Rory McIlroy made a masterstroke of a decision in 2024 which has now just helped him win The Masters

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By winning The Masters, Rory McIlroy achieved his lifelong dream and put himself into the record books alongside five other golfers to win the grand slam.

McIlroy, so very often the nearly man at Augusta National, held his nerve when it mattered most in the final round on Sunday to see off Justin Rose in a playoff.

For McIlroy, his seasons are often geared up towards Augusta and going into next year, it will be interesting to have a build up without the mention of his ever-lasting chase to win the green jacket.

Of course, there’s plenty of people who can take credit for McIlroy’s success alongside him.

McIlroy spoke highly of caddy Harry Diamond, while his family behind him, and the loyal legion of coaches and other team members have all played their part.

However, on this occasion, it might just be McIlroy’s own intuition and decision making that’s lead him to that first Masters title.

The decision Rory McIlroy took in 2024 that helped him win The Masters

So often over the years, we’ve seen Rory McIlroy come to Augusta National and either start poorly and have to chase things, or start well and then run out of steam.

This time, despite the up and down final round, it seemed like this was a Rory McIlroy who was more in control of his game and crucially, his emotions.

And that could well come down to the call McIlroy made around his schedule.

At the back end of 2024, McIlroy had already discussed cutting his events on the PGA Tour to ensure he got the most out of his year. Then, in January this year, he confirmed those thoughts were being implemented.

“So the minimums, I still have to play my 15 events on this tour, so I’ll make sure I fulfil my minimum here. I played 27 events last year,” McIlroy said.

“I think to fulfil both minimums, I need to play around 22, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll play around 22, so that’s five weeks. That’s an extra 35 days at home, and that’s something that I want to do.”

McIlroy – knowing he doesn’t need the money or ranking points – has also skipped big events like The Sentry, and as usual, will miss the RBC Heritage this weekend.

The Northern Irishman only played one of the events in Texas prior to Augusta, and right now, it’s looking like a masterstroke in decision making.

A calm Rory McIlroy is a dangerous one

Everyone marvelled at Scottie Scheffler in 2024 for the year he had but right now, it’s Rory McIlroy who looks on course to emulate or even beat it.

He’s won at Pebble Beach, won The Players, and now won The Masters. With three more majors to come and big events like The Memorial, The Canadian Open and more, as well as events on the DP World Tour, McIlroy has a chance to do something special.

This new, calm and in control McIlroy is what people have wanted to see for years.

And with the monkey off his back in terms of getting that green jacket, Rory McIlroy is currently the best player in the world and the man for everyone to fear.

By the time 2025 comes to a close, we may well have witnessed yet more history from McIlroy.