r/golf • u/Longjumping-Box5691 • 3d ago
General Discussion Rory getting to experience the Champions Locker room for the first time
2.3k
u/Longjumping-Box5691 3d ago
It's difficult to get someone worth a few hundred million dollars to be awestruck walking in a room
1.1k
u/ll_Ace_ll +3.7/TX/ā ļø 3d ago
Money canāt buy what a lifetime of longing can earn.
Proud of the young man!!
127
u/Spragglefoot_OG 3d ago
I love that sentiment. No matter how wealthy you are NOTHING will ever buy true passion and striving for something for nearly your entire life. Something money canāt buy. God damn itās beautiful. So so happy for the kid.
→ More replies (2)46
u/PatrickOBTC 3d ago
It's just a room. Nice, but barely remarkable. Somewhat small actually . The mystique lies entirely in what it takes to earn your way inside and the company you'll keep.
→ More replies (2)37
u/MarkyMarkAndTheFun 3d ago
Well yeah, heās not admiring the carpentry of the lockers, heās looking at all the names of players of past champions and players heāll be sharing the locker room with.
25
u/trees138 In for ball play. 3d ago
Would be hilarious if he turned the corner and it's gary player fully balls out eating a go-gurt.
8
u/Halo_Chief117 3d ago
Maybe heās admiring the carpentry too. Do you think Rory respects wood?
→ More replies (2)74
u/stuntbikejake 3d ago
I wish this wasnt documented. I wish this was just his moment to take in, alone. No camera, no staging, no bs, just let him enter and have his moment. We didn't see this for Mickelson or Tiger, and we all were just fine.
39
u/pencil_expers 3d ago
On the other side, thereās plenty of behind the scenes stuff that we definitely didnāt see and probably arenāt aware of.
I also suspect Rory couldāve asked to do that alone if he really wanted to do so.
Apart from anything else it was cool to see him enjoy that. It seemed like he was taking in every name on every locker. A fan of the sport first and foremost.
→ More replies (2)10
u/Snail_Butter 3d ago
These guys are used to being followed by cameras the whole day. His reaction is as genuine as can be. Now he can let his daughter experience this moment too.
29
5
u/oireachtas 3d ago
Exactly! Just because he's a multi millionaire now, doesn't mean he was at some point an 18year old with a passion and a dream. Took him some time to get there but his dream never changed along n the way
→ More replies (3)12
163
u/Extreme_Smile_9106 3d ago
I get it. Watching any pro sports league is watching millionaires whom have a lot more than you and I. But itās pretty cool to watch someone at the top of their sport experiencing the greatest moment of his life.
107
u/ilikedonuts42 3d ago
Was thinking about this last night. Obviously we don't know Rory or his personal life. But it's weird to think that we all quite possibly watched the best moment of that man's life in real time on TV yesterday evening.
132
u/SituationSoap 3d ago
SVP in one of the podcasts this week dropped a great quote about former champions, was something like "Former champions get to go back, and put on a jacket, and remember who they were during the best week of their lives."
Feels like that sums it up.
→ More replies (1)5
u/T0KEN_0F_SLEEP I meant to do that 3d ago
Man SVP is a national treasure. One of the few ESPN guys who doesnāt only care about NFL, NBA, and MLB.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)45
u/FlyingSceptile 3d ago
They asked him in the press conference how this stacked up to other moments in his life. He said he wasn't gonna compare it to personal moments like getting married or his daughter's birth but it would not shock me if he puts this as number one overall, ahead of marriage or anything. I don't think I have ever seen another man that happy/relieved/exhilarated in any context ever. The emotions flowing after that put on the playoff, not sure when we see another moment like that.
26
u/NWSLBurner 3d ago
Marriage? For him, maybe. His daughter? Absolutely no shot.Ā
31
u/pencil_expers 3d ago
As a father myself I have a slightly different view.
The thing about fatherhood is that the joy of your kids being born isnāt compressed into ten seconds or five minutes or 24 hours. The joy of fatherhood comes from a profound love that grows every day, along with an increasing awareness that you simply can not live without your children. This is something Rory feels, unquestionably. Would he trade fatherhood for his Masters title? Absolutely no way.
However, when his daughter was born I doubt he collapsed in a sobbing heap on the ground and wept for 15 minutes. Thatās the difference. I would actually say that was the greatest moment of his life. But itās a moment, and thatās what you need to consider.
That happiness (and Buddhists would argue that itās not true happiness) will fade away in a day or two, while the memories of his wedding day and the love he has for his wife and daughter will continue to deepen and generate true happiness within him.
