Rory McIlroy's preparations for the Masters have been defended after he revealed he spent significant time at Augusta National ahead of his successful title defence. McIlroy became the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles, beating Scottie Scheffler by one shot.
His comments about practicing at Augusta sparked debate over whether he gained an unfair advantage, but this has been firmly dismissed by the golfing community. McIlroy explained that he used the weeks leading up to the tournament to practice at Augusta, skipping three PGA Tour events. He said this helped him prepare and that he didn't see it as an unfair advantage, but rather as a smart decision.
The golfing community, including Michael Kim and Kevin Kisner, has defended McIlroy's approach, stating that all players have the same opportunities to practice at Augusta. Sky Sports Golf's Nick Dougherty and Rich Beem also weighed in, saying that McIlroy's preparations were not unfair and that the huge change in course conditions for the tournament limits what players can learn from practice rounds. Dougherty recalled his own experience practicing at Augusta ahead of his 2008 Masters appearance and said that the club allows players to properly practice and get to know the course. Michael Kim also stated that he had plenty of chances to play Augusta ahead of the tournament but chose not to, and that if he wanted to match McIlroy's number of rounds, he could have done so.