For a week every April, like clockwork, my sleeping habits are thrown into complete disarray. It’s not jet lag, a deadline or a marathon drama binge. No, it’s the Masters golf tournament. Each year, I find myself staying up into the early hours, eyes glued to the television, watching the iconic fairways of Augusta National unfold in cinematic glory. While the days are a blur of yawns and caffeine, as soon as the nighttime broadcast kicks in, something clicks. Suddenly, I’m wide awake, fully alert and emotionally invested in the trials and triumphs of men swinging sticks at a little white ball.
Golf is a curious sport — serene, so still, yet so turbulent. It’s a game where fortunes can turn in a heartbeat, where one bad putt can undo hours of precision. And no place showcases this better than Augusta National. There’s a sacred drama to the course: every tree, every fairway, every undulating green seemingly designed to break your heart — or lift you to glory. Each year, over the course of 72 holes, a new story emerges. Unsung heroes rise, contenders fall and somewhere in between, you find the kind of drama screenwriters only dream of. And this year was no different.
As with many recent years, the biggest storyline heading into the week was Rory McIlroy’s ongoing quest to complete the career grand slam in men’s golf — something only five players in history have ever achieved. It’s the kind of legacy-defining milestone that turns every shot into a headline, every missed putt dissected ad nauseam. A restless and relentless media cycle and nonstop punditry. From sports anchors to weekend warriors, everyone had a theory and an opinion. Would this be Rory’s year?
And then came Sunday.
The final round was everything you want from a blockbuster sports drama: a headline pairing of two elite players, hailing from opposing leagues (a subplot I’ll avoid unpacking here), who had recently gone toe-to-toe at the US Open. It was the kind of narrative that no amount of course design or agronomic brilliance could have engineered- a moment that felt possible only through divine intervention. And yet, the real show — the emotional journey of the day — was Rory. Watching his final round was as gut-wrenching as it was exhilarating. He delivered some shots that will be immortalized in highlight reels for decades, only to follow them with mistakes that will live on in infamy.
As a self-admitted storytelling junkie, I couldn’t help but marvel at how perfectly it all unfolded. The drama. The pacing. The anguish and the hope. It was as though a master storyteller had plotted the arc of the day — moments of brutal adversity followed immediately by soaring triumphs. Even the iconic Masters theme song, with its soft piano notes -- tranquil and unbothered -- served as a beautiful contrast to the drama transpiring before us.
We watch movies to witness a hero’s journey — to see someone stumble, fall, rise again and ultimately transform. On this Sunday at Augusta, Rory McIlroy gave us just that. He looked, at times, heartbreakingly human — vulnerable, frustrated, unsure. And yet, moments later, he delivered shots so audacious, so transcendent, they bordered on the superhuman. Rory didn’t just play a round of golf — he told a story. And for a few sleepless hours, I was lucky enough to be a part of it.
--
Thomas Suh is the founder and managing director of Systeme D Entertainment, a filmed media and entertainment company that specializes in content acquisition, management and production for film and television. "Room Tone," the title of Suh's column series, refers to the ambient sound of a space in which filming takes place. Thomas Suh can be reached at tommysuh@me.com ― Ed.
