For eleven years, every April seemed the same for Rory McIlroy, and every time he got close, he never won the Green Jacket. However, that changed last April when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff and completed the career Grand Slam.

The $4.2 million prize didn’t matter much because, for him, what he won that day meant more than money.

The Green Jacket is not kept at home. It stays at Augusta in the Champions Locker Room, and winners only get to wear it during Masters week. This is done on purpose to show that the jacket is not truly theirs forever.

As golf legend Gary Player once said: "The Green Jacket is the most sought-after piece of clothing in the world for any golfer."

Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts didn’t set out to copy anyone. They wanted Augusta to feel its own way, and Jones had noticed the red jackets at Royal Liverpool, but green felt right, so they went with it. When Sam Snead received the first one in 1949, it wasn’t instantly a big thing, and that meaning built over time.

Then in 2017, Augusta National made it simple. You can’t buy a Green Jacket, it’s not up for sale, and it doesn’t get passed around. If you want one, you have to win the Masters. That’s why it means as much as it does.

What Rory McIlroy's Green Jacket Actually Made Him at Augusta

Winning didn’t just tick off the Grand Slam box for Rory McIlroy. It changed what Augusta means to him for good.

Now he’s part of a very small group at one of the most exclusive clubs in sports. He has a locker in the Champions Locker Room, a lifetime invite to the Masters, and a seat at the Champions Dinner, where he chooses the menu.

The Champions Dinner is a significant tradition. A table full of past champions, and the newest winner decides what everyone eats. That’s how Augusta passes the moment on.

The trophies and points come with the win too, ranking points, FedEx Cup points, a five-year exemption, but none of that lasts forever. The membership, the locker, and that invite back every April do.

Plenty have won at Augusta. Only a handful have ever completed the career Grand Slam, names like Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

McIlroy is now part of that group, and every time he walks into that locker room, it serves as a reminder of how far he has come.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav