AUGUSTA, Ga. — Nothing ever comes easy for Rory McIlroy in a major. Nothing. Three different times he appeared to have locked up the 2025 Masters, and three different times, he fumbled it or had it snatched from his grasp.
But finally, McIlroy has claimed his green jacket. It took him 72 holes plus a one-hole playoff against Justin Rose, it took him multiple collapses and resuscitations, but at last, McIlroy is a Masters champion, once again a major winner, and now one of the six men with a career grand slam, the first since Tiger Woods in 2000.
McIlroy appeared to have the tournament locked up, leading by a stroke standing on the 18th green. But his short putt slid past the hole, dropping him into a playoff. On the first hole of sudden death, McIlroy and Rose both journeyed back to the 18th tee, and both hammered their drives into the fairway. Rose’s approach settled about 15 feet from the pin. But McIlroy met the moment, placing his approach inside Rose’s and just 4 feet from the pin … again.
Rose’s birdie attempt slipped just past the hole, and that once again left McIlroy with a 4-foot putt to win the Masters. This time, he didn’t miss.
"I started to wonder if this would ever be my time," McIlroy told CBS at Butler's Cabin in an emotional post tournament interview in which he fought back tears and also thanked his parents in Northern Ireland, adding, "I can't wait to celebrate with them."
Long one of the finest players of his generation, McIlroy has flourished on every stage but the biggest one for the past 11 years, winning everywhere but in the tournaments that matter most. On Sunday, however, he emphatically hurled all his demons and skeletons into Rae’s Creek, battling back from near-constant self-inflicted adversity, an early challenge from Bryson DeChambeau, and a late threat from Justin Rose.
For so long, it appeared McIlroy would never don a green jacket, never shake off the ghosts that have haunted him here since 2011.
It wasn’t easy. It probably wasn’t a whole lot of fun for him, either. But a win is a win, and this career-defining moment is one he’ll cherish forever.
McIlroy survives early stumble
The world waited all year for the Masters, and on Monday, the skies forced everyone to wait just a little longer. A deluge washed out all but about three hours of the day, soaking patrons and leaving ...
