Masters champion Rory McIlroy has won three events already this season, and CBS reporter Amanda Balionis has asked the Northern Irish star about his state of mind since his Augusta victory
Rory McIlroy’s current purple patch has had a major impact on him, with the star telling CBS reporter Amanda Balionis that it has brought him a degree of calm and happiness.
Balionis was asking about McIlroy’s mental approach since his victory at the Masters. The spotlight was firmly on the star from the outset of this season, sparking curiosity about whether he would bounce back after his U.S. Open defeat in 2024.
The 35-year-old made a stellar start, however, notching wins at three events, including the illustrious Players Championship and then at Augusta, securing his place amongst the ranks of only six players who have accomplished the career Grand Slam.
Chatting with the Northern Irish icon and his Zurich Classic teammate, Shane Lowry, the CBS Sports correspondent quizzed McIlroy on his recent streak of success.
“Trevor Immelman [retired golfer] said this is the most relaxed and the happiest he’s maybe ever seen you in your career,” she began.
Initially, McIlroy responded with a touch of evasion, while Lowry humorously suggested that if McIlroy wasn’t content now, he “never will be.”
Upon reflection, McIlroy acknowledged: “Yeah, look, I mean, after the last couple of weeks and what happened at Augusta, I think coming here, you know, Shane asked me right after the Masters whether I wanted to still play here this week.
“I said, absolutely. It’s such a perfect way to sort of, you know, get back into the swing of things and, you know, being here with my man and trying to defend a title is pretty cool. But yeah, no, we have a lot of fun out there and obviously that was a great way to finish.”
On changing his approach to tournaments, McIlroy has also credited sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella for guiding him towards a new tournament mindset, reports the Mirror US.
“The one thing I feel like would help me to get over the line at Augusta was really trying to focus on – we both work with [sports psychologist Dr] Bob Rotella.
“But basically, the one thing I try to do after the end of every round is look myself in the mirror and say, ‘That’s how I want to feel when I play golf’.
“If that’s my goal for the rest of my career and I can go after every round and I can look in the mirror and I can say that to myself, then the results will take care of themselves.”
Currently, Lowry and McIlroy find themselves right in the mix, at T6, battling for the lead as they progress towards Sunday’s finale at New Orleans.
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