Thought For The Day – Monday 20^th April 2026

This time last week,  golfer Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, won his second consecutive United States Masters title in men’s golf.

Before his first Masters tournament victory in 2025,  at his seventeenth attempt, and after many challenges, heartbreaks, and near misses in previous editions,  Rory took the pressure off himself.  Though Rory “locked in”, and, importantly for us at this time,  turned his ‘phone off, there was a sense of contentment, of being happy, of a wider perspective in life. What will be, will be.

At times in life, we have to lose something it find it.  In the press conference after his 2025 Masters victory, Rory said to the world’s media, with a smile, referring to the many “when” questions he had been asked year after year: “What are we going to talk about next year?”

As “next year” became this year, another tournament victory followed.  More history was made as Rory became only the fourth male golfer to win consecutive Masters titles.

Once again, in 2026,  though whilst there was (even more) relaxation, this was also a very finely balanced inner determination and steel to make a fine defence of the title.  Resilience, recalibration,  and resetting had to be regularly shown, through recovery shots and fighting spirit, especially after relinquishing a considerable second round lead in the third round, and after the first few holes of the last round.   With his family, including his parents, supporting in person, Rory got the job done.

Whilst characterised with extraordinary golfing talent, a product of countless hours, weeks,  months, and years of preparation, and a character and temperament that ensures universal respect,  it is a resilient and positive psychology that has made a vital difference and has seen Rory become a “double Master”, completing the career “Grand Slam” of “major” golfing tournament victories last year.   The sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella, author of such books as “Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect” has greatly helped.

Such a positive psychology means in these situations in life (and it does not, and cannot, apply to every situation in life, where challenges are beyond words) moving on quickly, with determination, humility, and learning, to the next positive opportunity. If one door closes, we seek to open another door and work diligently to do so.

Even more importantly, we open doors for others.

All this also involves the important qualities appreciation, gratitude, humility, and respect.  On the course, through the two Masters victories, Rory’s caddie, Harry Diamond, would remind Rory of the positives, telling Rory they would have taken their positive situation at the start of the week.