A win 11 years in the making unfolded on the 18th green Sunday night in Augusta, Georgia. Rory McIlroy, already one of the greatest golfers in history, had a glaring hole in his Hall of Fame resume. The Masters had been his white whale. It was also the only thing standing between him and an 11-year roadblock. The 2025 Masters was his 11th try at the career grand slam. By far the most in golf history. McIlroy was seeking to be the sixth player in golf history to win the career Grand Slam.
After countless close calls and multiple mistakes down the stretch of Sunday’s final round, McIlroy finally won the Masters. The green jacket, or lack thereof, will never be a story for the rest of his career. Following the round McIlroy remarked that because of his inability to win the tournament and tough Sunday round, he wondered if this day would ever come. Will finally securing a win at Augusta lead to more majors for McIlroy?
How Did McIlroy Get the Job Done?
Sunday’s round was a microcosm of his illustrious career. Great talent coupled with head-scratching mistakes. The perfect example of that was the 72nd hole of the 2025 Masters. McIlroy missed a 6-foot putt to clinch the victory. That led to a sudden-death playoff between him and Justin Rose.
Rose had a final round for the ages, but he came up just short. He fired 10 birdies on his way to a 6-under 66. Rose and the Northern Ireland native returned to the 18th tee to determine a winner. McIlroy much like he did on the 72nd hole, had a short putt standing between him and immortality. He would not make the same mistake twice and buried the putt to get his arms into the green jacket. He fell to the ground as tears poured out of his eyes. It was clear how much the Masters meant to him and how much his decade-long quest for the career Grand Slam was weighing on him.
Final Thoughts
While I am a fan of Justin Rose, I was pulling for McIlroy to make history. Jim Nantz’s stories late in the broadcast about McIlroy wanting to hit more balls as a kid but his father not having enough money tugged on the heartstrings.
We all watch sports because we love to see how much it means to the combatants. That was on full display Sunday night. As McIlroy hugged his wife, daughter, PGA Tour players, and friends after the victory, I found myself getting teary-eyed as well. I was so happy he finally completed the career Grand Slam. After so many close calls and the way Sunday unfolded, it seemed like another epic collapse would haunt him. An all-time great delivered when the odds were stacked against him. That is what sports is all about.
