There are some moments in sport that you just know will stay with you forever. You don’t just remember them - you feel them, long after the last putt has dropped. The 2025 Masters was one of those moments.
I stood beneath the cathedral of pines at Augusta National and watched Rory McIlroy make his way to history. He finally captured the elusive green jacket and, with it, the career Grand Slam. But this wasn’t just a moment of personal achievement for Rory — it was a moment for Irish sport, for golf lovers all over the world, and for every patron fortunate enough to be there.
Because being there, at Augusta, is unlike anything else in the sporting world.
A Theatre Without Screens
There are no phones allowed inside the gates. At first, it feels restrictive - disconnected, even. But within minutes, that all fades away. You become present in a way we rarely allow ourselves to be anymore. You talk to strangers. You study the contours of the land. You listen. And you feel the roars.
That’s what sets Augusta apart. There’s a constant hum beneath the trees, punctuated by sudden eruptions of sound from all corners of the property. But you don’t always know what or whom the cheers are for - and that’s where the magic begins. Patrons pour over the leaderboard towers dotted across the course, watching the scores shift the old-fashioned way - hand-placed numbers turning slowly, dramatically.
And when those numbers change, a wave of energy flows through the grounds. Patrons speculate around the course as to whether the echoing energy that ripples through the pines was a ‘Rory Roar’ or for one of the chasing pack. It becomes a shared experience - every update sparking conversations, theories, and a rising sense of anticipation.
As Rory’s name edged up and agonisingly down the leaderboard throughout the weekend, the noise from other corners of the course grew stronger. We couldn’t always see him, but we knew something special was happening. That’s Augusta. You don’t have to see the shot to feel the story unfolding.
The Land That Reveals the Truth
TV doesn’t do the course justice. You can’t understand Augusta National until you walk it - up the incline of the 18th fairway, down the sharp fall off the 10th tee, through the hollow between 11 and 12. The elevation changes are dramatic, the greens more severe than any broadcast suggests. Undulations that look subtle on screen are, in reality, rollercoasters of break and speed. It gives you a deeper appreciation for the precision and control required to score - and survive - out there.
Watching Rory control his ball flight and spin on those greens, seeing putts trickle past hazardous false fronts and run offs around the greens, invisible to TV viewers, you realise the mental and physical demands this course imposes. Augusta doesn’t just test your swing - it tests your nerve.
Golf’s Greatest Stage, Seen Up Close
For all the beauty of the course, Augusta is also the most fan-friendly venue I’ve ever set foot in. The fairways offer wide views. The grandstands are generous, comfortable and unreserved. And the iconic Masters chairs - placed early in the morning and left unguarded throughout the day for other patrons to use, remaining available at any moment for the named patron to return to their preferred perch with a friendly shoulder tap leading to your spot being returned with a smile of gratitude. It’s a small but powerful symbol of the respect patrons have for tradition, and for each other.
Concessions, too, are part of the ritual. Pimento cheese, egg salad, and peach ice cream sandwiches served in green wrappers, with no price inflation - it’s a nod to the past that somehow feels more modern than anything else in sport. You can spend the day here grazing through all menu items with sandwiches ranging from $1.50 to $3, beers and wine coming in at a cool $5, served in your Augusta green beakers, with many patrons collecting their stacks or cups to bring home as a further souvenir. And when you queue for merchandise (and you will), it’s with the quiet satisfaction of knowing those hats and polos can’t be bought anywhere else in the world. The friendliness of the staff and volunteers is unmatched, with every interaction punctuated with a sincere 'welcome to the masters', as you are kindly reminded that the merchandise teams will store your haul - at no charge - until the end of that day's proceedings.
My love for the game started long before I ever picked up a club, let alone imagined a career in golf. Like so many others, I was drawn in by The Masters on television - that second week in April when everything else faded away, and the azaleas, the drama, and that impossibly green turf took centre stage. Even as a kid, I sensed there was something different about Augusta. It wasn’t just a golf tournament; it was a tradition, a moment of calm and beauty in the sporting year. Little did I know then that the game would become my life’s work - and that one day, I’d be standing there in person, watching history unfold.
Rory’s Moment, Ireland’s Pride
As Rory slipped into the green jacket, after his outpouring of emotion on the 18th green, and then smiled that rare, unguarded smile, there was a feeling of collective relief - and joy. We’d waited for this. He had waited even longer. And now, finally, he joined the most exclusive club in golf: those who have won all four majors.
Back home at Killeen Castle, where we’ve hosted our own share of great golfing occasions - from the 2011 Solheim Cup, 3 Ladies Irish Opens and two upcoming Challenge Tour events - we know what it means to create the right stage for some of the world’s best. Standing on the grounds of Augusta, seeing how seamlessly tradition, atmosphere, and competition blend into something unforgettable, it reinforced the power of tournament golf done right. Major golf tournaments like The Masters have a quiet magic - the power to bring strangers side by side, hearts beating in unison, all bound by a shared moment that needs no words.
A Moment That Lives On
In years to come, I’ll talk about “the Sunday Rory won the Masters” - but not just about what he shot or how he won. I’ll talk about the echoes through the trees. The way patrons moved like pilgrims. The way strangers became friends under leaderboards. The mystery and majesty of a place where phones fall silent and roars speak volumes.
Augusta National has a soul. And on Sunday, Rory McIlroy became part of it.
Cormac Ryan
Director of Golf & Hospitality, Killeen Castle