SoccerRecap
Forest overcome Porto to book Europa League semi-final against Villa
Nottingham Forest beats Porto 2-1 on aggregate to reach Europa League semi-finals!
Sky Sports1 min read
Sports
Whoop data shows Rory McIlroy handled stress, slept great at Augusta
TL;DR
Rory McIlroy demonstrated impressive stress management and sleep quality during the Masters at Augusta, as indicated by Whoop data. Despite the pressure of leading the tournament, he maintained control and composure on the final holes.
There are moments in golf when your swing doesnât tell the real story, but your body gives it away.
Standing on the 18th tee at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday evening with a two-shot lead, Rory McIlroy looked like a player in control. He had just made an all-world up-and-down on both 16 and 17, and now he was one hole away from winning his second Masters. His swing, however, told only part of the story.
Think back to the last time you stood on a tee with a $5 Nassau on the line. Now magnify that by a million. Your grip pressure goes from âneutralâ to âholding onto a live wireâ in about two seconds, and your heart is somewhere between a snare drum and the alarm system at Chernobyl.
Rory McIlroy hits from the pine straw on the 18th hole Sunday at the 2026 Masters wearing a green Whoop strap on his right wrist.
According to Whoop, the maker of the fitness and health wearable McIlroy wears on his right wrist, his heart rate jumped to 135 beats per minute as his tee shot sailed into the trees on the right side of the 18th fairway. Thatâs the moment when most golfers start doing mental math about doubles, triples, and how to explain what went wrong.
But then something different happened.
Instead of climbing higher, his heart rate dropped to 121 beats per minute as he assessed the situation and played his recovery shot. In other words, at one of the most stressful moments of the round, McIlroy got calmer.
His heart rate spiked again to 136 beats per minute as he played his bunker shot, but then dropped to 117 before his first putt. As the moment shifted from survival to realization, it fell to 105 on the tap-in that secured the green jacket.
Rory McIlroy's heart rate, as measured by Whoop, as he played the 18th hole Sunday at the 2026 Masters.
McIlroy appeared to handle his nerves overnight as well as he handled them on the course. His Whoop data showed he slept more than nine hours the night before the final round and averaged about eight and a half hours over the weekend. While the rest of us would be lying awake replaying every possible disaster scenario, McIlroy slept like a guy with an early tee time and nothing else on his calendar.
Thatâs where the technology becomes interesting. Devices like Whoop donât just track steps or calories. They offer a window into how your body responds to stress, how quickly you recover, and whether youâre actually ready to perform.
McIlroyâs numbers point to something simple, even if itâs difficult to replicate. He didnât just manage his swing under pressure. He managed himself.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy Whoop data 2026 Masters Augusta National golf wearables
Q&A
How did Rory McIlroy manage stress during the Masters?
Rory McIlroy managed stress effectively, as shown by Whoop data, which indicated he maintained control and composure while leading the tournament.
What does Whoop data reveal about Rory McIlroy's sleep during the Masters?
Whoop data reveals that Rory McIlroy had great sleep quality during the Masters, contributing to his performance under pressure.
What were Rory McIlroy's key moments on the final holes of the Masters?
Key moments for Rory McIlroy on the final holes included an impressive up-and-down on both the 16th and 17th holes, which helped him maintain a two-shot lead.
