Rory McIlroy believes he was overlooked heading into the Masters. After a dominant second round at Augusta National, he's now in a commanding position to prove everyone wrong.

During the second-round press conference, McIlroy spoke candidly about why he wasn't among the favorites anymore.

"I hadn't played in 3 weeks. The last time everyone saw me, I was struggling with a bit of a back injury," said Rory McIlroy.

"So, it's understandable if I wasn't in the forefront of everyone's minds coming in from a playing perspective," said the defending champion.

After all, Rory McIlroy did face a big scare ahead of the 2026 Masters. The defending champion tweaked his back at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

Although he did return at The Players Championship, McIlroy explained that he felt rusty before stepping away for three weeks.

However, that break helped as the 36-year-old managed to dominate the par-5s, scoring 7-under on them despite missing the fairways. This efficiency has helped him make history by securing the largest 36-hole lead the Masters has ever seen.

Rory McIlroy is chasing history at Augusta National

Back in 2011, McIlroy secured an eight-stroke victory during the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional. He intends to apply his learnings from that triumph to avoid becoming conservative during the weekend.

"Don't protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging," would be the message "Congressional Rory" would give to himself in current circumstances. According to him, the only way to keep winning is through aggressiveness and dedication to each shot.

Regardless of the claims made by greats like Fred Couples, McIlroy remains focused and does not let such comments distract him. For him, such compliments disappear the second he gets to the first tee box.

To relax before teeing off late on Saturday, McIlroy plans to watch some tennis and finish "Zootopia 2" with his daughter Poppy.

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi