AUGUSTA, Ga. — On Tuesday evening, Rory McIlroy gets to host a special dinner at Augusta National Golf Club. But it wasn’t always like this.
You probably know McIlroy’s story by now. In his first 16 Masters tournaments, he did not win. He almost won in 2011 but shot 80 on Sunday and tumbled down the leaderboard into a tie for 15th. He had seven top-10s since then, but never a victory. It was the only major he needed to complete the career Grand Slam, but some couldn’t help but wonder if his 2011 Masters debacle would haunt him forever.
Then came last year. McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a playoff, fell to his knees and celebrated his elusive title.
This year he arrived on Saturday — and played golf with his father at Augusta National on Sunday — before he practiced Monday and Tuesday and later met with the media on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think for the past 17 years I just could not wait for the tournament to start, and this year I wouldn’t care if the tournament never started,” he joked. “That’s sort of the difference. It’s completely different. I feel so much more relaxed. I know that I’m going to be coming back here for a lot of years, going to enjoy the perks that the champions get here.”
One of those perks comes Tuesday night, when McIlroy hosts his Masters Champions Dinner. His menu is highlighted by some of his favorite dishes while also giving a nod to some of the foods he grew up on in Northern Ireland.
McIlroy was asked what he used to do for dinner Tuesday night of Masters week— now that he has plans for all the other Tuesdays going forward.
He told a story about an awkward moment from Tuesday evening last year, when McIlroy and Justin Rose went to the club with a couple of Augusta National members to grab dinner.
“It was weird. I was pulling up Magnolia Lane, and you get to the [Founders Circle], and I’m like, well, do I go and park way over at the parking lot? Because I’m not going to park in the champions parking lot,” McIlroy said. “Then at that specific moment, the champions were having their cocktails out on the balcony. I’m like, I don’t want to valet, get out, they’re going to see me and it’s going to be weird. So I had this really awkward moment with it all last year. Yeah, thankfully that was the last time that I needed to do that.”
As for this year’s dinner, he said he procrastinated putting it together but likes the menu he landed on.
“It was a fun process to go through,” he said. “I was trying to achieve something that I would enjoy but also something that ties back to experiences that I’ve had, but also wanted it to be something that all the other people in that room would enjoy as well.
“People keep asking me, ‘Why didn’t you go more Irish?’ And I said, because I want to enjoy the dinner as well.”
The room cracked up.
