Is this the secret to Rory McIlroy’s stunning Masters finish?

Rory McIlroy stunned the world of golf with a sensational final round at the Masters.

The Northern Irishman equalled the record for the lowest fourth-round score at Augusta with a 64, firing himself to second place in the first major of the year.

Now data has emerged which may have revealed a key factor behind his spectacular Sunday.

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McIlroy uses a Whoop – a small band on his wrist which collects physiological data. The results from before and during his round were eye-opening.

On Saturday night, the 32-year-old got 51 minutes’ more sleep than normal. He also woke up with a 73% recovery score – a measure of how well the body returns to its normal status after a “stressor”, such as a round of major championship golf.

As well as monitoring McIlroy’s recovery, the band also recorded his heart rate during Sunday’s round, and when he dramatically holed out from the sand at the 18th, it shot up to 143 beats per minute.

The four-time major winner is among a growing number of pros on tour, and in other sports, who are using the technology.

“I’ve been a Whoop member for a number of years and having the ability to monitor my recovery on a daily basis is helpful for my overall performance,” he said.

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“We believe that the data we’re collecting on athletes is unprecedented, both in its sophistication and scale,” says Whoop founder Will Ahmed.

“No physiological studies have ever occurred on this magnitude. Whoop benefits from the fact that athletes also have tangible performance data across sports. We want to share this data.”