Rory McIlroy loves being a dad. “I probably feel a lot more secure in that since becoming a dad. That, to me, has changed my perception of good days and bad days on the golf course, especially bad days,” he had once said. The way Poppy makes him feel on bad days is “pretty humbling,” and ever since her birth, Rory has stopped bringing golf home. But that doesn’t mean Poppy isn’t skilled at it.
So, what happened is just days before chasing the most elusive win of his career, Rory McIlroy had already lived what might be the highlight of his entire Masters week—and funnily enough, it wasn’t even about him. It came in the form of a slow-rolling, 25-foot putt that “Precious Poppy” casually made at the Masters’ much-loved Par-3 Contest.
On the ninth hole, with dad standing nearby and ‘Uncle’ Shane Lowry close by, the little one nonchalantly stepped up and drained a lengthy putt. As the ball dropped into the hole, McIlroy and Lowry dropped their clubs and celebrated like they’d just won the Green Jacket. The crowd went wild. Lowry’s daughter came and hugged her. And Poppy? Completely calm and composed. All she wanted afterward was a hug from her dad. She loves hugging her dad, as evidenced by her trying to comfort him after the playoff loss at the 2024 BMW PGA Championship.
Indeed, this putt was a mental reset for McIlroy heading into the high-pressure weekend. “We’re waiting nine months from the last major so to end your preparations with such a fun afternoon is great,” he said. McIlroy has always taken the Par-3 Contest seriously, not in terms of competition, but for what it means. It’s the one time of the year when golf’s biggest names ditch the steely focus and lean into the chaos of kids, spouses, and silly moments on the green. For a few hours, the pressure melts away.
“I think every Masters week for me seems to get bigger and bigger each and every year,” McIlroy told ESPN’s Marty Smith. “And I think to do something like this, for me at least, allows me to forget about all that for a couple of hours on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s just a really nice and relaxed way to go into business end of the week.”
Precious Poppy
@McIlroyRory‘s daughter brings the crowd to their feet after this putt on No. 9.pic.twitter.com/vYbhw0JDh0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 9, 2025
Golf can be tough, so McIlroy is keen on protecting her from the bad part of golf. “She’s taken a little bit of interest, if she did I would be 100 percent supportive but at the same time I wouldn’t mind if she did something different. It’s not just about being a sportsperson, there’s all the rest of it that comes with it”, said McIlroy. “Especially in this age of social media and all the stuff you have to deal with. So, if it’s your daughter, you’re trying to protect her from that as much as you can.”
And now that Poppy’s old enough to be part of it all, the moment seemed to hit even harder. Her slow-rolling putt had fans swooning, laughing, and cheering from behind their screens. Reactions poured in almost instantly, with people celebrating not just the shot but also McIlroy’s joy as a dad.
Fans get cathartic on seeing little Ms. McIlroy’s golfing shots
“What a putt by Rory’s kid. The slow creeping putt was great by Rory’s kid. She will be on the LPGA no doubts,” one user wrote. And honestly, that sentiment isn’t far-fetched. Golf certainly runs in her veins, and given how calm she looked on the green, who knows, we might actually see her on a tournament tee box someday.
Another fan captured the emotional weight of the moment perfectly: “My friend… you just won the ultimate Masters ever… congrats!!!!!” And yeah, that’s probably what every dad dreams of—a core memory being made just before one of the most important tournaments of the year. McIlroy seemed to know it too. Before the contest began, he shared just how much this day has come to mean to him over time: “As time has gone along and Poppy has gotten a little bit bigger, I look forward to this day more and more each and every year. Just to see the excitement on her face this morning knowing it was going to be Par 3 (is great). It is such a fun afternoon,” he said, sounding every bit the proud dad.
Fans were all in on the moment. One even called Poppy, “Rory’s new coach!” while someone else joked, “She’s a better putter than her dad!”
Well, Poppy absolutely nailed that putt. But let’s not pretend McIlroy’s slacking off either. His putting, long considered a weak spot in his game, may be because of the close calls he had at Pinehurst or at the 2024 Irish Open, is actually thriving right now. The man’s already picked up two wins this season on the PGA Tour and is posting career-best putting stats. He’s ranked 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting, which is a massive leap for a player who’s usually been stronger off the tee than on the green. He’s also 8th in Putt Average, draining putts with laser focus, and his total strokes gained average sits at +2.319, putting him in the upper crust of tour players this season.
So yes, the jokes about his daughter coaching him are funny—but let’s not forget, McIlroy’s been doing just fine on the greens lately. In fact, better than ever. One fan even predicted it, writing, “Rory is going to win this year thanks to that talented putting coach.”
And maybe that’s exactly the magic he needs. McIlroy has been chasing the Green Jacket for years now. It’s the one major still missing from his Grand Slam collection. This year, he arrives at Augusta not just as a top contender. If McIlroy does end up winning it all on Sunday, the story will start not with a birdie or a back-nine charge, but with a four-year-old in a white jumpsuit, a 25-foot putt, and the purest touchdown celebration golf has ever seen.
The post ‘Better Putter Than Her Dad’: Rory McIlroy’s Daughter Steals Hearts as She Outshines Dad at the Masters appeared first on EssentiallySports.
