AUGUSTA, Ga. — AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy’s lengthy, painful watch for the profession Grand Slam is lastly over.
And the best achievement of his profession was as nerve-wracking and dramatic as all the near-misses that got here earlier than it.
The 35-year-old from Northern Eire overcame a shaky begin — and much more perilous end — within the remaining spherical of the 89th Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership on Sunday to defeat Justin Rose within the first gap of a sudden-death playoff to lastly win a inexperienced jacket and turn out to be solely the sixth golfer to finish the profession Grand Slam.
GolferCompleted AtRory McIlroy2025 MastersTiger Woods2000 OpenJack Nicklaus1966 OpenGary Player1965 U.S. OpenBen Hogan1953 OpenGene Sarazen1935 Masters
McIlroy joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Participant, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the one golfers to seize the 4 main championships within the Masters period.
Within the playoff on the par-4 18th, each gamers hit their tee photographs within the fairway. Rose’s strategy from 187 yards almost hit the outlet on the fly, and his ball bounced 15 toes previous. McIlroy’s second shot was even higher, touchdown on the slope above the outlet, along with his ball rolling again 4 toes from the cup, because the patrons surrounding the inexperienced chanted his identify.
After taking a number of minutes to learn the putt, Rose’s birdie putt failed to interrupt and stayed proper. With a second probability to seize the inexperienced jacket he’d all the time wished — he’d missed a 5-footer on the 72nd gap — McIlroy did not miss once more.
McIlroy threw his putter within the air and put his head in his arms. He fell to his knees and wept earlier than hugging his caddie, Harry Diamond. He discovered his spouse, Erica, and daughter, Poppy, and was nonetheless crying as he made the lengthy stroll from the 18th inexperienced to the clubhouse, as 1000’s of patrons cheered him on.
McIlroy did simply sufficient within the remaining 18 holes to affix that unique membership, posting a 1-over 73 to complete 11 underneath, which tied Rose, who chased him down with a 6-under 66 to drive the primary playoff on the Masters since 2017.
Rose additionally competed in that playoff, falling to Spain’s Sergio Garcia on the primary gap.
McIlroy had an opportunity to seize a inexperienced jacket on the 72nd gap. His tee shot safely discovered the golf green, however then his strategy flared to the suitable and landed in a greenside bunker. He calmly chipped out to about 5 toes. His par putt slid previous the outlet on the low aspect, sending him right into a playoff towards Rose.
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, completed third at 9 underneath with a 3-under 69 on Sunday. World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was making an attempt to win a 3rd inexperienced jacket in 4 years, completed fourth at 8 underneath after posting a 69. Bryson DeChambeau (3-over 75) and Sungjae Im (69) tied for fifth at 7 underneath.
It was McIlroy’s eleventh try at ending the profession Grand Slam, most amongst those that have performed it, and for some time on Sunday it appeared like he’d have to attend one other yr to attempt once more in 2026 after he squandered a four-stroke lead in an exhilarating second 9.
On the verge of collapsing on the Masters once more, McIlroy delivered one of the memorable photographs of his profession on the par-4 seventeenth. Rose was already within the clubhouse because the co-leader at 11 underneath, so McIlroy wanted to birdie one of many final two holes to keep away from a sudden-death playoff.
After hitting a 248-yard drive down the suitable aspect of the golf green, McIlroy smacked an iron and urged his ball to “go, go, go!” as he adopted it up the golf green. His ball bounced on the inexperienced and rolled 2 toes from the cup. He made the birdie to go to 12 underneath, one in entrance of Rose.
It appeared it could be sufficient — till McIlroy missed the quick putt on the 18th.
It is McIlroy’s fifth main championship victory and his first in additional than a decade. He additionally received the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship and 2014 Open Championship.
McIlroy made the flip at 1-under 35 and was the primary golfer to achieve 13 underneath. He added one other birdie on the par-4 tenth to keep up a four-stroke lead.
However then McIlroy gave the golfers chasing him a prayer of coming again when he made a large number of two of the holes at Augusta Nationwide’s iconic Amen Nook. On the par-4 eleventh, McIlroy’s strategy almost went into the pond in entrance of the inexperienced. His ball stopped on high of the financial institution. He chipped to 10 toes and missed the putt. A bogey dropped him to 13 underneath.
After making par on the par-3 twelfth, catastrophe struck on the par-5 thirteenth. McIlroy took a conservative technique after hitting a 300-yard drive down the golf green. As a substitute of going for the inexperienced, he laid up his strategy to 86 yards. Then he hit one of many worst wedge photographs of his profession. His ball sailed nowhere close to his goal, bounced twice on the financial institution and fell right into a tributary of Rae’s Creek.
After a one-stroke penalty, McIlroy chipped to 11 toes. He missed the putt and carded a double-bogey 7. His lead over Rose was down to 1.
Then, on the par-4 14th, McIlroy pushed his tee shot into the timber on the suitable, and his strategy was in need of the inexperienced. He chipped to about 10 toes. His par putt appeared prefer it was going to interrupt into the outlet, however stopped about an inch from the cup. One other bogey dropped him to 10 underneath and in a three-way tie with Rose and Åberg.
McIlroy took a two-stroke lead over DeChambeau into the ultimate spherical, nevertheless it was gone after he made a double-bogey on the primary gap.
McIlroy is the primary Masters champion to card 4 double-bogeys in a event (he had two within the first spherical).
