JUST IN: Rory McIlroy was summoned by Augusta National officials to discuss rule violation and possible Masters disqualification
The story of Rory McIlroy and Augusta National is a romantic comedy, desperately searching for its happy ending.
And in true rom-com style, they got off on the wrong foot.
McIlroy’s misery around the most famous golf course on earth is well documented, with most dating it back to that infamous collapse in round four of the 2011 Masters.
Carrying a four-shot lead into the final round, the Northern Irishman produced the mother of all golfing nightmares and finished ten shots behind the eventual winner.
It has haunted him ever since – with a Green Jacket the only thing separating him from golfing immortality as the sixth man ever to win the career grand slam.
But McIlroy’s complicated relationship with Augusta National actually began in 2009 – on his Masters debut.
The world-famous venue is an intimidating place for any golfer to be for the first time.
Unlike most of the increasingly-physical tests on the PGA Tour, Georgia’s hallowed grounds place an emphasis on course knowledge and golfing IQ.
Augusta National is also, probably, the strictest enforcer of rules in all of sport.
It’s not just the fans who have to worry – putting their mobile phones in lockers and avoiding running at all costs. It’s the players, too.
