Immediately following Rory McIlroy's second win at The Masters, congratulations arrived from all over the world as people recognized what an incredible achievement they had just witnessed.
Not long after that, the analysis began. Plenty of experts noted that McIlroy didn't appear to have his 'A game' but still managed to come out on top.
Meanwhile, others waxed lyrical about how Augusta National had produced a near-perfect set-up of the course to bunch the leaderboard and maintain an interesting spectacle for as long as possible.
Also among the reaction was a line about McIlroy's preparation. The six-time Major winner hadn't completed a competitive round since The Players Championship - partly due to a scheduling choice and partly due to a "stubborn" back issue.
But the fact that the Northern Irishman wasn't appearing on the PGA Tour allowed him the chance to frequent Augusta National's fairways on a whim - one of the many perks earned by claiming a Green Jacket.
Speaking after opening up a six-shot lead at the end of round two, McIlroy shared why his preparation looked the way it did and why he designed it that way.
He said: "I honestly just don't like the three tournaments leading up to this event. I'd rather come up here.
"I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her -- or had dinner with Erica probably.
"Like I did a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio.
"It wasn't really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better."
And so it proved. Via a number of hairy moments, McIlroy wrapped up Masters title number two by one stroke.
Explaining how he managed to go back-to-back after waiting so long for a first Green Jacket, McIlroy suggested a more intense and frequent look at Augusta National massively aided him.
During his winner's press conference, McIlroy said: "I joked last week and going into this week that this place feels like my home course. I haven't played anywhere else in the last two or three weeks really. I felt prepared in that way.
"I felt prepared that wherever I hit it on the golf course, I sort of know what to do. I know where to miss. I'm pretty comfortable with all the shots around the greens. Yeah, I think it's a good blueprint."
While the plan worked perfectly for McIlroy, some claimed the defending champion possessed an "unfair advantage" by being able to access Augusta National that often.
In actual fact, McIlroy did not have exclusive access unavailable to others as everyone who receives an invitation to play The Masters can head over to Augusta almost as many times as they want for practice rounds in the lead-up.
And that was something Kevin Kisner was keen to point out while speaking on Barstool Sports' Fore Play pod earlier this week.
The eight-time Masters participant said: "As soon as you get your invitation, you're a welcome guest. You obviously just have to call and set it up with the pro shop.
"I've heard that they tell you how many times you can come. Like, if somebody is coming every week, every day, then they're like 'alright bud, you've been here 15 times, that's enough for this leading up to it.'
"But I can guarantee you they're not going to tell the defending champion 'hey, you can't bring your G650 (private jet) up here on Tuesday morning and leave Tuesday afternoon every day this week.
“I thought it was the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen in my life.”Kiz weighs in on the Rory practice round debate and gives a behind-the-scenes look at course access leading up to majors.Presented by @Chevrolet pic.twitter.com/4lKURW1MtYApril 13, 2026
"And when Rory's mentioning that, I don't think he means that he's been up there 20 times in the last three weeks, I think he means 'I came up here four times.'
"And one of the days I played over there, he was there. He literally just played 18 holes and had lunch. He literally did do exactly what he said.
"But who cares how many times he went? Everybody else can go just as much as they want, they just can't beat him.
"I would look at Rory this week with like a B- to a B+ game and still won The Masters. That whole thing, Trent, to your point, I don't think it matters at all. I thought it was the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen in my life. People just don't understand."
Echoing Kisner's point was PGA Tour pro, Michael Kim - who played his third Masters in 2026 but missed the cut.
The 2018 John Deere Classic winner quote-posted ESPN's First Take show on X with a reply which contradicted Stephen A. Smith's suggestion that McIlroy had an unfair advantage.
Kim wrote: "Yes, there’s a number of rounds that ANGC will say no to for me to go by myself and play by myself. That number is prob a little lower for me than a guy like Rory. [But] If you find a member to host you every time, there’s no limit.
Yes, there’s a number of rounds that ANGC will say no to for me to go by myself and play by myself. That number is prob a little lower for me than a guy like Rory. If you find a member to host you every time, there’s no limit. I had plenty of chances to go to ANGC myself if I… https://t.co/TvmdcciyK1April 13, 2026
"I had plenty of chances to go to ANGC myself if I wanted to but didn’t go. Better use of my time practicing at home or wherever I am to get my game in better shape for my next tournament.
"Course knowledge only gets you so far. Plenty of golfers have even more experience at Augusta than Rory like Justin Rose."
Kim then followed up by posting: "It is not unfair or an advantage people. It’s irrelevant to the result is my point. I guess my writing need to get better."
What do you make of the 'unfair advantage' argument? Let us know in the comments box below.
