Rory McIlroy's two foods he scrapped from diet and benefits he took into Masters

Rory McIlroy scrapped two foods from his diet, which could yet lead to his maiden triumph. The Northern Irish has his eyes at .

He by two shots in his pursuit of the green jacket heading into the final round’s play. , 35, is on a roll after hitting a rich vein of form in Georgia, leading the field with American Bryson DeChambeau following closely behind.

"You have to try to ride that momentum as much as you can but then also temper it with a little bit of rationale and logic," McIlroy said. "It's a fine dance. I certainly don't want to be a robot out there, but at the same time I don't want to be too animated, either."

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His form has been brilliant throughout 2025, having already won two esteemed PGA Tour competitions – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship – before the Masters for the first time in his career.

And while those successes can be attributed to his natural talent, he has also benefited from sticking to a strict diet and fitness regimen in order to stay at the top of his game.

The No. 2 realised some time ago that while he had plenty of flexibility, he lacked the strength to manage his swing, leading to hyper-extension. To counter this, he significantly increased his protein consumption.

Talking to two years ago, McIlroy said: "I had to up my protein intake quite a bit. I'd eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight. I still do that, 170 grams per day of protein."

He then cut out pork and eggs which both happen to be key protein sources. Opening up about his gluten-free diet, he explained: "It just doesn't agree with my body. Those are more of a personal thing that's unique to my body."

His revamped eating plan also saw him scale back on two of his favourite treats: chocolate and ice cream. Once a regular feature, he now only allows himself the occasional indulgence.

"I don't think you want to demonise food," he stated. "It's about being able to fit it into your diet so you can have it every once in a while and feel good about it and not feel guilty. There's so much guilt associated with eating. If you can break that mental barrier, you'll be better off."

McIlroy is known for working long hours at the gym to maintain his physique, which has notably improved since his early days on the professional circuit. His strenuous fitness routine kicks off with an intense warm-up that includes light jogging, lunges, and rotational squat jumps.

His main workout includes deadlifts, pull-ups and planks, followed by dumbbell work and more lunges. In order to improve flexibility, he also incorporates a rotation exercise which sees him throwing and catching a medicine ball while rotating his body to the side.

Each part of his workout is performed three times, and the rotational drill is done 10 times on each side. To prevent soreness and avoid injuries, he completes his session with stretching exercises as part of his cool-down routine.