“I still get a little emotional thinking about it” - McIlroy eager for Augusta return

Rory McIlroy has a chance to win his fourth FedEx Cup title this week but he spent more time reminiscing about his Masters win and what he believes will be an “emotional” Augusta National return before next year’s title defence.

The world number two tees it up with FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler in tomorrow’s first round knowing he’s in a better position to win the season-long race than he would have been had the staggered start not been eliminated this year.

It means that any one of the 30 players in the field, which includes Shane Lowry, will lift the FedEx Cup if they win the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta on Sunday.

But while he also touched on the newly announced 2026 PGA TOUR schedule and did not rule out skipping more signature events now that there are nine with the addition of the new Miami Championship at Trump National Doral, he warmed to the topic of his historic Masters win and how he will feel when he drives down Magnolia Lane again.

“I’ve already planned a couple of trips with some friends or some members beforehand,” said McIlroy, who revealed that he bought out the remaining 1,100 Masters pin flags that in Augusta National’s merchandise store following his dramatic playoff win over Justin Rose in April.

“It'll probably be a little emotional. I've planned one trip that my dad's going to come on as well. My dad wasn't there for when I won, so I think that'll be a cool moment to be with him.  

“And yeah, it'll be emotional. I still get a little emotional thinking about it, but it'll be really cool to go there.  

“A lot of members there have become good friends over the years, and to be able to enjoy that with them and play the golf course again and sort of reminisce over the good on the bad that happened over the course of the week. That'll be really cool.”

McIlroy is allowed to take the green jacket away from Augusta National during his year as champion and keeps it in a prominent place in his wardrobe.

He wore it to the Association of Golf Writers’ awards dinner at Royal Portrush in July and has already lost count of how many Masters flags he’s signed.

“I’ve no idea, it's been a lot,” he beamed. “But I do know that they had 1,100 extra left in the merchandise facility at the end of the week, and we  took all 1,100.

“So it's been a lot, but I'll never get sick of signing them. I've waited 17 years to sign that flag in the middle and I will never complain about doing that.”

Prompted, McIlroy quickly corrected himself about signing the flag “in the middle” which is one of Augusta’s no-nos.

As for the FedExCup’s Tour Championship format, which has changed this year to give all 30 players a chance to win the title, McIlroy had no complaints.

“It's a clean slate for everyone, and a great opportunity for one of the guys that maybe you know wasn't a huge part of the season, to put their hand up and have a chance to win the big prize at the end of the year,” he said, pointing out that even if Scheffler had a two-shot lead over him this week, it still might not be fair given the world number one’s stellar year.

“It's also a  great opportunity for some of the guys that have had great years to sort of rubber stamp the season a little bit, and end on a really, really positive note.”

After skipping two signature events this year as well as the first of the FedEx Cup Playoff events, the FedEx St a June Classic, McIlroy did not rule out out skipping more signature events in 2026.

The PGA TOUR announced the 2026 FedExCup Regular Season schedule yesterday with Trump National Doral set to stage one of nine Signature Events, the Miami Championship, from April 27 to May 3.

“I'll always look at the schedule at the start of the year and see what best fits me and my life and everything else that I that I sort of do, whether it's with family or other opportunities that I'm pursuing outside of golf,” he said.

“So I'll always look at that, I'll always choose a schedule that best fits me, and this year that meant skipping a few signature events.  

“I might skip less next year, I might skip the same amount. I don't know.

“The luxury of being a PGA Tour player is we are free to pick and choose our schedule for the most part.  

“I took advantage of that this year, and I'll continue to take advantage of that for as long as I can.”