Donald Trump Praises Rory McIlroy at White House Over 2026 Masters Tournament Triumph

Rory McIlroy repeated as the Masters Tournament winner this year after he finished 1-shot ahead of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

Donald Trump Praises Rory McIlroy at White House Over 2026 Masters Tournament Triumph

Donald Trump and Rory McIlroy (Image via X/@TPUSARapidRep/Olympics)

On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy got a special shoutout from Donald Trump. The U.S. President praised the golfer at the White House over his iconic 2026 Masters Tournament Triumph at the Augusta National Golf Club earlier this month.

The World No.2 entered the Masters Tournament this year as the defending champion. In 2025, the golfer finally overcame his demons of the Augusta National and claimed the green jacket by winning the Masters Tournament.

That win saw him complete the career grand slam and become just the 6th golfer to win all 4 major events. This year, he was aiming to do something that had only been done 3 times at the event.

In his title defense, McIlroy started strong and opened up a 6-shot lead after 36 holes. This was the largest lead in Masters Tournament history after the first two rounds. At that point, it seemed he would run away with the title.

However, a strong push from the chasing pack and a 1-under par score from McIlroy on Saturday saw his lead vanish. In the final round, the Northern Irish golfer bounced back after some early troubles.

On the 18th hole, his first shot hit the tree while his second attempt landed in the bunker. He recovered well with his 3rd shot and had two putts for the win. Though he missed the birdie putt, he tapped it from close range to repeat as the Masters Tournament champion.

The 36-year-old thus joined a rare company. He became the first golfer after Tiger Woods in 2002, to win back-to-back Masters Tournament. The other two people to accomplish this feat are Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Jack Nicklaus (1965, 1966).

On April 28, McIlroy was among the guests of the White House State Dinner for England’s King Charles III. During this, Trump would give a speech. In the middle of this, the U.S. President praised McIlroy over his “unconquerable courage” and expressed that he was proud of him.

That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory. … I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that was a tough, that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you.

Donald Trump said regarding Rory McIlroy

Trump had shared a message to McIlroy after his win. The 79-year-old, who is a big fan of golf, claimed he was becoming more and more of a legend.

Rory McIlroy to snub PGA Tour event at Donald Trump’s course this week

Rory McIlroy certainly has some close ties with Donald Trump, having teed off with him before and receiving praise from him. Despite this, the golfer has snubbed an upcoming PGA Tour event at a course owned by Trump.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

This week, the tour will return to the Trump National Doral in Miami for the Cadillac Championship. The course, which has hosted some LIV Golf events, will host its first PGA Tour event since 2016. Previously, this site was the home of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

This year, this event is one of the signature events of the tour. However, McIlroy will not be at this course as he continues to take a break after his Masters Tournament win.

This will be the second straight signature event that he has snubbed, having missed the RBC Heritage. He also did not participate in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this year. Last year, he was part of this event as he and Shane Lowry attempted to defend their title.

He, though, will play in the Truist Championship, another signature event, next week. This will be the final event before the 2026 PGA Championship. He is thus hoping to make at least one start before the second major of the year.

McIlroy is one of the 5 players in the top-15 OWGR rankings who will miss the Cadillac Championship this week. World No.3 Matt Fitzpatrick, No.9 Xander Schauffele, No.12 Robert MacIntyre, and No.14 Ludvig Aberg are also skipping this event.

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