Rory McIlroy took a few souvenirs with him from Augusta National after his Masters win. The Masters Shop had 1,100 pin flags left in stock at the end of the tournament, and McIlroy said he took every last one of them with the intention to sign his name inside the logo — a tradition reserved for Masters champions.
McIlroy completed his career grand slam with an elusive Masters title in April, defeating Justin Rose on the first hole of a playoff to secure the green jacket.
“It’s been a lot,” McIlroy said ahead of the Tour Championship of signing countless flags. “But I’ll never get sick of signing them. I’ve waited 17 years to sign that flag in the middle, and I will never complain about doing it.”
The amount of time McIlroy spends signing the 1,100 flags he brought with him from Augusta National might even rival the time he spends wearing his green jacket, but that hasn’t been the case just yet.
Rory McIlroy discusses new PGA Tour schedule for 2026 along with his recent absences from big events
Patrick McDonald
“I’m reluctant to wear it,” McIlroy said. “It’s not as if I wear it a lot. I have it hanging in my wardrobe in a place where I can see it every day. I always thought if I had one — if I did win the Masters one day — I’d never have the thing off, and it hasn’t been that way. I haven’t worn it as much as I thought I would.”
In the months since the pinnacle of McIlroy’s career, he has struggled to repeat the success he found on golf’s hallowed grounds in Georgia. His best finish came last month at the Scottish Open when he finished tied for second, and the lows were particularly low as he missed the cut at the Canadian Open in June and finished in a tie for 47th at the PGA Championship in May.
Despite the up-and-down last few months, McIlroy (17/2) enters this week’s Tour Championship as one of the two clear favorites along with Scottie Scheffler (3/2). The duo will open play together at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday in the first round’s top pairing.
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