Title holder Rory McIlroy happy with back injury recovery as Masters looms

WASHINGTON – Rory McIlroy is pleased with his recovery from a back injury and excited to play in the Masters in three weeks as the defending champion.

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland captured his fifth Major title with his emotional Augusta National triumph to complete a career Grand Slam.

“This is going to be the first time I drive down Magnolia Lane (as champion) and it’s all going to be about enjoying my week and the perks that come along with being a Masters champion,” he said in a conference call on March 18.

Those include a champion’s parking spot, a place in the champions’ locker room and hosting the champions dinner two days before the event tees off on April 9.

“I know I get to go back to the Masters for the rest of my life,” he added. “That’s quite a freeing feeling.”

After a third-place showing at the Dubai Invitational in January and a share of second at the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational in February, McIlroy raised concerns by pulling out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago at Bay Hill with a back injury.

The world No. 2, however, says that those issues have been resolved as he makes his final preparations to defend the Green Jacket.

“Prep has run pretty well,” he said. “Had that little back issue at Bay Hill which threw a spanner in the works but I’ve recovered from that pretty quickly.

“I’m really pleased with how my body responded to that little setback.”

After a share of 46th defending his title at The Players Championship, McIlroy will be off until he tees off at Augusta.

“I’m really excited to get to the week of the Masters and defend,” he reiterated. “I know defending is a pretty rare feat and I would like to do that for sure.”

Only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo have captured the Masters in consecutive years, with Woods the most recent in 2001 and 2002.

McIlroy also revealed his menu for the April 7 Masters Champions Dinner on March 18, stacking the line-up with personal favourites and some Georgia delights.

Appetisers will include bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese (after his mother’s recipe), rock shrimp tempura, Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread and grilled elk sliders.

His first course is a yellowfin tuna carpaccio after his favourite New York restaurant’s offering.

Wagyu filet mignon and seared salmon were his main course picks with Irish champ, Brussels sprouts, carrots and onion rings from Vidalia, Georgia, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

In addition to champagne, he will have a 2022 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet.

There is also a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild – “That’s the wine that I drank the night that I won the Masters” – and a 1989 Chateau D’Yquem dessert wine that he called “liquid gold”.

“It would be pretty presumptuous to have a menu in your head before you actually win the tournament,” McIlroy said. “But I always thought about: If I win the Masters one day, what would I want it to look like? What would I like to serve?

“I tried to be pretty thoughtful with it, tried to incorporate some of the things that I like and some little personal touches along the way, but at the same time trying to put together a good enough menu that everybody would enjoy as well.” AFP