The recent ice storm at Augusta National not only brought down the famed Eisenhower Tree but it also did Rory McIlroy a huge favour.
Gone forever is the overhanging branch down the left side of the 10th fairway that McIlroy collected during his gut-wrenching 2011 Masters meltdown.
McIlroy hit the branch with his drive that then cannoned into the trees and close to out-of-bounds on route to taking a crippling triple bogey and a crippling last day 80.
Rory McIlroy forced to chip out down the left side of the 10th fairway during his 2011 Masters meltdown.
Slamming into the tree was among a golf bag of hurts to befall the then 21-year old chasing the most elusive item of apparel in all of golf.
McIlroy was made aware the storm had brought down the huge branch from ‘Rory’s Tree’ when playing a practice round in the lead-up to this year’s Masters.
“Whenever the member’s play Augusta there is a guy has a beverage cart parked on the 10th tee and he mentioned it to me when I was up there Tuesday before heading to Houston,” said McIlroy.
He just said to me: ‘Oh that branch, it’s not there anymore’.
“And then when I looked it was gone broken off in the ice storm and Augusta had to take it away.”
So while the ice storm finally granted the late US President Eisenhower his lifelong request, nature has delivered McIlroy some justice for him to savour.
And if McIlroy believes in God’s hand can help him win at Augusta then there’s the bizarre statistic that on the four occasions Tiger Woods has not contested a Major an Irish golfer has succeeded – Padraig Harrington 2008 British Open and 2008 PGA, McIlroy 2011 US Open and Darren Clarke 2011 British Open.
“That’s good omen,” he said smiling.
“I’m not that superstitious but maybe it gives you an extra bit of ‘Oh, I might have a bit of an extra chance this week.’
“It is funny how that it has happened like that.”