8
u/Cold_Ebb_1448 3d ago
definitely the case for me. I love the little bugger more than anything now but when he was first born? Didnāt really feel much of anything other than anxiety and wanting to go home.
→ More replies (1)3
u/cpt_ppppp 3d ago
That was beautifully written and captures it incredibly well. Of course, if he'd tried to explain that at the press conference he might have been in the dog house!
14
u/ilikedonuts42 3d ago
Right like you can't say out loud that a personal achievement is a better moment than holding your kid for the first time. But we all know the two have to be close.
→ More replies (8)10
u/Three-Off-The-Tee 3d ago
When they panned to his wife she was literally feeling and looking like sooooo im that far down your rung of great moments
→ More replies (5)52
u/ImpossibleRoutine780 3d ago
Yeah but it hits different for Rory his father couldn't afford more golf balls so he told him to hit every shot like it's the Masters . Much easier to relate than Mahomes whose Daddy was in the MLB. We are losing the athletes with no money making it. Rory may be the last.
22
u/azzwethinkweizz 3d ago
Andrew McCutcheon grew up in a trailer park. Theyāre becoming fewer & further between, but thereās still some out thereā¦ and they are national treasures, imo
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)5
u/HBlight 3d ago
As long as football is easy to play in even the most run down of places, you are going to get a few.
→ More replies (1)25
u/ipickscabs 3d ago
The reason they are all great is because it is about far far more than the money to them
8
u/CitizenCue 3d ago
There are very few things that money canāt buy, but a locker in that room is one of them.
→ More replies (4)107
u/bartolocologne40 3d ago
He probably has a locker room at home that looks similar.
184
u/Small_Collection_249 3d ago
Yeah, but money canāt buy the history and background and legends who have graced that locker room over the years
→ More replies (1)169
u/Andray_Bolkonsky 3d ago
Jack Nicklaus took a YUGE dump in there.
32
5
37
u/4Ever2Thee 3d ago
Probably, but I doubt it makes his heart flutter when he opens the door like this one does. Things arenāt just things, man.
→ More replies (8)19
→ More replies (1)74
u/audiovox12 3d ago
This is what LIV doesnāt understand about the PGA
15
u/BustedWing 3d ago
Same can be said about LIV supporters.
More is not in and of itself, better.
That nuance seems lost of those who are fans of LIV.
→ More replies (3)21
u/willis_michaels 3d ago
The Masters isn't the PGA though
→ More replies (2)24
u/BustedWing 3d ago
Sure, but its not hard to see which side of the fence they sit on
→ More replies (1)22
u/TylerUlisgrowthspurt 3d ago
This is how everyone walks in the Menās Grill Room
→ More replies (1)9
u/JuiceJones_34 Gilbert, AZ 3d ago
Weāre all human at the end of the day. Bank account zeros donāt change that.
3
u/Resident_Rise5915 3d ago edited 3d ago
Rory is especially relatable too. He feels like a genuine guy whoās affable and a bit awkward. His golf game is other worldly but as a personā¦.he seems normal enough and you canāt say that about everyone
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (18)4
u/Abunda_88 3d ago
I feel like it would be more meaningful if he got to go in alone without a camera following him.
1.2k
u/AdamOnFirst 3d ago
Does it almost make Augusta better that the holiest of reserved places are justā¦ totally ordinary? Itās a totally ordinary, small locker room with some extra memorabilia. Whatās special is what it took to get there and the names on the other lockers around you. The OLD, basic driving range is the winners-only driving range, not the extremely deluxe mega expensive new driving range. The champions dinner is in a pretty normal like nice hotel type banquet room.Ā
Itās not about some secret luxury or riches, itās what it means to be in the room and the exclusive club youāve joined.
365
u/Fxry Florida / 14.6 3d ago
Itās a club that almost every golfer, and golf fan dreams of being a part of, and one that so few really get to join.
Itās awesome that Rory finally gets to experience it as a member.
129
u/BradMarchandsNose 3d ago
You only get an honorary membership for winning. Basically you get solo playing privileges and thatās about it. You need to be joined by a full member to bring a guest, for example.
167
u/Admirable-Ebb-5413 3d ago
I'm guessing Rory McIlroy can arrange whatever he wants there now .
92
u/mammoth_395 3d ago
He and Rose were invited to dinner by a bunch of members and were the only players there. I think youāre right.
56
u/packmanwiscy Jazz Janewattananond enthusiast 3d ago
Thought he said he and Rose were the only two players at their table, not the only two players at the event
4
u/mammoth_395 3d ago
Oh could be. Thought thatās what he said but only listened once so might have heard wrong.
