be long until there’s a golf course in space, who knows. Until then, there’s plenty to look forward to down here on Earth with less than two weeks until this year’s first tee time at Augusta.

This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.

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15 days to go: Augusta wasn’t built in a day

With 15 days to go until the Masters, it’s time to have a closer look at the course at Augusta National itself. 

Did you know that there have been as many as 15 different architects who have led renovation projects on the course since it first opened in January 1933?

Bobby Jones and course architect Alastair Mackenzie designed the Augusta national together, supposedly inspired by the Old Course in St Andrews. Today, we’re looking at some of the biggest changes that have been made over the years- the ones people love and the more controversial choices. 

Let’s start with one of the biggest names in Augusta architecture: Tom Fazio. He has worked as the in-house architect at Augusta since the 1990s and has been responsible for overseeing renovation projects ever since, whether directly or indirectly.

In 2002, Tom Fazio’s design company lengthened nine holes, adding 285 yards to Augusta in total, and made various fairway and bunker changes.

Fazio (L) walks with Fred Couples off a tee box before the start of the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship on April 28, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Image: Getty)

Four years later, in 2006, Fazio’s team was met with criticism after they did some work on the fifth hole. The tee was shifted and pushed back a full 40 yards.

Other features of the course have not been changed as much over the years. The 10th hole, for example, is virtually unchanged from MacKenzie’s original design. The only really noteworthy adjustment on the 10th was when Perry Maxwell moved the green back all the way in 1937. 

More from the series: Is this the greatest golf shot of the 21st century?

In general, adding distance to holes has been well received. Architects and course designers usually justify such changes as a way to adapt to technological developments in the game. 

Less popular course adjustments involve tree planting.

To explain, when Bobby Jones and Alastair Mackenzie first designed the course, they wanted to give golfers the opportunity to be creative in their shots with wide open fairways. Over the years, architects have planted more and more trees on the course, making the opportunities for creativity ever less frequent. 

There is no better example of how the trees made more creative shots near impossible than on the 17th hole. It has been widely noted that on today’s narrower course, Jack Nicklaus would have never been able to make his legendary tee shot on the 17th in 1986 that led to one of the greatest moments in Masters history. 

Most of the so-called “narrowing” has taken place in rennovation project since 2002.

Marc Leishman of Australia plays his shot from the 17th tee during the second round of the 2018 Masters. Before the changes, the trees on the right would not have blocked a direct path to the green. (Image: Getty)

Tiger Woods is among the many top pros who has criticised the narrowing of Augusta. He claims that the version of the course when he first won in 1997 “wasn’t that hard”.  

This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.

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16: Is this the greatest golf shot of the 21st century?

Number 16 on our countdown can only be one thing: TW’s chip on the 16th in the final round of the 2005 Masters.

The Masters has played host to some historical moments over the years. Few were better captured than Tiger Woods’ legendary chip on the 16th hole during the 2005 masters.  

Saying it’s iconic might be underselling it a little. Every individual detail of the shot, from the clever angle right down to the way the ball hung on the edge before quietly tipping in to the 16th hole could have been described as amazing. Together, this sequence would go down in history. The roar of applause that broke the tense silence would echo in Masters history.

“In your life have you seen anything like that?” reacted commentator Verne Lundquist.

Speaking about it later, Woods called that moment as gravity finally took over, an “earthquake”. 

The 16th hole at Augusta is a 170-yard par 3, named “Redbud” after the flowering tree which blossoms every year between March and May. The 16th’s raised and uneven green makes it a tricky shot, even for the top-level pros.

Woods started the day that Sunday three strokes behind leader Chris Di Marco. Before this shot he was trailing Di Marco by just one. Conveniently for Woods, Di Marco went on to miss a birdie afterwards and they went on to the 17th, Woods now 2 strokes ahead with two holes to go. 

A 21-year old Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997 before going on to win twice consecutively in 2001 and 2002. In 2005, Woods kept his cool in a tense playoff to par on the 18th, sinking a birdie and claiming his 4th green jacket. 

Taken moments after the winning putt on the 18th in Augusta on April 10th, 2005. Woods’ celebratory roar is one of the most recognisable in sports. (Image: Getty)

Despite recovering from various injuries, and many doubting his physical ability, Woods made history yet again with an incredible comeback at the 2019 Masters where he won for a fifth time after 14 years. At age 43, it was his first major championship win in eleven years and his 15th major title overall. 

