Keeping Calm in the Clutch

by Caoimhe O'Neill

With his parents, Rosie and Gerry, standing behind the 18th green, Rory McIlroy became the fourth golfer to reclaim the Masters title.

Last Sunday, the career Grand Slam winner joined an exclusive list alongside Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods in going back-to-back at Augusta. He led by a record six shots after two rounds, but in typical McIlroy fashion, he was determined not to do it the easy way.

Some bumpier moments — not as many as in 2025 — came over the weekend, but McIlroy stayed the course to finish 12 under par, one stroke better than two-time champion Scottie Scheffler.

On the 72nd hole, McIlroy, whose driving accuracy had been poor by his high standards throughout the tournament, found the trees on the 18th hole. The spike in his heart rate proved he was feeling the pressure.

From data released by Whoop — the wearable technology company that McIlroy is an investor in and whose green band he was wearing on his right wrist throughout the tournament — the 36-year-old’s heart rate rose to 135 beats per minute (BPM).

As he walked to locate his ball for his second shot, McIlroy brought his heart rate down to 121 BPM. The shot from closer to the 10th fairway found a bunker and led to McIlroy’s heart rate spiking to 136 BPM as he chipped out onto the green.

To put his Green Jacket back on as champion, McIlroy had two putts to avoid a play-off with Scheffler. That cushion was reflected in his heart rate, which dropped to 117 BPM on the first putt. It was down to 105 BPM as he tapped in from a few inches out to seal victory. As he became a six-time major winner, his heart rate jumped to 150 BPM and he let out a roar.

To be able to calm and lower your heart rate in high-pressure moments can mean the difference between winning and losing. But how do athletes do it?

McIlroy keeps his mouth shut before clutch moments. 

“McIlroy has talked about walking on the course in between shots just reminding himself to close his mouth, to take calm nasal breaths to regulate the nervous system, because we get different signals to the brain when we’re breathing through the mouth compared to through the nose,” says David Jackson, a breath work expert, coach and author.

Jackson retired as a professional rugby union player when he suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2013. In the years that followed, he became a breathwork mentor to elite athletes. He has worked with a number of high-profile athletes, including the England women’s international soccer team, who in the past four years have won two European Championships, either side of reaching a World Cup final under manager Sarina Wiegman.

“Every single breath you take influences your heart rate,” Jackson, who has recently published a book called ‘Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger’, says. “On the inhale, your heart rate naturally speeds up, and on the exhale, it naturally slows down. So when you then understand how to use your breathing, you can manipulate your heart rate.

“Doing something as simple as trying to control and slow down your exhalation and your overall breathing cycle helps to calm your nervous system. Spending more time trying to gently elongate the exhale a little bit can bring your heart rate down.”

Jackson says one common mistake athletes can make is breathing too hard or taking in more air than is needed, particularly in sports such as golf, darts, and snooker, which are less cardiovascularly demanding.

“If we’re trying to calm ourselves down, we don’t always necessarily need more air. We just need to breathe in a mechanical way that’s calmer and slower,” he says.

“What we’re talking about is the relationship that breathing has with our nervous system and our stress response. And in this instance (when referring to McIlroy), that’s not related to a need for more oxygen, we just need a calmer breath. We want to send signals to the brain saying ‘we’re safe, everything is OK, let’s just perform the skill that we’ve practiced thousands of times.’”