Is 'free' McIlroy ready to create more Masters history?

There are numerous perks which come with winning the Masters. Rory McIlroy is well aware of each and every benefit provided by Augusta National.

The biggest one for McIlroy is less tangible than the Green Jacket in the wardrobe, the sterling silver replica trophy on the mantelpiece, or the reserved spot in the car park.

Finally landing the Masters last year, becoming only the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam, provides an intrinsic value which the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland has long been searching for.

Freedom. The freedom to play uninhibited at the sport's most iconic tournament, no longer weighed down by hope, expectation and history.

While he is light on form coming into his Augusta return, McIlroy's mind is uncluttered. No longer will clean ball-striking be impaired by nebulous thinking.

That, he hopes, can secure entry into another exclusive club - those who have won back-to-back Masters.

"I feel comfortable on the golf course, I feel comfortable with my game," a relaxed McIlroy said in his pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday.

"It's been a good three weeks at home getting ready physically and mentally, and preparing for everything this week is going to throw at me.

"I know I can do it now so that should make it easier for me to go out and play the game I want to play."

Liberating himself from pursuing the one prize which he really wanted - needed, perhaps - was something McIlroy recognised in the immediate aftermath of his crowning golfing glory when he said he felt "freed up".

The theory was he would no longer be tied down by the burden of his own expectation and quickly produce more major victories now his 11-year fallow period had finally ended.

McIlroy confidently claimed four majors between 2011 and 2014, marking him out as a generational talent who would likely claim plenty more.

The next decade was characterised by a series of near misses - until learning to deal with what he called golfing "heartbreak" lifted the shackles 12 months ago.

Removing that monkey off his back has not led to an immediate flurry of more wins.

In his first major after becoming Masters champion, McIlroy stuttered to tied 47th place at the US PGA Championship in May, rounding off a strange week at Quail Hollow where he refused to speak to the media after it emerged his driver had failed a conforming test.

McIlroy was still agitated with reporters at the US Open in June. He was not at ease with his golf either.

Already well out of contention at Oakmont, a final-day 67 salvaged a top-20 finish and only then did McIlroy open up to a trusted group of familiar journalists.

"I climbed my Everest in April and after you do something like that you've got to make your way back down and look for another mountain to climb," he said.

An emotional Open homecoming at Portrush in July was a moment to savour, even though he was unable to get his hands on the Claret Jug in a seventh-place finish.

And so, following a nine-month break from the majors, it is back to Augusta for the last leg of a Masters victory lap which he wants to never end.

"The nice thing now is, instead of [people saying] 'Come on Rory, you can do it', it's about 'back to back'. There's a real positive connotation," said McIlroy.

"It is so nice to walk around the property, or be out on the golf course, and not have that hanging over me. It's a big weight off my shoulders."

Nobody can predict whether McIlroy will be victorious at Augusta again, either this week or in the future.

We can be certain that winning back-to-back Masters would be another remarkable feat. History tells us so.

When McIlroy tees off on Thursday, he is aiming to become only the fourth man to retain the trophy.

Two of the others are all-time greats in record six-time champion Jack Nicklaus and five-time winner Tiger Woods. The other is one of European golf's greatest in Nick Faldo. And should McIlroy win again this week, he will also match the Englishman's tally of six majors.

"Rory knows if he plays his game there are probably only half a dozen players in the field that can match him," Ken Brown, the BBC commentator and former Ryder Cup player, said.

"But winning back-to-back at any tournament, never mind majors, is not an easy thing to do.

"Augusta is particularly fickle. If you have a lapse of concentration just once a day then it's difficult to press hard.

"If the course plays hard and firm, it is so taxing on every single shot you play. That's why it is so difficult to win back-to-back there."

In his long pursuit of the Green Jacket, McIlroy tried a host of tactics - turning up earlier, turning up later, talking up his chances, playing down his chances, playing the annual par three contest, not playing the annual par three contest - to find the winning blend.

This year he arrived on Saturday, ready to fulfill the host of responsibilities that come with being Masters champion.

Most notably, that includes hosting Tuesday's champions' dinner. A pantheon of past winners gather to celebrate their success and gorge on a set menu specially selected by the previous year's victor.

At the weekend McIlroy soaked up the Augusta Women's National Championships and presented the prizes at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals - a junior competition for 7-15 year olds which focuses on the three fundamental skills.

There was also the chance to play the fabled course with his dad Gerry on Sunday. A cherished moment for the pair came as a result of another long-standing tradition, where previous champions are allowed to invite a guest for 18 holes.

Lapping up the pomp as Masters champion is what every golfers wants, but it also comes with more interviews, more presentations and - potentially - more distractions.

Spain's Jon Rahm finished tied 45th on his return after winning in 2023, later admitting he struggled to "adjust" with the demands of "a lot going on".

"If you've won the Masters, especially for Rory, it really is a dream come true. So you're happy to go back there and I don't think the additional commitments are ever a distraction," said Brown.

"Rory has done everything he set out to do in his career, but there are always more goals. Now he wants to defend it.

"As a professional sportsman, you're always striving for the next win. What can I improve to take me to the next level?

"Golf's particularly difficult because one week you're a champion, the next minute you're a chicken. You can't take your foot off the gas."

McIlroy's form going into the season-opening major provides little indication about his chances.

Three top-10 finishes in his opening four events of 2026 bode well, before a back injury forced his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational and left him "still not 100%" at the PGA Tour's flagship Players Championship three weeks ago.

He says not playing competitively since has provided a "good opportunity to address the issue" before Augusta - which is notoriously physically taxing.

Therefore, it seems the more pertinent factor in McIlroy's hopes this week is the trust he has gained in his tactical ability.

"Augusta over the years has made me quite tentative at times, especially with approach play," McIlroy said.

"By becoming a better putter, by working on my short game and becoming better around the greens, that probably allowed me to become more aggressive with my approach play.

"I think that's been a big part of the reason why I've now eventually won there, but why my play has got better there over the years."

McIlroy feels the Masters is the major where he could potentially end his career with the most success.

Becoming a multiple champion this week, and a rare back-to-back winner, would be another golfing mountain which he has managed to scale.