More from our countdown series: Golf’s Origins in America

Last month’s car crash dashed any hopes of Woods attending the Masters this year. He maintained severe injuries to his legs and is since in recovery.

Fans had hoped to see him compete for a chance to take his 6th green jacket and join Jack Nicklaus’ record top spot. 

If there’s one thing we can say for certain it’s that historically speaking and no matter what, you can never really count Tiger out. 

This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.

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17 days to go: Coming to America

17: Kolf in the USA

In the United States, golf is an $84.1 billion industry and directly affects over 2 million jobs.

With countless tournaments taking place on US soil every year, and 24 million Americans who say they actively play golf, you could say golf has become intrinsic to American culture

But did you ever wonder how it started out in America? Or how long it’s been around? Well, like most things that are considered American today, golf was brought over by immigrants.

READ MORE: Why do golf courses have 18 holes?

The earliest traces of the sport in North America go back to Dutch immigrants in the 17th century who played Kolf in the streets of Fort Orange- now Albany, NY.

No that’s not a typo. Kolf is a Dutch game and an early variation of what we know today as golf. The sport was typically played a smaller scale than modern golf and is perhaps more comparable to mini golf. Some believe that Kolf contributed to the development of modern golf in Scotland. Although, as you might expect, there is a lot of debate around this.

Played in groups of four, the game involves hitting a ball over a certain distance whereby first people to reach their opponents’ starting point wins.

A painting by Hendrick Avercamp of people playing winter Kolf c. 1625. Kolf was traditionally played on ice in the winter and in fields or in the streets during the summer.

While it is a very traditional sport, it is still played in a few communities in the Netherlands. There are 14 courses still in operation and all but one of these are in the North Holland province.

Since the 17th century, golf (and variations thereof) steadily increased in popularity in the US. It was only in the 19th century that the competitive and commercial side of the sport really took off.

Long story short, it took roughly 275 years between the arrival of America’s first “golfers” and the first tee-off at the Augusta National Invitation Tournament (now The Masters) in March 1934.

This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.

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18 days to go: the Masters 2021

Get excited for the Masters 2021 with the start of our daily countdown!

With everyone looking forward to a slight return to normality at this year’s Masters – taking place in April as scheduled – Golf Post is brining you daily instalments in our countdown series as we get closer the Masters 2021.

Each day, you’ll get a daily dose of fun facts and interesting stories, both about the masters and golf in general. Each instalment will be related to the number of days left on the countdown before the first tee-off on April 8.

Sunday marks 18 days before the first round starts.

No points for guessing why we’re starting at 18. We all know that it’s the number of holes on a golf course but have you ever thought about why golf courses have 18 holes?

18 is now the standard but it’s not an obvious number to choose and it turns out that it wasn’t always that way. Go back to the early 1700s and you would find basic golf layouts with any number of holes. 

Our story goes back to a group of golfers in St Andrews who decided to combine some short holes and reduce the number of the Old Course from 22 to 18. That was in 1764. Even then, you could have predicted that this would become the standard. The standard golf-course layout at that time was actually 10 holes, 8 of which were played twice in a normal round. 

The Old Course in St Andrews, home to the R&A, is known fondly as the home of golf and has played a huge role in the history of the sport. (Image: Getty)

The original architect of Augusta National, Alistair MacKenzie, deeply admired the Old Course and is said to have based the design for his course on the layout in St Andrews.

By the 1900s, golf course design followed the St Andrews model and adopted 18 holes as standard. In 1958 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews issued a set of new rules.

The very first of these new rules would make a round of the Links, or 18 holes a match, unless otherwise stipulated. What had become common practice was now official and the number 18 has ever since been central to the game of golf.

Other rumours about the number being based on managing the time it took to maintain early courses or even the time it takes to drink a bottle of whiskey while playing are interesting but unfortunately this cannot be proven!

Check back on Monday for number 17 on our countdown to the Masters.

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European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour Join Forces for ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland

The Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in September 2020 (Image: Getty)

The European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour will join forces for another innovative mixed tournament at the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management in Northern Ireland, hosted by Galgorm from July 29 – August 1, 2021.

The agreement heralds an exciting new chapter for the event, which has been elevated to European Tour status following a hugely successful inaugural edition on the European Challenge Tour in 2019. The 2021 event will continue to be played over two courses, Galgorm Castle and Massereene and will form part of the European Tour’s 2021 UK Swing, taking in tournaments in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England across July and August.