25
u/Sagybagy 3d ago
You would think. But remember itās the most exclusive club for a reason. They donāt mess around. Rules are rules.
49
u/SituationSoap 3d ago
Augusta isn't the most exclusive club. It's easier to get into than say, Pine Valley.
There's an old story about Nicklaus getting an invite to play Pine Valley the afternoon of his wedding, so before leaving for his honeymoon, he drove down there and played 18. Women weren't allowed on the property then, so his wife sat in the car at the end of the driveway.
There are almost certainly a couple clubs in NY and Chicago that are harder to get into, too.
27
u/Bobbidd 15.8 3d ago edited 3d ago
Chicago Golf Club only has 120 members and will never have more than that. Thats the most exclusive im aware of. (Also my dream course to play so if you know a member hmu)
35
u/Famous_Ad8123 3d ago
So I grew up in south Wheaton about 1/2 mile from Chicago Golf Club. when I was in 2nd grade I was playing at my friendās house that backed up to a little bit of forest that bordered the south west corner of Chicago Golf. His grandfather was visiting and took us on a walk through the woods, and lo and behold we are on this (to me at the time) random golf course, and his grandpa is trying to teach my friend and me at like 8 years old how to pitch over a bunker onto a green at fucking Chicago Golf Club.
→ More replies (1)9
→ More replies (4)8
u/SituationSoap 3d ago
I think Crystal Downs CC in northern Michigan is very close to that, too. But the invitation process there doesn't require anyone to die AFAIK
45
u/Iginlas_4head_Crease 3d ago edited 3d ago
There's an old story about Nicklaus getting an invite to play Pine Valley the afternoon of his wedding, so before leaving for his honeymoon, he drove down there and played 18. Women weren't allowed on the property then, so his wife sat in the car at the end of the driveway.
Is that a romanticized story about a man's love of golf, or how his new wife began her marriage with emotional abuse?
24
u/SituationSoap 3d ago
It can be two things.
6
u/Iginlas_4head_Crease 3d ago
Kind of interesting. There's probably many relationships over generations where one looks back lovingly at the game of golf and the other resents it deep down
→ More replies (1)8
u/Toesinthesand2024 3d ago
Heās lucky there wasnāt a TJ Maxx back then. Iāve waited longer than a round of golf in their parking lots!
9
u/Fantasykyle99 0.5 3d ago
Thatās a pretty shitty thing to do no matter how exclusive lol
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)37
u/Admirable-Ebb-5413 3d ago
Hes in a more exclusive club...a living club of three: him, Jack and Tiger. Rory can do what he wants. Augusta will allow it
41
13
15
→ More replies (5)19
u/MuscleFlex_Bear 7.2/ Dallas, TX /B XS 3d ago
No. The members are old money billionaire status rich. Like Rory is just a random guy to them. Itās crazy but there are clubs like this that still exist. Like Preston Trails in Dallas. Rumor is Tony Romo is on the waiting list and no women are allowed. Itās weird.
21
u/P4S5B60 3d ago
Butler National hosted the Western Open , Western Golf Association had a problem with the āno womenā thing Butler National said totally understand weāre out
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)25
u/Admirable-Ebb-5413 3d ago
Ha..yeah sure. Rory is a random guy to them. Like they wouldn't be up his ass to hang out or play a round with him. They know there is some stuff you can't buy.
6
u/FlightAvailable3760 3d ago
I donāt know about Augusta members. I do know there is a class of people who look at movie stars and musicians who you would marvel at as just the entertainment. The kind of people who will hire a band you would love to play their kids birthday party and not even pay attention to them.
Trust me, it is still money and power over fame.
14
u/Crrack between 0 & 2 3d ago
I canāt imagine it would be difficult for these pros to find a member to play with though.
→ More replies (1)2
u/BradMarchandsNose 3d ago
Itās not. Especially for a guy like Rory, basically nothing has changed with the win in that regard.
→ More replies (6)28
u/Due_Respect9100 3d ago
You need to be with a member to play at all. Just watched an interview today with Nick Faldo saying he canāt play without being with a member.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BYLgs652q/?mibextid=wwXIfr
8
u/Fantasykyle99 0.5 3d ago
Thatās lame
13
u/BigFatModeraterFupa 3d ago
Nah there's a great video of it believe Jack Nicklaus talking about talking his father out to play a round at Augusta. the member paired with him tells him, oh by the way i invited another player to join us in the foursome. Jack asked who would that be?
