Rory McIlroy has been on golf’s cloud nine for the past year. He won his first “Green Jacket” in 2025, helped Europe upset the U.S. at the Ryder Cup, became the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters, and then was invited onto the “New Heights” podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce.
The two football-loving brothers were both present at this year’s Masters, with Jason even appearing on a few segments on ESPN’s Par-3 Tournament coverage. Travis was also in the crowd during McIlroy’s rounds at Augusta National this year.
Now, on the day of his birthday (May 4), McIlroy sat down on a call with the Kelce duo to discuss what he’s been up to, both on and off the links.
Here’s a look at the variety of topics the back-to-back Masters winner talked about on Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” show.
MORE: How did Rory McIlroy’s 2026 Masters win compare to last year’s?
Rory McIlroy on Kelce brothers podcast
On May 4, the day of McIlroy’s birthday, he hopped on a call and was featured on the New Heights podcast with the Kelce brothers. After wishing the golfer a Happy Birthday and asking him what his plans were (a quiet day with his wife and daughter at home), the two hosts began with the most timely of conversations: the Northern Irishman becoming just the fourth golfer, and first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02, to win back-to-back Masters Tournaments.
The brothers asked how this year’s Masters win compared to his first win at Augusta last year. Here’s how McIlroy responded:
“I don’t think anything will ever touch last year’s,” said McIlroy. “It’s 17 years, you’re waiting to do this thing and you get to the point and you wonder if it’s ever going to happen. And then just the emotion and, yeah, I don’t think anything will top just the euphoria of it all last year.”
McIlroy continued on what he did after his second win at Augusta National, saying, “I did like a solid 10 days of celebrating and enjoying it.”
He opened up about how he felt after last year’s win, that there wasn’t much left to achieve in his career. However, this time he ensured he wouldn’t fall into that same feeling.
“I felt after last year,” McIlroy said, “not that I got complacent, but I got a little like, this thing you wanted to do your whole life and you do it, and then it’s like OK, well what’s next? And I sort of went through that lull I think all athletes go through where it’s like, ‘OK I’ve achieved the dream. I’ve achieved everything I’ve wanted to achieve.’ So I just didn’t want to fall back into that again this year.”
After recapping his Masters win, when the Chiefs’ tight-end also mentioned he was cheering for McIlroy on hole No. 18, with the golfer saying he did hear him, the crew talked about what was on the menu for his Champions Dinner.
MORE: What was Rory McIlroy’s full Champions Dinner menu?
McIlroy shared that he received a lot of backlash from people, stating that many people were expecting an Irish-themed array of foods. The reason he gave for his decision to feature a dinner with courses that ranged from yellowfin tuna carpaccio to a choice of wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon was a short but witty one.
“People have asked me why I didn’t do more of an Irish theme, and I said, ‘Well, I want to enjoy the dinner as well,’ said McIlroy. “So I got a little s— from back home for that. “
After laughing and learning more about the dinner, the brothers moved on to a topic that the golf world has been going back and forth on: the idea of growing (or shrinking) the game. Golf’s main mission in recent years has been to grow the game, meaning they want more people to try playing the game. Here’s a clip of what McIlroy believed “growing the game” means:
Rory McIlroy shared his thoughts on “shrinking the game”
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!!!https://t.co/IlIRYtOXtz pic.twitter.com/W4KdzFxVAh
— New Heights (@newheightshow) May 6, 2026
The Kelce Brothers asked McIlroy an interesting question that golf fans’ ears perked up to: what the golfer’s “Mount Rushmore” of golf courses is. Here are the four courses McIlroy picked, and where they are located:
Kingston Heath: AustraliaRoyal County Down: Northern IrelandPine Valley: Pine Hill, N.J.Cypress Point: Pebble Beach, Calif.
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