Rory McIlroy has revealed how a conversation with Phil Mickelson fifteen years ago helped him win the 2025 Masters, ending his long wait for a Green Jacket after several years of near misses. The Northern Irishman explained that he had a discussion with Mickelson, which eventually played a key role in completing the career Grand Slam last year.
McIlroy Reveals What Mickelson Told Him
McIlroy is set to defend his Masters title, which he won after beating Justin Rose in a thrilling playoff last April. The win ended the 38-year-old’s 11-year wait for his fifth major and career Grand Slam. However, McIlroy has now revealed his victory might not have been possible without the advice he received from Phil Mickelson 15 years ago.
“I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, probably closer to 15 years ago, and I always remember he said to me, ‘One of the reasons I love Augusta National is because l feel l can be so aggressive here’,” McIlroy said. “I remember thinking, ‘what does he mean?’ I feel the opposite-I can’t be aggressive because there’re so many bad places to miss. Phil had so much faith in his short game that if he does miss an approach shot, he still feels he can get that ball up and down.”
Over the years, McIlroy returned to Augusta again and again and came close on several occasions, but he always fell short in the end. The most painful of those moments came in 2011, when he took a lead into the final round but struggled badly on the back nine. McIlroy admitted those difficult experiences were part of the process, but he eventually began to understand what Mickelson had been trying to tell him all those years earlier.
How McIlroy Finally Won The Masters
At the time of that conversation, McIlroy was still learning the game at the highest level, while Mickelson had already built a reputation as one of the best players in golf. By the 2025 Masters, McIlroy was no longer the same player who first heard that advice. He was more experienced and more aware of how to handle the unique challenge of Augusta National. Even when the pressure increased heading into the final round, he remained composed. But it was his conversation with Mickelson that helped change his perception of the iconic Augusta National course and guided him to victory.
“By working on my short game, that probably allowed me to become more aggressive with my approach play at Augusta – that’s been a big part of the reason why my play has got better there over the years,” he added. “I think that’s been a big part of the reason why, now that I’ve eventually won there, but why my play has gotten better there over the years.”
McIlroy also revealed that he is in good shape ahead of the defense of his title, after he sustained a back injury ahead of The Players Championship earlier this month.
Main Photo Credit: © Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images
