Rory McIlroy's second Masters win shows a new comfort level

It’s funny how fast McIlroy went from seemingly being resigned to being a nearly-man at the Masters to a two-time champ, and he summed up how being part of that exclusive club that gets to wear a Green Jacket around the property has almost become old hat with a cute story about five-year-old daughter Poppy. “I think for Poppy it sort of seems normal for her now to just go into Butler Cabin at the end of the day and have a grilled cheese and talk with the chairman,” he said.

McIlroy returns to work this week in Charlotte after taking three weeks off and skipping two signature events. He took a trip to New York with his wife, was a guest of President Donald Trump, who recognized his Masters achievement mid-speech, at a State Dinner for King Charles III at the White House eight days ago, and gave himself a good 10 days to let this latest victory soak in before it was back to the grindstone to prep for this next stretch, which includes the PGA Championship next week.

“I’m not concerned about him taking this time off at all,” Immelman said. “He quite frankly did it before the Masters and had a great week there.”

It doesn’t hurt that McIlroy returns at one of his favorite hunting grounds, site of his first PGA Tour victory in 2010, and the course Jordan Spieth dubbed “Rory McIlroy Country Club.” McIlroy, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, has won four times in all at Quail Hollow Club and is seeking to become the first player since Tiger Woods at Augusta National to win at the same course five or more times.

As a small measure of his success at Quail Hollow, McIlroy has carded 20 birdies on the Green Mile, the nickname given to the challenging closing stretch consisting of Nos. 16-18, the most of any player since 2010, and five more than his closest competitor. That includes an 80-foot bomb, the longest putt made by a competitor on the 17th hole, which he dropped during the third round in 2016.

But a year ago, McIlroy showed up at Quail Hollow and laid an egg at the PGA Championship, a non-factor who barely made the cut and finished T-47. He suffered through an extended post-Masters hangover as he struggled to set new goals after reaching the top of his personal mountain. But just as that winning feeling at the Masters was different this time, so, too, is McIlroy’s drive to push beyond six majors. He’s even entertained the idea of doing the career Grand Slam twice (he’s already half way there).

“I feel like if anything I'm more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I've ever been,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy motivated for more majors after second Masters win