Rory McIlroy had been trying for 11 years to join one of golf’s most exclusive fraternities, and his long wait ended on Sunday with a victory at the Masters.
McIlroy, who led by two strokes entering Sunday’s final round, overcame some setbacks, including a furious comeback by Justin Rose to force a one-hole playoff after shooting 1-over par on the day, finishing at 11-under par for the tournament and cementing his place among the game’s immortals.
With his victory at the Masters, the 35-year-old completed the career grand slam, winning all four majors. McIlroy joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as only the sixth player to accomplish the feat.
McIlroy defeated Englishman Rose in a rematch of hole 18, sinking a four-foot putt for birdie and securing the historic victory.
McIlroy was overcome with emotion, tossing his putter and hat in the air and letting out a loud scream before falling to his knees as the crowd cheered him on.
McIlroy then rejoined his wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy to continue the celebration.
The now-five-time major champion, who was emotional during the CBS broadcast, described the feeling of finally breaking the drought as “incredible”.
“This is my 17th time here, and I began to wonder if it would ever be my time, and I believe the last ten have been spent trying to achieve the grand slam. “I’m wondering what we’ll talk about at next year’s Masters,” McIlroy said.
“But I’m just absolutely honored and thrilled, and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
Not always easy
McIlroy’s quest for history got off to a rocky start on Sunday with a double bogey on the first hole at Augusta National.
After his playing partner Bryson DeChambeau birdied the second hole, McIlroy fell behind after leading by two strokes at the start of the day.
But McIlroy kept his cool, and as DeChambeau struggled on the next few holes, McIlroy birdied the third and fourth holes to reclaim a three-stroke advantage.
McIlroy made a run of pars after that, but as Justin Rose and Ludvig Åberg tried to make a run up the leaderboard, the 2022 Masters runner-up put his foot on the gas.
The challengers maintained a comfortable distance with birdies on the ninth and tenth holes.
However, as we approached the back nine, the road became increasingly bumpy.
Rose briefly took the lead at 11-under after hitting a shot into Rae’s Creek on the 13th hole for a double bogey, followed by another bogey on the 14th.
McIlroy, now at 10-under par and tied for second with Åberg, birdied two of the next three holes, including hole 17, to reclaim the lead, leading Rose by one stroke at the 18th hole.
After a shot from the fairway landed in a bunker, McIlroy recovered by making a five-foot putt to seal the major victory.
However, McIlroy would miss the putt, forcing a playoff.
Despite needing a playoff to win, McIlroy felt he did a “good job bouncing back” from both double bogeys.
“I was very nervous going out. “It was almost as if the double bogey at the start calmed my nerves a little bit and sort of got me into it in a funny way,” McIlroy explained.
“I just think I’ve been responding to setbacks this week. I believe that is what I will take away from this week. And I couldn’t be more proud of myself for being able to recover when I needed to.
History 11 years in the making
At the age of 21, the Northern Irishman made his debut at Augusta National in 2011. McIlroy had a four-shot lead heading into Sunday that year, but collapsed in the final round with an eight-over round of 80, finishing tied for 15th place.
McIlroy’s path to golf history began later that year, when he won his first major, the US Open. In 2012, at the age of 23, he won the PGA Championship, earning the Wanamaker Trophy.
By the end of the 2014 season, McIlroy, then 25, had won the Open Championship and added another PGA Championship title.
A Masters victory that would complete a grand slam felt both imminent and inevitable.
But McIlroy’s blistering pace in the majors slowed as years passed without another grand slam championship.
The Northern Irishman continued to win during that time, but major trophies eluded him.
McIlroy is currently the world’s second-ranked golfer, having finished the season in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings every year since 2009. He also had seven top-10 finishes at the Masters during that time.
In 2022, a year after missing the cut at Augusta, McIlroy came closest to winning the Masters. He finished second that year, trailing only champion Scottie Scheffler, thanks to a blistering final round 64.
McIlroy’s 11-year drought between major championships ended on Sunday, matching the longest gap between major wins in golf history.
A thrilling tournament overall
Golf fans were spoiled this week at the 89th Masters Tournament.
Good weather, great play on the course, and history provided fans with everything they wanted.
Rose has now finished second in golf’s most prestigious tournament three times, including in 2015 and 2017.
Rose found solace in his performance, despite finishing second for the third time in the tournament.
“I’ve played some of my best golf this week, from tee to green and even on the greens. …” But I woke up this morning feeling grateful that it was Augusta Sunday.
It’s a special day in the game of golf, no matter what, and I really wanted to go out and make a good impression on myself, and I felt like I got off to a good start,” Rose told reporters.
“Then something happened, undoubtedly, in the middle of the round. I just went to the place you’ve always wanted to visit. I felt great about my game. I felt so good with my mind. I began to get the impression that I was playing my way into the tournament. I was laser-focused out there.
“Unfortunately, playoffs always end quickly. That’s sudden death. You don’t really get a chance. If you’re not the guy who hits the great shot or makes the great putt, it’s over. So I felt like that was the nature of sudden death. But there wasn’t much more I could have done today.”
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed finished third at 9-under, followed by reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler in fourth at 8-under par, missing out on becoming the first back-to-back winner since Woods in 2001 and 2002.
Despite coming into the day trailing McIlroy for the lead, DeChambeau fell down the leaderboard after a poor performance on Masters Sunday.
The 31-year-old finished 3-over 75, tied for fifth with Im Sung-jae on 7-under.
DeChambeau blamed his “iron play” for the poor round, but remained optimistic for the future.
“There would have been a very different outcome. However, there are could, should, and would haves. “You’ve got to do it out here, and it’ll be a good playoff to watch,” DeChambeau stated.
“However, I take a lot of positives from this week. “I’m excited about the rest of my life.”
The PGA Championship, which will take place from May 15-18 at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, is golf’s next major.