It was, he told me, a learning curve he will never forget. He was also able to poke fun at himself about that day. “Don’t hit driver at 10” he laughed as he told me what Rory of today would say to Rory back then.
The 10th hole was where Rory’s challenge unravelled that year as his wayward ball found itself near the renowned Augusta cabins.
But Rory also reminded me that it didn’t take him long to bounce back, as just a few weeks later he secured his first major title, the US Open at Congressional. He has always been mentally tough. How impressive was last season when he won two majors, a world golf championship, the flagship PGA event on the European Tour, the Race to Dubai and the Ryder Cup with everything that was going on off the course?
I am sure it is a lot easier not to be scarred by what happened at Augusta four years ago when you have four major titles on the mantelpiece, but Rory has unfinished business at the holy grail of golf.
The scale of what lies in store is immense, but he certainly seems to be taking it all in his stride. Whether he wins it this year, next year or sometime in the future doesn’t really seem to matter to him. Rory has the inner belief that it’ll happen at some point, and since everything else he’s predicted has come to pass he’s allowed to sound confident.
During our chat we also reminisced about Rory’s first visit to Augusta which, not by coincidence, was the same year as mine. I was there to report on his debut in the event. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he was as overwhelmed by the venue as me back in 2009.
