Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
Augusta National isn’t a golf course for the faint of heart, and there are plenty of ways your round can be derailed during The Masters. That includes the infamously difficult greens, and a clip of Rory McIlroy’s four-year-old daughter sinking a long putt after barely tapping the ball really drives that reality home.
Most golfers will never be lucky enough to play on a course that’s hosted a professional golf tournament, and even if you’re able to check that box at some point, you’re likely not going to be dealing with the kind of conditions that greet the guys on the PGA Tour.
It also goes without saying that most golfers will never have the chance to even step foot on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National, never mind get the opportunity to play the legendary course.
With that said, most people who’ve spent enough time watching The Masters know it like the back of their hand, but it can still be hard to truly appreciate the many challenges that face the golfers who are invited to compete for a green jacket each year.
That includes the greens at Augusta, as the phrase “like putting on glass” is frequently deployed to highlight the speed of the surfaces that clock in at around 14 on the Stimpmeter (about as fast as possible) and feature an impressive amount of undulation and elevation changes that can turn a round into a nightmare.
On Wednesday, Rory McIlroy was one of the players who got to take part in the annual Par 3 contest where golfers routinely give members of their family the chance to get in on the action.
This year’s frontrunner let his four-year-old daughter Poppy attempt an approximately 25-foot putt on the ninth hole as he and Shane Lowry looked on, and the crowd understandably went wild after it slowly but surely made its way toward the hole before dropping into the cup.
Poppy McIlroy converts the lengthy putt on No. 9! #themasters pic.twitter.com/6Vfkfxm3v7
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2025
It was undoubtedly a cute, feel-good moment that understandably took the internet by storm, but I also don’t know if I’ve come across a single clip that manages to highlight the difficulty of the greens at Augusta like this one; McIlroy’s daughter barely touched the ball that took 20 seconds to get to a hole it would have sailed by if it hadn’t gone in, and golfers at The Masters have to successfully nail that kind of finesse dozens of times per round.
If you somehow need more proof, Bryson DeChambeau’s got some for you.
I can’t say I envy the guys who have to deal with that this week.