When I went to the masters, one of the things I noticed is how tan so many of those guys are. Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson in particular had bitching tans

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49813813)

Golf is hard

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814649)

golf will crack you mentally just on its own, then when you add bitch troubles it ends you

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814656)

Conversely a bunch of guys in t10 had completely meltdowns on the weekend

Justin Rose choked badly after taking the lead. 2 other guys had the lead on Sunday also

Scheffler was the only real threat when he stormed back and missed a playoff by less than an inch on 17th

Rory was never phased, kept doing the same shit. He is on some rarified level of peak zen combined with peak skill, similar to Jordan's prime

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814711)

Rose shat the bed and it was sad to see because this was probably his last window. he doesn't 3-putt 13 and miss that short par putt and he's in a playoff that he probably would fuck up anyways.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814779)

AUGUSTA, Ga. — After Rory McIlroy charged to a six-shot lead at the halfway point of the Masters, he attributed much of his success around the greens to being “on this golf course so much the last three weeks,” including a couple of day trips in which he dropped his daughter off at school, flew here on his private jet and returned home in time for dinner.

“I think just spending so much time up here has been a big part of it,” McIlroy said.

For some commenters on social media, particularly those who don’t follow golf closely, having access to Augusta National before tournament week seems like an unfair advantage: Why should McIlroy have the opportunity to play practice rounds before everybody else? No wonder he’s running away with this thing!

Here’s the reality, though: Scouting trips before all major championships are — pardon the pun — par for the course. It’s something McIlroy has talked about publicly before nearly every Masters, including the first 16 times he played here and didn’t win.

It’s also an opportunity every player in the field gets to take advantage of if they choose to.

Though the club’s rules are purposely opaque, every player in the field is allowed to visit Augusta before the tournament week and play practice rounds. Numerous reports over the years suggest that anyone with a Masters invitation can arrange to play the course twice or more often if they are invited by a member.

Not every player chooses to take advantage of it.

Scottie Scheffler, for example, told Sports Illustrated in 2023 that he didn’t take a scouting trip before winning his first green jacket but did so the next year so he wouldn’t be “reliving the memories” during tournament week. He ended up in a tie for 10th.

Though McIlroy didn’t say exactly how many practice days he had before this tournament, he mentioned two trips last week and one the week before that in addition to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

In terms of his Masters preparation, it was almost certainly more productive for McIlroy to get on this course while many of his competitors were playing tournaments in South Florida and Texas.

“I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better,” he said.

But is it unfair?

Here’s the reality of the situation: For athletes at McIlroy’s level, nearly everything they do comes with some type of an advantage. Owning a private jet and avoiding travel issues is an advantage over those who have to fly commercial. Being able to spend more money than his competitors on physical recovery or having access to better technology is an advantage. Heck, being ranked No. 2 in the world and having the ability to be choosier about your schedule is an advantage.

But this is why golf is so fascinating. Players change their routines all the time based on how they’re feeling or playing. Sometimes they like to get on a tournament course beforehand, sometimes they don’t. Even for the best in the world, peaking for a major is more art than science — that’s why they’re so hard to win.

Yes, experience at Augusta National is likely a plus. But at this point in McIlroy’s career — Saturday was his 65th tournament round here — it would be hard to say he’s gaining significantly more information by playing a handful of practice rounds in non-tournament conditions than he would have otherwise.

Whether players should have access to a course before a major week is an interesting question. But it would be impossible to tell any course what their rules should be regarding access for the pros.

Augusta National is a private club. It can do what it wants. Likewise, the U.S. Open is periodically played at Pebble Beach — a public course anyone can play for about $700. Does it really make sense to forbid a player from practicing there if that’s how they choose to spend their time?

At the end of the day, McIlroy’s biggest advantage this week wasn’t the ability to practice at Augusta National. It’s that he’s Rory McIlroy — one of the most gifted golfers of all time.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814777)

Kevin Kisner dispels myth that Rory McIlroy had unfair Masters advantage: 'Dumbest argument I've seen in my life'

In golf, you can't win 'em all, and you can't win 'em all over. Rory McIlroy certainly knows this as well as anyone. For every major victory like what we saw on Sunday at the Masters, there's a major heartbreak in his illustrious career. And despite being a media darling and fan favorite for the most part, he certainly has his detractors out there.

That came up in a weird way this past week following McIlroy's comments about his preparation for this year's Masters. The 36-year-old said that in the leadup to the tournament, he had some quick trips to Augusta National.

"I did a couple of days where I dropped [daughter] Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with Poppy and [wife] Erica," McIlroy said on Friday after taking a record six-shot lead through 36 holes.

But while you'd expect a comment like that to get environmentalists up and arms over McIlroy's (private) jetsetting, it led to more people complaining that McIlroy had an unfair advantage because he had such great access to the course leading up to the event. There's just one problem with that: Everyone who gets an invitation is able to schedule practice rounds well ahead of the tournament.

Kevin Kisner certainly knows that as an eight-time Masters participant. And on the latest episode of Barstool's Foreplay podcast, the four-time PGA Tour winner and NBC golf analyst called that take "the dumbest argument I've ever seen in my life." Here's Kisner's full thoughts on the matter:

Kisner acknowledges that as a defending champ, McIlroy might be able to come and go more as he pleases—and having a private jet is always an advantage—but that everyone has plenty of chances to play practice rounds there. And that he himself would play "probably 10 times a year leading up to the Masters." It helps that he lives in nearby Aiken, but that's a lot!

So there you have it. Spread the word to all the casual golf fans out there that Rory McIlroy won the 2026 Masters fair and square.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5856554&forum_id=2)#49814781)