It will be the first time an event of this format is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour in the northern hemisphere – following in the footsteps of the ISPS HANDA Vic Open in Australia which has the same format.

The ISPS HANDA World Invitational will attract a field of 288 players, 144 men and 144 women. The women’s field will be split equally between the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. The $2.35 million purse will be split evenly, with men and women competing for two equal prize funds.

The tournament will count towards the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and carry Team Europe Ryder Cup points, while the women’s tournament will count towards the Race to the CME Globe for women on the LPGA Tour, the Race to Costa del Sol on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Solheim Cup points for both Team Europe and Team USA.

ISPS HANDA Founder and Chairman, Dr Haruhisa Handa, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to continue our support as Title Sponsor of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational, an event which epitomises our belief in the Power of Sport to unite communities and break down barriers. To see the tournament grow to a European Tour and LPGA sanctioned event is a testament to the importance of providing equal playing opportunities for men and women. I am grateful to the dedication to this cause by all tournament partners; Modest! Golf, Galgorm, European Tour, LPGA and LET.”

Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “The decision to bring the ISPS HANDA World Invitational back to Galgorm is another ringing endorsement for golf in Northern Ireland. It is wonderful to welcome this innovative tournament which will bring together the best that both the men’s and women’s games have to offer. Following the recent successes of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019 and last year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm, I have no doubt this event will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation for delivering high-profile international competitions.

“It is my hope that the situation with Covid 19 restrictions will improve sufficiently to allow as many spectators as possible to attend the event. However, as the event will reach hundreds of millions of homes across the globe, I am delighted that once again Northern Ireland will get the opportunity to show the world that it is made for golf.”

Niall Horan, owner of Modest! Golf Management, said: “This is a key moment for professional golf in this part of the world, and with the help of ISPS HANDA along with both the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and European Tour we have been able to take the ISPS HANDA World Invitational to a new level, which will without doubt reach new audiences around the world.

“The message behind the tournament perfectly aligns with Modest! Golf’s ethos of providing opportunities for all and ensuring golf is a game for everyone. These are vital messages which we plan to further develop with The R&A having recently announced our partnership with them.

“I have been attending European Tour events for as long as I can remember. To host a co-sanctioned LPGA Tour and European Tour event on the island of Ireland gives me so much pride and I cannot wait to return to the amazing Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort this summer, the perfect venue to host such a tournament.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are excited to once again work alongside ISPS HANDA and Modest! Golf Management, both of whom share our vision of driving golf further through innovation and inclusivity.

“We thank Dr Handa for his continued support of the European Tour, and also Niall Horan and Modest! Golf Management for their hard work and determination in helping elevate this event after building strong foundations on the Challenge Tour in 2019. Galgorm Castle was a hugely popular addition to our Race to Dubai schedule in 2020 and we are all looking forward to returning there in July.”

Michael Whan, LPGA Commissioner, said: “ISPS HANDA has long been a visionary in how sports can be an agent of change, and now we are excited to help them move to a whole new level and deliver a message of equality to fans in Northern Ireland with the ISPS HANDA World Invitational.

“To have the best women and men compete alongside each other at the same venue for the same purse, is exciting for fans and it showcases what is great about this global game.”

Alexandra Armas, LET Chief Executive Officer, added: “Our members are delighted to be playing in this ground-breaking tournament, which marks another significant development for the LPGA-LET joint venture, and I would like to thank all of the sponsors and organisers for their support of our vision and desire to elevate European women’s golf to new heights.

“We are committed to providing more playing opportunities for Europe’s most talented golfers to thrive and flourish and to enable them to reach the highest levels in golf. This tournament offers a unique platform which will no doubt raise the game and inspire more women and girls to take up the sport.”

John McGrillen, Chief Executive of Tourism NI, said: “The ISPS HANDA World Invitational is an exciting opportunity that will deliver significant participant bed nights and positive media attention for Northern Ireland. The exposure will come at a critical time in our recovery, helping to rebuild our tourism economy and bolster consumer confidence. As demonstrated with golfing events last year we can still leverage opportunities for our destination with restrictions in place. Looking further ahead we are very eager to welcome spectators back when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”

A traditional 72-hole stroke play format will be in place with men and women competing at two venues, Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Massereene Golf Club, over the first two days before a halfway cut reduces the field to the top 60 professionals, including ties, in the men’s and women’s draws.

The third round will take place at Galgorm Castle before a further 54-hole cut takes place with the top 35 and ties from the men’s and women’s draws advancing to the final round on Sunday.

