When Laura Rutledge called Rafael Nadal a “good luck charm” as Rory McIlroy continues his title defense, no one but Nadal truly understood what that meant. While he simply smiled and moved on, his answers that followed hinted at something far deeper. When Rory McIlroy finally won the Masters in 2025, it wasn’t just a career milestone. It was the kind of moment that resonated far beyond Augusta. And Nadal, watching on a screen, couldn’t have moved even if he wanted to.
Speaking at Augusta National during the Under the Umbrella series hosted by Kira K. Dixon, Rafael Nadal, attending the Masters as a spectator for the first time, described the 2025 moment, saying that he understands what it takes to chase a dream over years of setbacks.
“After all the all the years that he came here, fighted and for one and another reason, he was not able to to make it. Finally, watch him winning with that dramatic final, how emotional he was when when he finally made out the last putt.”
“Oh, yeah, I am an emotional guy, so I was, I had tears in my eyes for such a long time.”
In fact, Nadal is so attached to the moment that he revisited it with the ‘Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait’ documentary, and ended up crying again.
“Even I watched his documentary now, and I finished the documentary crying, so, yeah, I mean, I am a sports guy, and sports create emotions on people.”
Nadal, who has a net worth of around $220 million, weighed a move to golf as far as 2005, and is far from the only tennis personality to take an interest in swings and clubs during and after his professional career. However, he has tasted some success, unlike others, considering that the Spaniard is actually a +0.5 handicapper.
He has often spoken about Tiger Woods as one of his biggest idols and has stayed in touch with players like Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood over the years. Since retiring from tennis in November 2024, Nadal has openly said, “I follow golf every week, and my wife suffers because of it.”
On Thursday, he also shot even par from the member tees and 80 from the tournament tees at the Augusta National. Then, walking the same course while following McIlroy during his second round, Nadal couldn’t help but be immensely impressed. That said, Nadal further shared that he feels emotional every time a player marks their win at Augusta National, from Tiger Woods to Sergio Garcia.
Garcia, a close friend and compatriot of Rafael Nadal, spent 18 years as a professional golfer without winning a major tournament. Then, in 2017, he defeated Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to win his first major, setting a record for the most attempts by any player before claiming their first major title.
Nadal, who was in Spain at the time, recalled being moved to tears while watching Garcia’s victory. That summer, after receiving his green jacket, Garcia attended Wimbledon to watch Nadal play. It remains one of the most beautiful and memorable moments for him.
However, on the course this year, it is McIlroy who acquires the top spot for Nadal.
“I love his swing since the beginning, then I was able to meet him a couple of times, a long time ago. And I love him as a person too. I think he’s natural, he’s humble. I love his character, and of course, he had one of the most spectacular games that I ever saw,” Nadal added, talking about what made him support Rory.
And that respect runs both ways. When Nadal retired from tennis at the Davis Cup in 2024, Rory McIlroy congratulated him on Instagram, writing, “From watching you win your first Grand Slam in 2005 to watching you win your last in 2022, you have been a hero of mine and an inspiration for how I approach my own career. See you on the course soon, your friend Rory.”
Now, for Nadal, golf is a new arena where his impact, much like on the tennis court, will be felt for years to come.
How Rafael Nadal is using golf to support his foundation’s work
Golf has also become one of the extensions of Rafael’s work. He set up a foundation called the Rafa Nadal Foundation in 2010 with his mother. The foundation works with a focus on supporting children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds through education and sport. In recent years, golf has become one of the ways the foundation raises funds for its programs.
In February 2026, Nadal launched Spin and Swing by Cantabria Labs. It is a charity golf circuit for corporate teams, with 100% of the funds going to the Foundation’s education and support program. It currently supports over 500 vulnerable children across centers in Palma, Valencia, and Madrid. The circuit runs across four stages in 2026 at some of Spain’s most exclusive courses.
Nadal described it as a personal idea: “This initiative was a personal idea due to my love for golf. It is a way to generate recurring resources to carry out the Foundation’s projects and continue helping children and teenagers in vulnerable situations.”
Together, these initiatives reflect how golf has become more than just an interest for Nadal. It is now part of how he continues his work off the court, using the sport to support long-term programmes focused on education and development.
