Jake Knapp defends Rory McIlroy and reveals why he was shocked after playing Augusta on Thursday

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Jake Knapp has spoken about his experience of playing The Masters for only the second time and delivered his take on the criticisms being aimed at Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy triumphed at Augusta National on Sunday and in doing so, he became only the fourth man to defend The Masters.

Meanwhile, Knapp finished in 11th position at The Masters – a fine effort considering it was only his second time at Augusta National.

The Masters drew to a thrilling conclusion on Sunday evening as McIlroy won at Augusta National for the second consecutive year.

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Interestingly, though, McIlroy was accused of having an unfair advantage at The Masters, having played numerous practice rounds during the month leading up to the tournament.

Now Jake Knapp has had his say on the matter.

Jake Knapp defends Rory McIlroy and says what shocked him about Augusta National

Knapp was a guest on the Wake Up Barstool Podcast and responded when asked what he made of the claims that McIlroy had an unfair advantage at Augusta this year.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s an unfair advantage,“ Knapp said.

*“*He earned that right by winning.

*“*I didn’t get to play before because I wasn’t officially in until after Houston, so I didn’t get in until the top 50 in the world cut-off after Houston.

*“*So I technically could have gone. Since I skipped the Valero, I could have gone a little bit early, but anybody who’s played in it before knows that golf course on Thursday is the first time that you really get to see Augusta.

*“*Like, whether you played a week before, three months before, the golf course is nothing like what you’re gonna see Thursday morning.

*“*So, you know, I showed up on Saturday night, played on Sunday, Monday, and I couldn’t believe how slow the greens were.

*“*I couldn’t believe how long it was around the greens.

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*“*So it’s, like, you’ll see guys in practice rounds, they’re chipping everything from the low areas, they’re chipping everything from off the green.

*“*You know, the greens seem like they’re super fast, but when you’re there, you know, you show up on Thursday, and all of a sudden, because they shut the course down for the par three contest around two or three o’clock on Wednesday.

*“*And then they go out there with their mowers, and they chop everything down to half the height, so all of a sudden, you show up Thursday, and you’re like, ‘Oh, boy, this is tight, this is fast, this is firm’.

*“*Thursday was arguably, like, the toughest day, too. It was a little windier. The greens were firmer.

“It was just, I mean, it was a little bit of a shock to the system.“

What Brandel Chamblee said about Rory McIlroy criticisms

Brandel Chamblee leaped to the defence of McIlroy, when some golf fans suggested that he had an unfair advantage on the field by playing Augusta so many times in the lead-up to The Masters.

*“*Every single professional player who qualified for the Masters could go early and play as many practice rounds as they wish, Chamblee said.

“Just as so many others, including Jack Nicklaus, have done in the past. The only advantage Rory had over the field was his considerable skill.“

Chamblee and Jake Knapp were spot on in their defence of Rory McIlroy. He earned the right to play Augusta National as much as he wants.

Just like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and many more champions did in the past.