As Rory McIlroy’s quest for back-to-back Masters titles hung in the balance, the golfer enlisted the support of his trusted psychologist for some words of encouragement.
“I told him a few things, mostly by text,” Dr. Bob Rotella told the Daily Mail on Tuesday, April 14. “I told him, ‘You have a steel will. You do not break. You are strong and, remember, the shot that matters is the next one.’”
Rotella, 76, continued, “This guy, he can hit all the shots. So long as there are holes in front of him, he can always make up ground, if he just stays in the moment. That’s what I told him.”
The sports psychologist, who has worked with McIlroy for years, is the bestselling author of books like Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect and Putting Out of Your Mind.
McIlroy, 36, saw his six-shot lead disappear during his third round at the 2026 Masters Tournament, only to recover during his final round on Sunday, April 12, securing back-to-back victories.
“Our process isn’t outcome, it is being present,” Rotella explained. “Rory had a difficult day Saturday if we look at the outcome, but he is probably one of the only guys in the field who could get a 73 from that round. He did that by staying strong. He wasn’t collapsing, he was digging in, and in my view, he did a heck of a job of it.”
He added, “Then he came out again the next day and got it done. That is a calm mind.”
With consecutive green jackets and the career grand slam to his name, Rotella still doesn’t expect McIlroy to slow down any time soon.
“I wouldn’t put any limit on what Rory can do,” he said. “People have tried to do that for years. All I know is that he will have a ball finding out what is possible.”
While Rotella prides himself on staying serene during times of sports stress, the same could not be said for his wife, Darlene, during McIlroy’s roller-coaster of a performance at Augusta National.
“She was shouting at all kinds, getting on her feet, being swept away,” Rotella said with a laugh. “Me, I try to be what I tell my players to be: calm. I try to put my mind where theirs are, and the thing about Rory, his strength, is that when it looks like it is going wrong, he has learned to keep himself calm. So I tried to stay calm. I mostly did it too.”