“We are delighted that our home-grown event has been elevated to this level and a special thank you must go to Tourism Northern Ireland, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, who have been ardent supporters of the event since its inception in 2010,” said Gary Henry, Tournament Promoter and Managing Director Galgorm Castle. “Thanks must also go to Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, Tourism Ireland, Sport NI and Golf Ireland for their continued support. I would like to make a special mention to the hundreds of volunteers who I’m sure will be thrilled and excited for what is to come in July, their ongoing support is invaluable and greatly appreciated.”

(Text: LPGA Communications)

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Ryder Cup: Rolex to Become Official Partner

This year's Ryder Cup will take place from 21 to 26 September. (Image: Getty)

Ryder Cup Europe have announced that Rolex will become a Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup.

Read the press statement from Ryder Cup Europe Communications:

A landmark agreement with the PGA of America – Ryder Cup Europe’s partner in golf’s most celebrated team contest – will see the Swiss watch manufacturer align with Ryder Cup USA for the first time as Official Timekeeper, a role it has enjoyed with Team Europe since 1995.

Already the longest-serving partner of The Ryder Cup, this new global commitment and Worldwide Partner status further strengthens Rolex’s recognised stature in golf, having been at the heart of the game for over 50 years.

Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO European Tour and Ryder Cup Director, said: “Rolex’s commitment to golf as a whole is unparalleled and this is therefore a truly momentous day both for The Ryder Cup and our sport as a whole.

“The invaluable support of Rolex for over a quarter of a century has helped both The Ryder Cup and the European Tour grow and prosper. With their new alignment and agreement with our friends at the PGA of America, I am incredibly excited at what the future holds for an event which is already recognised as one of the greatest in all of sport.”

Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Chief Executive Officer, Rolex SA, said: “Since 1967, Rolex’s commitment to golf has grown and flourished, permeating every level of the sport. We are delighted to stand alongside the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe in supporting The Ryder Cup, the game’s pre-eminent team competition. Through this landmark partnership, which builds on a relationship of more than 25 years with The Ryder Cup, Rolex takes the next historic step in further deepening our support for this iconic and unrivalled event.”

Rolex, who become the third Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup alongside AON and BMW, also assume the role of Presenting Partner of the weekly Ryder Cup Points Standings, which monitors the progress of the leading players on both sides of the Atlantic as they vie for automatic berths on both the European and the U.S teams.

Rolex is also committed to PGA Members, their events and grassroots initiatives, as the brand becomes the Presenting Partner of the annual PGA Professional Championship and the Official Timekeeper of PGA Golf Properties and PGA Frisco. Rolex also becomes Presenting Partner of the PGA’s three annual Player of the Year awards: the PGA Professional Player of the Year; Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year; and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards.

Rolex’s involvement in golf dates back to 1967 and its seminal partnership with Arnold Palmer who, joined by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, became the brand’s first golfing Testimonees. Since then, Rolex’s relationship with the game has grown and flourished, providing support for world-class players, the main professional Tours and governing bodies, as well as the finest events on the golf calendar. It now encompasses all Major tournaments – four men’s and five women’s – where victory represents the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.

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European Ryder Cup Qualification Process to resume in the new Year

Ryder Cup Qualifikation starts in January. (Photo: Getty)
Ryder Cup Qualifikation starts in January. (Photo: Getty)

The European Tour today confirmed that the qualification process for next year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will resume on January 1, 2021 and conclude at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday September 12, 2021.

The process, which began at last September’s BMW PGA Championship, was suspended after the conclusion of the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which shut down the European Tour at that point.

Upon the Tour’s resumption in July, and due to the fractured nature of the season, it was decided then to freeze the Ryder Cup points for the remainder of the year although all points gained prior to the suspension still counted.

However, to recognise the in-form European players around the world, when the qualification process resumes next month it will feature a new weighting as the season progresses, a specific request from European Captain Pádraig Harrington that was ratified by the Tour’s Tournament Committee.

Firstly, all Race to Dubai and Official World Golf Ranking points earned between January 1 and May 9 will be multiplied by 1.5. This means that the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA TOUR (Jan 7-10) will restart the World Points List while the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 21-24) will do the same for the European Points List.

Furthermore, all points earned from the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, which concludes on May 12, through to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, ending on September 12, will be multiplied by 2.

