"Punch me if you ever hear me complaining about wearing the green jacket again" - McIlroy's plea to wife Erica
Rory McIlroy with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy following his win in the 2025 Masters. Picture; Augusta National
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has told his wife to "punch" him if she ever hears him complaining about having to wear the green jacket again.
Speaking on CNBC's CEO Council Forum, the Holywood star revealed how he caught himself sounding fed up about having to wear the most coveted jacket in sports at a recent function in Abu Dhabi.
"I was in India a few weeks ago and I was in the Middle East the last two weeks and most places you go, and if you're doing events, the people want to see the green jacket," explained McIlroy, who wore the jacket for a golf writer's function before The Open and in The K Club's fan village at the Amgen Irish Open.
"So you bring the green jacket with you, and sometimes, you don't want to wear it, you know. You don't want to.
"I sort of complained about wearing it in Abu Dhabi. And I said to my wife, Erica, if you ever hear me complain about wearing this thing again, like punch me or do something, because I've waited my whole life to wear this, and I'm complaining about wearing it."
McIlroy spent almost 30 minutes speaking about his investment strategy, his business ambitions and the future shape of professional golf.
But he also reflected on his Master's triumph and admitted he still gets teary-eyed when he sees clips of this win in April.
"If I watch that final scene on the 18th green and I drop to my knees, it's still hard for me not to cry," he confessed.
"Whatever it is, eight or nine months on, it's just so hard for me not to feel those emotions again.
"But if you want something for so long and so badly, and you end up doing it, you dream about doing it, but you don't dream about what comes next.
"Honestly, like I've dreamt about that moment for so long, and it lived up to everything I thought it would be, and more."
As for the future of golf, he admits he fears that the professional game may never be reunited as LIV Golf continues to invest billions.
"Golf is in such a good place, but at the same time, you see some of these other sports that have been fractured for so long," he said.
"You look at boxing, for example, or you look at what's happened in motor racing in the United States, with Indy and NASCAR and everything else.
"For golf in general, it would be better if there was unification. But I just think with what's happened over the last few years, it's going to be very difficult to be able to do that.
"As someone who supports the PGA Tour and supports the traditional structure of men's professional golf, we have to realise we were trying to deal with people who were acting in some ways irrationally, just in terms of the capital they were allocating and the money they were spending.
"It's been four or five years, and there hasn't been a return yet, but you know, they're going to have to keep spending that money to even just maintain what they have right now.
"You know, a lot of these guys' contracts are up. They're going to ask for the same number, or even bigger numbers.
"LIV's spent $5 or $6 billion, and they're going to have to spend another five or six just to maintain where they are.
"So if I'm looking at the world of golf, I am way more comfortable being on the PGA Tour side than on their side. But, you know, who knows what will happen?
"But as I said, I think the leadership that (new PGA TOUR CEO) Brian (Rolapp) has shown already and where he wants the PGA Tour to go, you know, I think everyone on the PGA Tour feels like we're in a good place and trust that his guidance and leadership will position us in the in the right place."
