Rory McIlroy makes it as much as spouse Erica Stoll after large blacklash in Masters win
Rory McIlroy retained his Masters title at Augusta National and the golf superstar made sure to thank his wife Erica Stoll and parents in his victory speech after last year’s backlash
Rory McIlroy (poses with the Masters trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony alongside dad Gerry (left), mum Rose (second left), wife Erica (right) and daughter Poppy
Rory McIlroy expressed his gratitude to his wife Erica Stoll during his Masters victory speech, a year after neglecting to do so at Augusta.
Just 365 days following his emotional and dramatic career Grand Slam win at Augusta, McIlroy impressively defended his title on the same legendary course, scooping up the £3.3million top prize once more. After dominating Augusta in the first two rounds of this year’s Masters, only to see his unprecedented six-shot lead evaporate in round three, McIlroy had to dig deep to fend off competitors like Cameron Young, Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler.
However, the 36-year-old reserved some of his finest form for the back nine, where he swiftly established a two-shot lead and never seemed in danger of relinquishing it. The Northern Irishman even had the luxury of missing one of his putts on the 18th hole, leaving him with a mere half-foot tap-in to clinch the major.
As he did a year ago, upon receiving his green jacket, he took to the microphone and delivered a speech. In his post-match remarks, he showed he’d learned from last year when he faced criticism for not specifically acknowledging his wife Stoll, reports the Mirror.
This year, he certainly rectified that, making a point of singling her out. In his speech, McIlroy stated: “This is the hard part. I want to say a few thank yous to the people on my left. First and foremost, my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy.
“They have to put up with me at home and, trust me, sometimes that’s a tough thing to do. But they have been my biggest supporters.”
“This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favourite week of the year. I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 Tournament or it’s the all-you-can eat ice cream in the players’ services building.”
He also addressed his parents, who weren’t present for his Masters victory last year, saying: “And also, I want to thank-not thank, jeez. My mom and dad. They weren’t here last year to celebrate with us [last year].
“Surprisingly, I had to convince them to come this year, because they thought that the reason that I won was because they weren’t here. So I’m glad that we proved that wrong. But mom and dad, I owe everything to you. You are the most wonderful parents. If I can be half the parent to Poppy as you were to me, then I know I’ve done a good job.”
Ultimately, the final leaderboard showed McIlroy winning by one shot, yet his success was significantly more straightforward than his breakthrough last year, when he required a play-off hole to defeat Rose.
When the career Grand Slam was achieved, McIlroy ended up in the play-off after missing a four-foot putt to secure the Masters on the 18th. He did so again this year, except he was leading by two shots, meaning his half-foot putt to secure his second Masters title was more of a formality rather than a high-pressure moment.
He perhaps would have preferred to claim it more convincingly having built a six-shot advantage after the opening two rounds, only to see it diminish with a disappointing third-round display. Nevertheless, in the final round, he showed grit during the challenging phases and proved clinical in the decisive moments.
After becoming the fourth player following Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to successfully defend the Masters, given his current form and the reduced pressure he competed under for most of the Grand Slam, he may even be contemplating an unprecedented third straight victory next year.
