Rory McIlroy opened up about what makes the Masters different from other majors. The Northern Irish golfer had appeared in the recent episode of the “Stick to Football” podcast, in which he talked about his impressive 2025 season and also reflected on winning the Masters for the first time.

He broke his decade-long winless streak in the majors to clinch the green jacket in April 2025 at Augusta National. McIlroy said that as the Masters takes place at the same venue every year, it makes it a special tournament.

“I think because we go back to the same course every year,” McIlroy said. “Everyone has all these memories. So you remember everything even if it’s not to you. You remember all the shots and you remember Faldo hitting a three iron into the 13 and you remember Tiger chipping in on 16. Like you remember all these shots so like I just think that the course is more in your head at other golf courses especially at the majors.”

The Masters takes place at the prestigious Augusta National every year. It’s the first major event of the year.

Rory McIlroy had waited for 11 years to win his fifth major title. He won the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2014, and since then, he has been close to winning majors several times over the years, but has missed out.

Finally, that came to an end in 2025. With that, he became the sixth golfer in the world to complete the career Grand Slam, meaning winning all four major titles at least once. McIlroy had won the U.S. Open in 2011, his maiden major title, and then in 2012, he won the PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy reflects on what makes Augusta National a “great place”

The Masters winner is awarded the prestigious green jacket. However, it comes with some strict rules of Augusta National. In the “Stick to Football” podcast, Rory McIlroy opened up about the strict rules and explained how they make the Masters a special event. He said (via 57:40 timestamp):

“That’s what makes it such a great place. It’s like they know who they are, and they stick to it. And it’s also one of the reasons that they have one of the best brands in sport. It’s because they are so meticulous, and they do everything in such a way that, yeah.”

The winner of the Masters comes with its own perks. Rory McIlroy had received a check of $4.2 million for his win, a green jacket, and a lifetime exemption to play at the major.

Not only the Masters, but in 2025, he also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship. He was part of the winning Ryder Cup Europe team and also clinched the title at the Amgen Irish Open. For his phenomenal season, McIlroy was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.