HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – At an event steeped in tradition, it is no surprise that Sahith Theegala has created his own Sunday routine in his three-year career at the Masters.
“I’ve made a bit of a tradition, hopefully I can stop it, of playing early on Sunday and watching the last 12 or 13 holes [on TV],” Theegala laughed following his tie for 29th Sunday at Augusta National. “If that means I’m at the Masters, I don’t care. I’ll happily do that every year.”
This year, Theegala’s tradition was even more of a blessing in disguise as it left his afternoon free to watch Rory McIlroy’s emotional march to history.
“He was the guy I watched a lot in high school, he was the guy, so it was pretty cool to see him get it done,” said Theegala, whose fiery reaction to McIlroy’s victory went viral (part 1, part 2).
Theegala’s histrionics while watching McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam provided a fitting testament to how McIlroy’s peers processed his Sunday stunner. The Northern Irishman became just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam, the first since Tiger Woods in 2000 and the first European. He also needed the most attempts to complete the Slam, joining the game’s most exclusive club on his 11th attempt. The other five career Grand Slam winners — Jack Nicklaus, Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen — didn’t need more than three attempts.
“I don’t have the understanding of what it’s like to be asked about the career Grand Slam, but I have a small understanding of what it’s like to be asked, Hey, you accomplished this, but you haven’t accomplished that. It can be very taxing on people sometimes,” said Scottie Scheffler, who put the green jacket on McIlroy Sunday in Butler Cabin as the defending champion. “It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done. Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything.”
Scheffler is particularly qualified to offer context to McIlroy’s accomplishment. The world No. 1 has produced Tiger-like seasons the last two years and is a two-time Masters champion, which means he knows better than most the extreme degree of difficulty it takes to win all four majors.
“Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish. The guy has won the FedExCup, The Players, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics, is what he would want to win,” Scheffler said. “It was really cool for me to be there in that moment. He’s a good friend of mine. To be able to congratulate him and just see the joy on him and his family was really cool.”
The career Grand Slam is an abstract concept that most players, like Theegala, don’t spend much time thinking about. It would be akin to wanting a pet unicorn — it would be nice, but it’s just not happening.
But others have used the concept of the Grand Slam, however unlikely or unrealistic, as motivation. Those players have an even greater appreciation for what McIlroy was able to accomplish.
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“As a 14-year-old kid, when Tiger won the Grand Slam, watching it at St. Andrews. That was my goal, I always wanted to win the career Grand Slam,” Billy Horschel said. “I always wanted to be remembered for doing something memorable, that very few guys have done.
“To watch [McIlroy] on Sunday, to see his reaction, I got emotional because he’s a friend and I know how hard he works. No one deserves anything in the game of golf, but if someone deserves to achieve something truly memorable it would be Rory.”
In the days since McIlroy etched his face onto the game’s metaphorical Mount Rushmore there has been some speculation that the world No. 2 may decide to savor his historic accomplishment and dial back the competitive intensity. McIlroy’s contemporaries know that won’t happen.
“To even get to the point where he’s gotten, you have to be wired differently. He’s a sicko and he’d be the first to admit it. A lot of the guys out here are sickos,” Theegala said. “To be [former] No. 1 in the world for that long you’re just a different breed of athlete and human.
“He’s always going to be the one pushing himself the most. There’s definitely an insatiability of being the top player in the world and want to stay there because everyone is trying to get to the position that you’re in. I’d be surprised if this doesn’t free him up even more. He still has a lot to prove to the world, I really believe that.”
Only McIlroy’s peers understand and fully appreciate what he’s accomplished, and they also know he’s not finished.
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