The 12-man European Team will comprise the first four players from the European Points List, followed by the leading five players from the World Points List. Captain Harrington then has three wild card picks to complete his line-up, a decision which will be unveiled in the week after the 2021 BMW PGA Championship.

European Captain Pádraig Harrington said: “I am delighted to see the qualification campaign getting back underway next month. The weighting of the points will further reward our in-form players and will give added interest to what already looks like an exciting season ahead.

“I have been keeping a keen eye on all European players in action on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months and have been very encouraged by what I have seen. I look forward to seeing how that form translates into points on the two respective lists in the coming months.”

Similar to the process for The 2018 Ryder Cup, qualification points will not be available anywhere in the world from a tournament played opposite a Rolex Series event – excluding Challenge Tour tournaments – nor from the 2021 Men’s Olympic Golf Tournament.

Tommy Fleetwood, who made his Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018, currently leads the European Points list, while Tyrrell Hatton, who also made his first Ryder Cup appearance in Paris is currently the first qualifier from the World Points List.

The 43rd edition of The Ryder Cup will be played on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 21-26, 2021. 

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Rory McIlroy: “He’s been knocking on the door for so long”

Photo: Getty

Question: If you could wave a magic wand, what area of your game would you improve overnight?
RORY McILROY: My iron play. Yeah, my iron play hasn’t been great since coming back from the lockdown. It sort of goes right through the bag. It goes from wedges all the way through to the long irons. I had two 5 irons from the fairway on 10 and 11 today, for example, and just didn’t hit great shots. It’s something to there’s always stuff to work on, but definitely something to work on going into the off season that we have here, and try to come out a little better in 2021.

Q: As you’ve had a little more time to reflect on what happened Thursday, what went wrong?
RORY McILROY: Again, I said yesterday, I just got a little careful, a little tentative, a little guidey, just didn’t trust my swing, didn’t commit to what I was doing, and again, this course more
than any other can make you do that at times. That was really what it was.
The first day I actually did okay. I was even par. It wasn’t even par through 9 here is not that bad, and then just that second morning I just didn’t quite have it. I guess I need to take the
positives, and played the last 54 really well and only made two bogeys in that 54 hole stretch, which is probably the best run of golf I’ve played here.

Rory McIlroy: “I miss the fans a lot”

Q: What did you miss the most this week, just the difference of playing in November?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, the atmosphere, the crowds, the patrons, the feelings that you normally have here that you didn’t quite have. More than any other week of the year I feel like you’re nervous a little more often, and it didn’t quite have that. Not saying it’s a bad thing; I loved the feeling of being relaxed out there and it’s something I probably need to try to adopt
going into five months’ time.

Q: Do you think there’s any advantage to coming right back here in April?
RORY McILROY: Yeah I mean, look, I hope the course is much different in April than it is now. It’s very soft. It’s very I feel like there’s a lot of shots I hit this week where I hit my number and
it would spin back off a green or it just wouldn’t do what you expect it to do, so I’d love to get another shot at it in April and have the course play maybe more what we’re accustomed to.

Q: You’re obviously a multiple major champion. What do you think this is going to mean to Dustin?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, he’s been knocking on the door so long, and I think, again, since coming back out of sort of back in June, the lockdown, he has been by far the best player in the world. He’s won a few times, won a FedExCup, had a chance at Harding Park. And I think, yeah, it validates what he did at Oakmont a few years ago and he’s had so many chances and hasn’t quite been able to close the deal, but his resume speaks for itself, how many times he’s won on the PGA TOUR, how consistent he’s been. I played with him the first two days here. He’s got the ball on a string. It was really impressive.

Q: What are you going to do this off season to kind of get away from golf and reboot? Any TV shows you’re going to catch up on?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, not particularly. I don’t know. I’m just going to be a man of leisure for a couple months. It’s going to be nice. Lie by the pool a little bit, get back on the bike, get back
on the Peloton. I’ve sort of given that a bit of a miss over the last few months. Yeah, just some stuff. Obviously watch my daughter grow up a little bit and have fun with that. But yeah, I’ll try
to get away from it, but yeah, as I said before, there’s certainly some stuff in my golf game that I want to work on before next year.

Q: Is there anything in DJ’s personality from your close interaction with him or traveling with him that you’ve seen of him that maybe we don’t that maybe you could share?
RORY McILROY: He’s smarter than you think.

Q: How so?
RORY McILROY: He’s switched on, more so than he lets on, more so than everyone in the media thinks. I’ll just put it that way.