Rory McIlroy has etched his name into golfing immortality, finally capturing the elusive Masters title and completing the career Grand Slam. It came after a nail biting playoff with Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose and along with the Green jacket he becomes just the sixth player in history to win all four Majors—joining the legendary group of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
What a rollercoaster for the nerves!
It was a final round filled with heartbreak and near-misses. McIlroy opened with a double bogey on the first—a chilling echo of past Augusta struggles. But what followed was a comeback for the ages. He carded six birdies but the standout shots came on the 15th and 17th when the pressure was on.
On the par-5 15th, McIlroy hit a towering 232-yard 4-iron to six feet for birdie—arguably one of the best shots of his career. Then on 17, he fired a pin-seeking 8-iron to within a foot, sealing a vital birdie.
McIlroy had the opportunity to par the final hole in regulation but failed to get up and down from the green side bunker in 18, which saw him tied at the top with Justin Rose at -11.
The play off
Both players split the tight 18th fairway. Rose came within inches of pin with his approach with an eight iron, but McIlroy checked a wedge into the bank and spun it back to within three feet. Rose failed to sink his putt and McIlroy didn’t fail the second time round on the 18th. Draining the short putt before collapsing to his knees in emotion.
Tiger Woods, one of the only other men to complete the Grand Slam, summed up the magnitude of the feat: “To win all four Majors is the ultimate measure of a player’s versatility, consistency, and mental strength. It’s the one thing that defines greatness. Rory absolutely deserves to be in that conversation now.”
McIlroy’s Masters win comes 11 years after his first major at the 2011 U.S. Open. His major tally now stands at five: two PGA Championships (2012, 2014), The Open (2014), the U.S. Open (2011), and finally, the green jacket in 2025.
For British and Irish golf fans, this is a defining moment—one that places Rory McIlroy among the greatest to ever play the game.
