Rory McIlroy says he is already enjoying the perks that come with being a Masters champion…
It won’t be long before Rory McIlroy reveals what he’s going to serve his esteemed guests at the famous Champions Dinner on the Tuesday of Masters week.
But before finalizing his menu ahead of his title defence in April, McIlroy has already been enjoying some of the other perks that come with last year’s career Grand Slam-clinching triumph at Augusta National.
Ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, McIlroy revealed he recently revisited the golf course in Georgia for a day of filming.
“It was cool to get up to the Champions Locker Room and see my nameplate alongside the other two champions that I share a locker with,” McIlroy told reporters.
“It was somewhat nostalgic. I wouldn’t say it was emotional but definitely there was nice memories. Yeah, different feels the first time staying on site without having to need a member there. There’s a lot of perks you get with being a champion.”
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McIlroy will return to Augusta once more straight after this week’s $20million Signature Event in Los Angeles for a round with club chairman Fred Ridley. He has also planned a dream game with his father Gerry before the 2026 tournament.
The only minor change made to the Augusta National scorecard this time around is the lengthening of the 17th hole by 10 yards. The penultimate par-4, which McIlroy incredibly birdied during his dramatic final round last year, has moved from 440 to 450 yards.
“I was out on the course and was hitting some shots, but the course isn’t real different,” McIlroy said of his most recent Augusta trip. “They haven’t moved the tee box of 17 back, they’ve moved the plate where it was played from back 10 yards to make it 10 yards longer.
“But apart from that, the course is pretty much the same.”