Former Masters champ’s secret gesture was ‘nice touch’ for Rory McIlroy

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Angel Cabrera, present at Rory McIlroy’s collapse, was one of the reasons behind his rise.   

With McIlroy up by two heading into Sunday’s final round of the Masters, and in search of his first green jacket, he opened his locker upon arriving at Augusta National and found a note from the 2009 Masters winner. Fourteen years ago, they’d been paired together when McIlroy entered the final round of the Masters up two, only to shoot a near-unfathomable 80 and exit Augusta National in a fog. 

The message was short. The message was remembered. McIlroy won this year’s Masters a few hours later, in a playoff with Justin Rose, and McIlroy specifically noted the note in his press conference opening statement. 

“And honestly, you know, what came out of me on the last green there in the playoff was, you know, at least 11 years, if not 14 years of pent-up emotion,” McIlroy said. “You know, since 2011, I think it’s so ironic, as well. I got to my locker this morning and I opened it up, and there was a note in there from Angel Cabrera, and just wishing me luck. 

“And Angel Cabrera was the player I played with on the final day in 2011. It was a nice touch and a little bit ironic at the same time. It’s been 14 long years, but thankfully I got the job done.”

Notably, Cabrera missed the cut on Friday. He was playing his first Masters since 2019 due to a conviction for domestic assault and intimidation of two former partners.

For McIlroy, the win also was his first major victory since 2014, and it completed the career grand slam, following wins at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. 

“It’s very difficult,” McIlroy said of his major-less drought. “I think I’ve carried that burden since August 2014. It’s nearly 11 years.

“And not just about winning my next major, but the career grand slam. You know, trying to join a group of five players to do it, you know, watching a lot of my peers get green jackets in the process.

“Yeah, it’s been difficult, and I’ve tried to approach this tournament with the most positive attitude each and every time that I’ve shown up, and I think just the sort of cumulative experience that I’ve gained coming back here each and every year, I just I feel like I get a little more comfortable with the shot needed. I talked about it at the start of the week, but you know, there’s talking about it and actually doing it.

“And yeah, today was — today was difficult. I was unbelievably nervous this morning. Really nervous on the first hole, as you witnessed with the double, but as I said, that sort of calmed me down and I was able to bounce back and show that resilience that I’ve talked about a lot.

“Yeah, look, it was a heavy weight to carry, and thankfully now I don’t have to carry it and it frees me up and I know I’m coming back here every year, which is lovely.”