Masters 2026: Rory McIlroy admits the mistake he made after his first green jacket

For more than a decade, Rory McIlroy returned to Augusta National craving one thing, and he couldn’t see a way around it. The more he fixated on winning the Masters and completing the career Grand Slam, the more difficult the quest became.

“It’s so hard to stay patient,” McIlroy acknowledged after winning last year. “It's so hard to keep coming back every year and trying your best and not being able to get it done.”

In coming up short so frequently and finally breaking through, McIlroy had overcome the greatest challenge of his career. But that led to another one. After successfully defending his title Sunday at Augusta National, McIlroy explained how he thought about the first one incorrectly, and why he believes this time will be different.

“I felt like the Grand Slam was the destination, and I realized it wasn't. I'm on this journey,” McIlroy said.

That McIlroy had lost motivation after winning last year was apparent. He even acknowledged it through a lackluster summer in which he didn’t contend in any of the remaining majors, saying the Masters was his “Everest,” and he had lost some of his edge after reaching the peak.

“I think after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down, and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb,” he said after finishing T-19 in the U.S. Open.

What is noteworthy now, however, is how McIlroy has chosen to reframe that win and this one as well, and why it points to a stronger summer than last year.

“I don't want to put a number on it, but I feel like this win is just … a part of the journey. I still have things I want to achieve, but I still want to enjoy it as well,” McIlroy said Sunday while wearing the green jacket. “I've got a couple of weeks off before I go back to play competitive golf, but I don't think I'll go through that lull of motivation or the sort of things that I was feeling last year post winning this tournament.”