Rory McIlroy Was Shockingly Calm During Dramatic Masters Win, His Heart Rate Proves It
There's calm, and then there's Rory calm.
With Rory McIlroy winning the 2025 Masters, he had literally been there and done that when he closed out the season's first major championship one year later in 2026. Having experience sliding on the green jacket doesn't make the challenge any less difficult or painstakingly nerve-racking, but based on heart rate data from McIlroy's sixth major victory, you would think he was out for just a Sunday afternoon hit and giggle.
WHOOP, the fitness and health wearable McIlroy and many other professional golfers use, shared some of the numbers it collected from the Northern Irishman from the final round. The data paints a clear and very calm picture.
READ: Masters Parting Thoughts: Rory's Memory, A Bad Broadcast, And The Passage Of Time
McIlroy's average resting heart rate on Sunday sat between 47 and 49 BPM. Those are typical numbers for very fit athletes, and McIlroy checks that box, but comparing that to the normal resting heart rate for men of 60-100 BPM who are very much not trying to win the Masters is still shocking.
Then came the most stressful moment of McIlroy's victory Sunday.
Holding a two-shot lead on the 18th tee, McIlroy blocked his tee shot well right. He, nor anyone else, was able to see where his ball ended up from the tee box. His golf ball ultimately ended up in a fine area in the pine straw where he had a clear shot path to the green, but when its location was unknown, his heart rate spiked to 135 BPM.
That number dropped a bit to 121 BPM as he hit his second shot towards the green, but remained in a similar range (117 BPM) during his third shot out of a greenside bunker. For his tap-in putt from about two inches to seal the one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy's heart rate fell to 105 BPM before spiking to its peak of 150 BPM as he celebrated on the 18th green.
Many golf fans who were watching the final hole unfold would admit that their heart rates were higher than McIlroy's in the drama-packed moment.
McIlroy is an investor in the Boston-based WHOOP brand, which also rosters investors such as LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo.