Rory McIlroy had to wait for over a decade to conquer Augusta National and complete his career Grand Slam until last year. But his second Masters win was quick to come, as he defended the title against Scottie Scheffler and many others who were posing a danger until the last hole. But the debate around Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph took an unexpected turn when questions surfaced about an “unfair advantage” he had. However, PGA Tour pro Michael Kim has come to the Northern Irishman’s defense, refuting the allegations.

“Yes, there’s a number of rounds that ANGC will say no to for me to go by myself and play by myself. That number is prob a little lower for me than a guy like Rory. If you find a member to host you every time, there’s no limit,” Kim wrote in an X post.

“I had plenty of chances to go to ANGC myself if I wanted to but didn’t go. Better use of my time practicing at home or wherever I am to get my game in better shape for my next tournament. Course knowledge only gets you so far. Plenty of golfers have even more experience at Augusta than Rory like Justin Rose.”

While there’s no clear information on when/where the rumors started, they flared up after ESPN’s First Take discussion. Stephen A. Smith brought up a point about the amount of practice Rory McIlroy got at Augusta National, which many could view as an “unfair advantage.”

However, McIlroy’s own comments definitely fanned it. Speaking after opening up a six-shot lead at the end of round two, McIlroy suggested that frequenting the course helped his historic pursuit.

“I joked last week and going into this week that this place feels like my home course. I haven’t played anywhere else in the last two or three weeks really. I felt prepared in that way. I felt prepared that wherever I hit it on the golf course, I sort of know what to do. I know where to miss. I’m pretty comfortable with all the shots around the greens. Yeah, I think it’s a good blueprint,” McIlroy said.

When the 29x PGA Tour winner won the Masters last year, he became a member of the club. And as a past champion, he had access to play the course whenever and for as many times as he wanted. He himself admitted to playing nowhere except for Augusta National for two to three weeks heading into the first major of the season. So, while he didn’t violate any regulations, Stephen A. Smith pointed out that it might not be appropriate from a gentleman’s game perspective.

Now, Kim was amongst the 91 players in this year’s field, but missed the cut after finishing eight-over par across the last two rounds. Yet, he feels otherwise. And his opening could have sounded like he is in favor of the rumors that the 2x Masters champion is getting an advantage.

So, to clarify things, he commented on the post, saying, “It is not unfair or an advantage people. It’s irrelevant to the result is my point. I guess my writing need to get better.”

While Kim is not a past champion, there’s no limit to how many times he can play at Augusta National if he has someone to host him. The 2018 John Deere Classic winner admitted that if he wanted, he could have easily matched the amount of practice Rory McIlroy had. All he had to do was ask a past champion or a club member to host him. But he decided to practice at home instead of going to Augusta National. Kim also took the example of Justin Rose, who finished T3 this year in his 21st start, saying, “Plenty of golfers have even more experience at Augusta than Rory, like Justin Rose.”

When one fan pointed out that not everyone, and even Kim, can afford a private jet to go back and forth each day, Kim retorted, “Actually, Ron, I can afford it, it’s just not financially smart to do that. There’s plenty of flights going to Augusta from anywhere else in the US.”

Another perspective on this debate is that all past champions have access to the course. Thus, many professionals who were rallying behind McIlroy at the 2026 Masters could have done the same. Scottie Scheffler, for instance, who finished runner-up, has won the Masters twice (2022 and 2024).

Many others besides Michael Kim have taken a stand for Rory McIlroy over this debate.

The golf world backed Rory McIlroy over the unfair advantage debate

As Michael Kim pointed out, course knowledge is not everything when it comes to playing golf. Therefore, many came in favor of the 2x Masters champion. The strongest defender was Kevin Kisner.

“I thought it was the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kevin Kisner said on Barstool‘s ForePlay podcast.

The 4x PGA Tour winner also said that the criticism ignores the real tradeoff McIlroy made. Unlike many others, he skipped other tournaments to prepare for the Masters. He also acknowledged that every golfer has different lead-up strategies. He pushed back on the notion that more Augusta practice means an unfair edge.

Another one to support Rory McIlroy was Brandel Chamblee. After the rumors started flying, the Golf Channel analyst pointed out that anyone could have had those practice rounds.

“Every single professional player who qualified for the Masters could go early and play as many practice rounds as they wish,” Chamblee wrote in an X post.

He also pointed out that there are many like Jack Nicklaus who have done such training in the past.

As the golf community rallied behind Rory McIlroy, the narrative shifted to recognizing it as a strategic choice. Michael Kim’s stance reinforces the idea that access to Augusta National was never the deciding factor.