ORLANDO, Fla. – Rory McIlroy didn’t just try to recreate his iconic shot at Augusta National’s 15th hole during the final round of his Masters triumph.
He hit an even better one.
McIlroy had already revealed that he dropped a ball behind the trees left of the 15th fairway, site of his rope-hooked 7-iron to 10 feet and eventual two-putt birdie, when he returned to Augusta National last week to play alongside his father, Gerry, and chairman Fred Ridley. What he didn’t say previously was that he almost jarred it.
“I nearly pitched it in the hole,” McIlroy said Friday. “It was actually a better shot than I hit in the tournament. It was actually unbelievable, I wish I could have got it on camera. Like literally, you know, the pitch mark was that (indicating about a foot) from the hole and just sort of went to the back edge of the green.”
It was a new 7-iron that McIlroy hit last week; the one he used for the initial shot now hangs on display in the Champions Locker Room, where McIlroy finally has a space.
His new locker mates: Raymond Floyd and the late Ben Hogan.