Rory McIlroy and Amanda Balionis appeared completely at ease during their on-camera chat at the opening day of the Masters on Thursday.
The 36-year-old defending champion sat down with the CBS presenter two years after unsubstantiated rumours of a romance between them sent shockwaves through his marriage to Erica Stoll.
But there wasn't a hint of tension between the pair at Augusta National.
Their exchange came across as both calm and cordial, much like the numerous interviews Balionis has conducted with the Northern Irish golfer since the never-confirmed allegations first surfaced back in 2024.
Rory McIlroy and Amanda Balionis appeared completely at ease during their on-camera chat
|SKY SPORTS
The speculation began at the Wells Fargo tournament in 2024, which happened to fall on US Mother's Day.
During that interview, McIlroy didn't mention his wife Stoll, who is mother to their daughter, leaving viewers puzzled.
Just a day later, the five-time major winner filed for divorce after seven years of marriage, describing the relationship as "irretrievably broken."
People quickly pointed to what they saw as closeness between McIlroy and the 39-year-old presenter during their chat.
Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll had filed for divorce before reversing the decision
|REUTERS
The couple later patched things up, though, and looked every bit the happy pair at the Masters champion's dinner on Tuesday evening.
Neither has ever publicly addressed the rumours.
McIlroy spoke about the importance of keeping his cool as he looks to retain his green jacket.
"It has felt very different," he said. "It's the morning of the tournament, and those same feelings I've always experienced here, they come back."
He admitted to feeling "a little nervous, a little anxious" but stressed that patience was crucial.
"One of my key thoughts last year was staying patient on the front nine," McIlroy explained. "It can play difficult. You want to think you can be under par through three, but if you're not, it's OK."
That approach clearly worked, as he fired a brilliant opening round of 67, notching five birdies.
McIlroy now sits in a shared lead alongside American Sam Burns, with world number one Scottie Scheffler lurking three shots back.
Rory McIlroy is in the hunt for another Masters title
|REUTERS
Justin Rose, who lost to McIlroy in last year's dramatic play-off, is also on the same mark as Scheffler.
"It's a great start, but there's a long way to go," McIlroy said. "I'm right in the tournament. It's a lot better than start from seven behind going into the second round like last year."
The defending champion is keeping his feet firmly on the ground, though.
"I'm not getting ahead of myself but I'm feeling good with where I'm at."