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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Bull at Augusta National

Rory McIlroy returns to scene of Masters glory with ‘big weight off my shoulders’

Rory McIlroy walks up the 8th fairway during a practice round at August National ahead of the 2026 Masters
Rory McIlroy walks up the 8th fairway during a practice round at August National ahead of the 2026 Masters. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

On the Tuesday of last year’s Masters, Rory McIlroy dined with Justin Rose in the clubhouse at Augusta. He arrived right around the time that all the guests at Scottie Scheffler’s champions dinner were having cocktails on the balcony. “I was pulling up Magnolia Lane,” McIlroy says. “And I’m like, well, do I go and park way over at the parking lot? Because I’m not going to park in the champions parking lot.’”

Not when there’s Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and everyone else looking down. “I didn’t want to get out and use a valet because they were going to see me and it was going to be weird. So I had this really awkward moment,” McIlroy says with a laugh. “Thankfully that was the last time that I needed to do that.”

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