Rory McIlroy Shared Jack Nicklaus’s Blunt Masters Advice to Him, and Amanda Balionis Loved It

Rory McIlroy has looked relaxed and confident thus far at the 2026 Masters, which is bad news for the rest of the field but great news for the No. 2 golfer in the world who is looking to win his second straight green jacket at Augusta National.

McIlroy, of course, won the Masters for the first time last year to finally wrap up the career grand slam that he had been chasing for 10 years.

MORE MASTERS: Follow the Second Round With SI’s Live Blog

With that weight lifted off his shoulders, the 36-year-old has been playing some really great golf the past few days. He finished tied for the lead after the first round with a 5-under 67 and he started Friday’s round with three straight birdies on the second, third and fourth holes to take a three-shot lead.

Before his second round, McIlroy did an interview with Amazon’s Amanda Balionis who asked him what advice the legendary Jack Nicklaus gave him before the start of this year’s tournament.

McIlroy had the perfect answer, saying: “No f------ double bogeys. Apparently he thought I made too many last year.”

Nicklaus was then asked if that was an accurate line by McIIroy.

“Pretty accurate, yes,” he said with a laugh.

Here’s that moment:

"No f-ing double bogeys."

When Jack Nicklaus gives you advice, you listen 🤣

The Masters LIVE on @PrimeVideo | 1-3 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/ji8ThjcxeD
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) April 10, 2026

That’s too good.

Rory McIlroy’s performance so far at the 2026 Masters

Speaking of too good, McIlroy has been on the top of his game so far at the Masters this year. He apparently took Nicklaus’s advice to heart, too, as he has yet to make a double bogey. On Thursday he made six birdies with just a single bogey on the third hole.

“Honestly, I couldn’t have got a lot more out of my round,” said after the first round. “I feel like I leaned heavily on my experience out there to do that.”

Here’s a look at all 67 of his shots from that first round:

Picking up where he left off. Every shot from Rory McIlroy's first round. #themasters pic.twitter.com/y4M2SfkLKH
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2026

McIIroy has been red hot on Friday as those three birdies in a row have given him a three-shot lead over Justin Rose and Sam Burns.

Rory McIlroy’s win at the 2025 Masters has seemed to free him up

McIlroy seemed very relax while talking to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt after Thursday’s opening round. He even said at the end that he might head up to the champions locker room and enjoy a nice adult beverage.

“Sometimes I still have to catch myself,” McIlroy told Van Pelt while reminiscing on last year’s victory. “It's such a thrill to be up there with all the other champions."

"Sometimes I still have to catch myself. ... It's such a thrill to be up there with all the other champions."

Rory McIlroy caught up with @notthefakeSVP to talk about what this week has meant to him after he finished his first round at the Masters tied atop the leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/qTa9LSEEjy
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2026

McIlroy won last year’s Masters in thrilling fashion after falling apart a little bit on the back nine. After missing a short putt on the 72nd hole he was able to make birdie on the first playoff hole to beat Rose.

That win allowed McIlroy to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win the career grand slam.

McIlroy now seems poised to win the Masters again, just as long as he stays away from making some dreaded double bogeys.

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