Rory Brings “Home” to Augusta

 👋 Hey Golf Fans,

This week kicked off with a literal bang. The loud boom you heard on Tuesday was courtesy of a six-ton meteor traveling at 40,000 mph. All of which, we are told, is minuscule (!) and slow (!!) for a meteor. Nevertheless, our “little” extraterrestrial guest blew up with the punch of 250 tons of TNT. Maybe not with the same force, but Rory dropped his banger of a Champions Dinner menu and lit up the golf world. We’ll unpack that, talk about the Valspar Championship field, Fleetwood’s drill, and more.

P.S. With 18 days to go before the Masters, we are starting a new series today. Stick with us until the end to find out.

Let’s get started…

Is Your Retirement Plan Built to Last?

Most people saving for retirement have a number in mind. Fewer have a plan for turning that number into actual income.

The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income walks you through the questions that matter: what things will cost, where the money comes from, and how to keep your portfolio aligned with your long-term goals.

If you have $1,000,000 or more saved, download your free guide and start building a retirement income plan that holds up.

Download your free guide.

Rory McIlroy has been waiting for this moment for over a decade. The defending Masters champion will host past ­winners in the annual gathering in the clubhouse—the Champions Dinner. Yes, we know everyone wants a sneak peek at what happens inside the room. Augusta National was courteous enough to let mere mortals like us have an intimate look. Check out the video below; this is the closest you’ll get to the hallowed room.

Now, coming to Rory’s menu, in one word: it’s glorious. Maybe not as exotic as Jon Rahm’s and Hideki Matsuyama’s. It’s hard to beat those two (Jordan Spieth actually drooled over Hideki’s Japanese delicacy, as you’ll see here).

But Rory’s will definitely be in the top three of the last decade. His first course, right as you’d expect, includes yellowfin tuna carpaccio. In fact, the Augusta National chefs jetted to Le Bernardin, Rory’s favorite New York restaurant, to get it right.

Giving it an Irish touch, Rors added comfort food from his childhood—bacon-wrapped dates and traditional Irish Champ that his mother used to make for him. He went local with Vidalia onion rings and a peach-ricotta flatbread. For dessert, he picked a crowd-pleasing classic: sticky toffee pudding. But the cherry on top is the wine selection.

Two of them stand out: a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild and a 1989 Chateau D’Yquem dessert wine. Not because of how expensive they are, but because both have a very curious connection with Rory. You probably guessed how. Find out here.

Clearly, Rory poured all his love and attention into it.

Sunday’s Result: 27.34% of you compared your heartbeat during the last hour of The Players to Xander's 2024 Open win, whereas 23.91% of you felt it was similar to Rory's 2025 Masters triumph. Meanwhile, 18.84% of you believed it was closer to Scottie winning the Olympic gold medal.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best ball-strikers on Tour (fifth in SG: Approach last year). Every range session, he rolls up with a foam brick, a Swing Plane Perfector, and alignment sticks in tow, rigging them just right before unleashing a single shot. Here’s how it fixes four mistakes at once.

• Setup: Lay a stick flat on the ground parallel to your target line. Insert another one into the ground behind the ball; it’ll stand at an angle parallel to your golf club. Place a foam brick or any obstacle just outside the toe of your club at address. Watch how Fleetwood places them in the video below.

• Execution: Swing through the lane formed by the sticks and the obstacle. Ensure the clubhead avoids hitting the foam brick and the alignment stick placed on the ground.

• Mechanism: If you are going too far outside on the takeaway, you’ll hit the foam brick. If you’re going too far inside on the backswing, you’ll hit the alignment stick. On the downswing, if you come too far over the top, you’ll miss the ball. If you swing too much from underneath, you’ll hit the obstacle directly.

Start each range session by spending a few minutes on this drill to maintain a proper swing path. Here are a few more drills to fix your ball-striking.

Five Drills to Fix Your Ball Striking

DP World Tour Changes Golf Cart Rule; Irks Pros →

Billy Horschel Claps Back at Reporter For Reigniting Old Debate →

“Not Done a Great Job”: LPGA Commish Makes an Honest Confession →

18th Hole: Holly — The Most Polite Execution Chamber in Golf

Named after the American Holly, the 18th hides danger in plain sight. Like Holly, this hole strikes back if you make one single mistake. Denny Shute’s 8, a quadruple bogey—matched by eight others, including two Masters champions—says it all. Holly doesn’t need drama. It is the drama.

Imagine this. You're glued to the TV as your favorite player wrestles a bunker. They are chatting with their caddie, and it’s cut short. Because the broadcaster decided to chime in: “He’s not thinking this through.” And you miss the discussion completely. Muting helps, but it’s no silver bullet.

On the flip side, listen to this insightful discussion between Spieth and Rickie Fowler while they were walking down the fairway at TPC Sawgrass. Does this not sound better? Golf fans crave pros chatting, debating, and, in turn, schooling us duffers on the game. They don't want an omnipresent voice burying the real conversation.

Granted, not all pros are chatty. Some would rather kick out the camera crew—remember this Bryson moment? But for players who are comfortable with cameras getting close to them, let the weekend warriors learn from them.

Essentially Golf brings you handpicked, well-thought-out, and not-to-be-missed recommendations to make your weekend more fun.

🎥 Watch — Pro Golfer Ryan Ruffels challenges George Bryan in a 1v1 match.

🛍 Buy — EyeLine Golf Speed Trap helps you hit it longer and straighter.

👕 Wear — Sunday Round Polo is designed for comfort on and off the course.

🎯 Train — Memorial Park Golf Club is offering lessons from PGA-certified coaches.

🤌 Unwind — Paper Plane is a classic bourbon cocktail.

Thank you for reading the latest edition of Essentially Golf.

As always, we appreciate your honest feedback. So please tell us…

Never miss out on any more fresh Essentially Golf updates. Just Click Here!