CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis is among the celebrities who expressed their thoughts on Rory McIlroy winning a second straight Masters. Balionis took to Instagram to congratulate McIlroy labeling the win as “surreal.”
“What a week. Pretty surreal to watch @rorymcilroy battle for 17 years for that first green jacket (and complete the career grand slam) then just 12 months later do it all over again,” Balinois detailed in an April 13, 2026, Instagram message. “I‘ll remember this electric moving day for a long time and the storylines we had the privilege of broadcasting from start to finish.
“A massive thank you to our ENTIRE crew for the tireless hours, endless passion and for simply being the best in the business. This is a true team effort on the biggest stage and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team. Until next year Augusta 💚.”
Balionis was part of Amazon’s inaugural Masters coverage as well as CBS Sports.
Here’s the latest golf news after McIlroy’s historic victory.
Heading Into the Masters, Amanda Balionis Expressed Doubts About Rory McIlroy’s Chances to Repeat at Augusta National
McIlroy made golf history by becoming one of just four golfers to win back-to-back Masters. Now, McIlroy has a chance to do something no golfer has done at Augusta National: win three straight Masters.
The golfer also made the decision to skip several PGA Tour events ahead of the major. Heading into the Masters, Balionis was among the analysts who expressed concerns about McIlroy’s chances at Augusta.
McIlroy had been dealing with a back injury in the weeks leading up to the Masters.
“I don’t know, back issues at Augusta National are tough,” Balionis explained on a March 31, episode of the “Fairway Rollin’” podcast. “We’ve seen it with a lot of players. This is a hard place to be wondering at what point am I going to feel that tug in my back? So, I have no idea. I don’t know if you guys have better insight about where he’s at in that recovery process.
“I would be hard pressed to say he’s a 100%. I just don’t think those back things solve themselves like that when you’re a golfer and you have to keep practicing and you have to keep doing the motion that likely caused whatever the thing is.”
Rory McIlroy & Amanda Balionis Shared a Viral Moment During the Masters
Balionis and McIlroy shared a viral moment during the Masters. McIlroy revealed a cleaned-up version of the advice he received from legend Jack Nicklaus heading into the Masters.
“No effing double bogeys,” McIlroy remarked detailing a version of Nicklaus’ advice safe for television during the April 10, interview. “Apparently he thought I made too many last year.”
Rory McIlroy Opted to Skip PGA Tour Events to Spend More Time With Wife, Erica Stoll & Practice for Masters
It turns out that McIlroy’s back was just fine. McIlroy opted to use the weeks leading up to the Masters to spend more time with his wife, Erica Stoll and get some additional practice rounds in at Augusta National.
“I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” McIlroy noted during an April 10, media session. “I’d rather come up here.
“I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her — or had dinner with Erica probably. Like I did a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Rory McIlroy Gets ‘Surreal’ Message From Amanda Balionis After Masters appeared first on Heavy Sports.