Every person playing in the Master's could have skipped the 3-4 prior tournaments and just practiced at Augusta if they wanted to. Every one of them has sponsors and the financial means to do so. They just weren't willing to sacrifice the additional income from those other tournaments like Rory was.

The level of sacrifice that certain individuals are willing to endure is what separates every level of sports.

The kid who puts in 30 hours a month of individual work on his own is the one who is going to start on his varsity basketball team over the guy who didn't.

The kid who put in 50 hours a month of individual work on his own is the one who is going to lead his team in scoring over the other starters who were only putting in 30 each.

The kid who puts in 70 hours a month is the kid who is going D1 where the 50 hour a month kids are either done with sports or are going D3.

The kid who made a D1 team and lives in the gym and puts in 90 hours a month on his own is going to go play in Europe after his college career is done.

The kid who obsesses over basketball and has teammates who think he is crazy because he has the team managers in the gym with him at 10:00PM every night rebounding his 500 made 3pt shots and puts in 120 hours a month is going to end up in the NBA.

This is all just a function of how much are individuals willing to sacrifice. Most people talk a good game. Some attempt to sacrifice what they know it takes to be great, but cannot keep it up consistently. The few at the top of the mountain do everything, everyday to achieve greatness. Everything they do is regimented to give them just a 1% edge.

Here is what Rory does:

Rory says he follows a strict routine during the PGA Tour season to ensure proper rest and recovery:

• No caffeine after 2 PM
• Last meal at least 2 hours before bed
• Magnesium and theanine for sleep quality
• Blue-light-blocking glasses in the evening
• Sauana or Epsom salt bath when available
• Cool room temperature for sleep

He follows the same three-hour routine before every round: arrive at the course → warm up in the gym → eat breakfast → hit balls on the range → putting green.

The other guys could do what he does, but they don't because they want a life outside of golf. They could skip the other tournaments to prep for the Master's, but they don't because they don't want to give up the money from them. They aren't willing to sacrifice everything else to give themselves a slight advantage that doesn't guarantee a win.

They don't dare to be great, and that's why they'll never achieve what Rory did.