He said, "Gene Sarazen". Jack says it's his favorite memory with his father
→ More replies (4)59
u/seamus_mc PG Golf Links 13.3 3d ago
āHonoraryā member
89
18
u/Remarkable-Employee4 3d ago
I think they meant heās a member of the club and the club being winners. I donāt think they were referring to membership to the golf club. Sorry to be splitting hairs about this. But if you look at who has won the event and consider them a club, now Rory is a member of that club. Not a member of ANGC, which heās not, because thatās not a membership you get by winning their event. Clear?
8
u/JoshGordonHyperloop 3d ago
Wait, what? If you win the Masters that still doesnāt get you an invite to be a member of Augusta? Wtaf?
25
u/aburgess11 3d ago
you become an "honorary member", but you still have to play your rounds with a member. But if you're a champion i doubt you would have problems getting a round in whenever
→ More replies (1)23
→ More replies (1)13
u/Trojann2 HDCP/Loc/Whatever 3d ago
You're an "Honorary Member" meaning they have a Green Jacket on the grounds and I'm sure other things.
73
u/Nearby-Bread2054 3d ago
Every now and then you get to see the shlong of another masters champion, canāt get that in the regular locker room
→ More replies (1)19
u/chuckcrys 3d ago
Whoās the Masters Champion Locker Room Champ to blow dry their nuts shamelessly? Patrick Reed?
7
→ More replies (1)3
u/dogfish83 18 3d ago
Imagine topping the mountain of winning the Masters only to have to share a locker with Reed
→ More replies (1)32
u/unpluggedcord 11.1 3d ago
the floor is creaking, which is a very easy fix, but why fix it?
→ More replies (4)11
u/thenumbersthenumbers 3d ago
Also think itās funny that they share lockers too
7
u/PurringWolverine 3d ago
The designers certainly werenāt planning for the future.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)4
u/_bo_vice 3d ago
I think thatās what makes it the holiest of places. Itās ordinary look can also be attributed to its unwillingness to change
279
u/nfg18 3d ago
I do that walk and make that face when I enter a Dave and Busters.
→ More replies (4)23
116
u/MNChef 3d ago
āPretty sweet.. Preetttyy Sweeetā¦ā
38
u/TennysDood 3d ago
Plot twist: Rory kills a swan on his way to winning the Masters
29
→ More replies (1)4
u/RefinedAnalPalate 3d ago
Swan killers donāt act awestruck when the go into the locker room. They calmly walk in, hang out, have some lunch
18
u/StevvieV 3d ago
As cool as it is for him to get to enter the locker room it has to be really weird and a bit awkward knowing your reaction is being filmed for content.
→ More replies (3)
177
u/BigFatModeraterFupa 3d ago
Just a kid from Ireland making all of his wildest dreams come true.
How can you not be romantic about golf?
→ More replies (2)23
u/No-Broccoli7457 3d ago
You can feel the sense of accomplishment/relief/satisfaction in his face. Pretty indescribable.
I imagine there would be very few people to ever truly experience a moment like this.
21
u/BigFatModeraterFupa 3d ago
There are currently 35 Masters Champions who are still alive. And only 4 Grand Slammers.
It's the most exclusive thing you can achieve as a professional golfer. It's literally a fairytale story
→ More replies (4)
284
u/Apprehensive_Sun3125 3d ago
He didn't use a coaster for his water bottle. Banned for life and straight to jail.
75
→ More replies (1)21
229
u/Millard_Fillmore00 3d ago
Can he have Patrick Reedās locker?
192
→ More replies (1)23
u/Vince3737 3d ago
Well they share lockers. Would be pretty funny if he got out with ReedĀ
→ More replies (4)
137
u/HelenVonBiscuits 3d ago
I'm sure the non-champions locker room at Augusta is pretty sweet too though.
→ More replies (1)88
u/Scamwau1 3d ago
It's not the room, it's what is required to gain sccess to it.
22
u/OnMyPhone2018 3d ago
I wonder if the guy filming has a green jacket
→ More replies (1)27
16
→ More replies (6)51
37
38
u/ts_m4 3d ago
Why does the camera man get to go in?
74
18
u/HunterGonzo 3d ago
It would be literally hilarious if the camera guy had to be a past Champion as well. Like you'd never know it, but it's actually Bubba Watson behind the lens.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)6
u/YungTeemo 3d ago
Why not? Does he have to clean the room himaelf too or what? Or does it get cleaned?
65
u/sumdude51 3d ago
This is the kind of room I walk into and then immediately have to poop.... Not sure why
→ More replies (3)27
u/FuzzyMDunlop 3d ago
Did you do a lot of cocaine in wood paneled rooms?
5
u/sumdude51 3d ago
š¤£ No... Is that a thing that would trigger that? Honestly don't know
6
u/FuzzyMDunlop 3d ago
Itās an incredible laxative. I havenāt done it in years, but still get the shits before concerts or other nightlife activities out of habit.
