It was a tough day at the office for Rory McIlroy(Image: Getty Images)

Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy's reactions to same setback speak volumes at Masters

Ryder Cup teammates Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy both suffered the same setback at the Masters on Friday - but the two had very different reactions in the face of adversity

13 Apr 2024, 08:00 by Thomas Bristow · Irish Mirror

After tricky weather delayed Day One at the Augusta Masters, Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick would have felt quite pleased to hand in cards of 71. But Day Two presented a whole host of new challenges.

Not only was the wind worse, but play was incredibly slow. McIlroy's round in particular took six hours. And as frustrations grew, both men made the same costly error - finding the water.

McIlroy found the drink on the tricky par-4 11th. One of, if not the hardest hole on the course, the 11th rewards golfers who go for the green over the water. The bailout is right, but contours added to the fairway have made chipping difficult.

The Northern Irishman's approach, however, found the water. He could only laugh in despair while making a few small complaints to his caddie. As he walked to the water knowing his fate he seemed nonplussed, took his drop, chipped close, missed the putt and recorded a double bogey.

As he walked off the green he had no reaction. McIlroy kept his emotions in check as he approached the par-3 12th. What he was thinking will remain with him but he gave nothing away.

And that's not what can be said about Fitzpatrick. On the par-5 15th, the Englishman opted to lay up, like nearly all golfers in the terrible weather. However, his shot was overcooked and found its way into the lake. Given the layout of the hole, Fitzpatrick did not know he had lost his ball until he got down to the scene of the crime.

Realising the ball on the fairway he was approaching was not his, the 29-year-old went ballistic. He couldn't possibly understand how his ball reached the water. There were minutes of arm waving and gesticulating at his caddie and one moment when he put his hands on his head.

Matt Fitzpatrick had a face like thunder after his error

Like McIlroy, Fitzpatrick chipped on, missed his putt and took away a bogey. But unlike McIlroy, Fitzpatrick was visibly furious. Shaking his head, the Brit had a face of thunder as he walked off the green and toward the 16th tee.

His emotions were far more on show and fans could see just how much the dropped shot meant to him. To make matters worse, both he and McIlroy bogeyed again on the way back. Fitzpatrick finished the day on 73 to go level for the tournament, while McIlroy carded 77 to head into Saturday 4-over.

Discussing the impact of the wind on his round, McIlroy said: "Yeah, it's hard. Mentally it's a grind because you just have to try to commit as best you can to the shot that you're trying to play. One second you'll have a shot that's playing 150, and then if the wind does something different, the shot could be playing 180. It could be a 30-yard difference."