Rory McIlroy won his second consecutive Masters on Sunday – only the fourth player ever to repeat as champion – although some of the discussion following his sixth major title has focused on whether it was fair to the rest of the field that McIlroy admitted he spent so much time practicing at Augusta National before the tournament.
She even got up ESPN’s first take — a show that doesn’t usually spend much (or any) time on golf — and was a topic in several corners of social media.
But do those critics have a legitimate argument? According to pro veterans who filed, the verdict is a unanimous no.
“I thought it was the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kevin Kisner said in the BarstoolS ‘ The ForePlay Podcast.
After he built a six-shot lead through 36 holes, McIlroy said he had had a good time playing Augusta National over the past two weeks and that familiarity helped his performance. He said he played the course two weeks ago and was there Monday and Tuesday the week before the tournament. He also arrived the Sunday before Masters week to play with his father, Gerry, which comes as a perk of winning the tournament.
“I’ve been on this golf course so much in the last three weeks, and it’s been a combination of practice and scrimmage and putting greens, and then just playing a ball and hitting scores and ending up in weird places that you might never find yourself in and just trying to figure it out,” McIlroy said Friday. “I think just spending so much time here has been a big part of it.”
McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with an injury and tied for 46th a week later at the Players, but he took the next three weeks off, skipping the Valspar in Tampa and the two Texas events.
“Honestly I don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” McIlroy said on Friday. “I’d rather come here. I did some days where I sent (my daughter) Poppy to school, flew here, played, came home and had dinner with her, or had dinner with (my wife) Erica. Like I did some day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. but I couldn’t spend more time here. the better.”
After his victory, some of these comments were scrutinized. Was he allowed to practice more than others? Was it fair?
While Augusta National is tight-lipped about club policy, several pros have come to McIlroy’s defense and shed some light on the process of playing there before the tournament.
Yes, there are a number of rounds that ANGC will say no to for me to go and play on my own. That number is probably a little lower for me than a guy like Rory.
If you find a member to welcome you every time, there is no limit.
I had many chances to go to ANGC myself if… https://t.co/TvmdcciyK1
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) April 13, 2026
“There are a number of rounds that ANGC will say no to for me to go and play by myself,” tweeted Michael Kim, who missed out on his third Masters appearance this year. “That number is (probably) a little lower for me than a guy like Rory. If you find a member to wait for you every time, there’s no limit.
“I had many chances to go to ANGC myself if I wanted to, but I didn’t,” he continued. “I better use my time practicing at home or wherever I am to keep my game in top shape for my next tournament. Course knowledge only gets you so far. Many golfers have even more Augusta experience than Rory, like Justin Rose.”
As Kim said, there’s no limit to whether a member is waiting, and players who qualify for the Masters — especially first-timers — often cater to members who know participants are anxious to see the course alongside those who know it well. These early trips also help ease the nerves that come with a player’s first time, so Masters week is out of their system.
This whole thing is also somewhat of a subjective argument. While McIlroy chose to play Augusta National several times instead of playing on the PGA Tour schedule — tournaments he rarely enters anyway — some pros prefer tournament starts and competitive play leading up to the majors, even if it’s on a different course. Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson, for example, always liked to play the week before the Masters.
“I thought that was the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Kiz weighs in on the Rory practice round debate and gives a behind-the-scenes look at course access leading to degrees.
Presented by @Chevrolet pic.twitter.com/4lKURW1MtY
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) April 13, 2026
Kisner played in eight Masters and said he would play the course about 10 times before each one.
“Once you get your invitation, you’re a welcome guest,” he said. “Obviously you just have to call and set it up with the pro shop.
“I heard they told you how many times you can come,” he continued. “If someone comes every week, every day, they’re like, ‘Okay, stupid, you’ve been here 15 times, that’s enough.’ But I can guarantee that they’re not going to say to a reigning champion like, ‘Hey, you can’t bring your G650 here on Tuesday morning and leave on Tuesday afternoon every day.’
Kim, responding to his tweet, summed it up: “It’s not unfair or an advantage to people. It’s irrelevant to the outcome… If I wanted to match the number of rounds at Augusta that Rory took, I could easily have.”