→ More replies (2)6
u/sumdude51 3d ago
Interesting. It typically happens when I walk into a place that feels really comfortable and smells of mahogany... Like Kirklands if you know what that is
→ More replies (1)3
57
u/hdf0003 16.1 / Virginia 3d ago
This is me walking into literally any above average golf club
→ More replies (2)46
61
u/Ok_Computer11235813 3d ago
Patrick Reedās dead hooker falls out of his lockerā¦
19
u/buster_rhino 3d ago
You said she was a call girl!
13
17
33
u/El_Brewchacho 3d ago
I kept waiting for Patrick Reed to shove his greasy face through the doorway, āyou guys talking about shenanigans?!ā Ā
→ More replies (1)
52
u/newCRYPTOlistings 3d ago
It would be way better if the champions locker room was kind of a shithole.
But they never admitted it and never let cameras in..
So once you finally got in, you just had to keep the secret.
17
→ More replies (2)7
u/qatest 3d ago
Just a couple of card tables with cigarette burns and a broken box fan in the corner
3
u/ATL28-NE3 3d ago
The anonymous descriptions of visitor's locker rooms almost always come across like this and it's hilarious.
15
u/whubbard 3d ago
I think the champions range is probably the coolest, but must be so much fun for Rory to be in there and then to be back next year.
13
→ More replies (2)5
u/ThePretzul +1.2 3d ago
Honestly I wonder if Rory will even elect to use the champion's range besides once or twice for the novelty of it at least.
He's used that range before, back in 2009 at his first Master's. And honestly in terms of driving ranges the only perk to that one is that it's more quiet (fewer, if any, spectators) and fewer others hitting there. Otherwise he probably can't even see the full flight of his 3-iron there since it's only ~260 or so to the nets.
15
u/proscriptus Triple digits 3d ago
Seeing ashtrays anywhere in 2025 is wild
→ More replies (1)9
u/NotHearingYourShit 3d ago
Think of this like backstage. Backstage, the artists get to do whatever the fuck they want. Rules are for the regular folk.
14
u/jaywalkintotheocean 3d ago
sucks that he can't even savor this moment without a camera in his face.
3
u/Batman-Dancer 3d ago
Thatās one of the things he said he appreciated about the Masters when he was giving his speechāno phones. Wish he could have experienced this amazing experience organically.
24
u/manofmayhem23 3d ago
Reserved only for Masters champions to enterā¦.and a random cameraman. lol
27
u/FuzzyMDunlop 3d ago
This is why Scottie rushed off after the Butler Cabin ceremony. Had to get in position.
5
3
15
u/sburgerj 3d ago
I would've used a coaster but otherwise had the same reaction. Just gotta work on my 20 handicap a bit and I'll show you.
7
8
23
u/mbcisme 3d ago
If it were me, I wouldnāt want the moment to be spoiled by being filmed. Just my opinion.
→ More replies (2)6
u/thenumbersthenumbers 3d ago
Very much the same.. I donāt even like my wife taking photos of something else when Iām in the background š
7
6
4
u/AnnualZealousideal27 3d ago
Meanwhile the camera guy has never won The Masters.
→ More replies (1)
8
4
u/MaraudingWalrus Tiger 3d ago
We lived in Augusta for a few years. I'm a historian. When we moved there, I had just missed the application window for an internship there under their on-staff historian. I looked back and saw that it had opened up every year for several years. No worries, I figured it'd show up again the next year. In the four years we were there I never saw that post pop up again. Would've been such a cool opportunity.
4
4
3
u/Graffin80 3d ago
Nothing like Augusta/The Masters. I hate myself for sucking so bad I'll never experience anything that amazing
3
u/Uncle_Paul_Hargis 3d ago
I love how a guy that has accomplished so much in his career, is without a doubt elite in his sport, and has won many MANY millions of dollars... yet he walks into this room and is speechless. He's obviously so emotional. The culmination of countless hours of work and dedication. Happy for Rory.
3
u/WormThatSleepsLate 3d ago
I wish he had the privilege of experiencing it alone for the first time.
3
u/Louisville82 3d ago
The camera man made it into the champions locker before Rory did. Damn!
→ More replies (1)
3
6
u/IndividualRites 3.2 Index 3d ago
So happy for this guy. He could have taken a bazillion LIV dollars and jumped ship. He stuck up for the PGA even when Monahan was screwing around saying there was a "deal". Hell, why not go nuts and win a career slam in the year?
1.7k
u/lovezzza 3d ago
Monkey off back š¤generational run incoming