Daily TribuneEven when he wasn’t playing great, Rory was always among the top picks for the Masters with his talent and length
Every year, the build-up to The Masters sends a buzz around the golfing universe. Whether it be about potential winners, past champions, the traditions surrounding the tournament, or simply about the beauty and mystique surrounding Augusta National Golf Club, it’s as if the world revolves around that tiny property in Georgia every spring.
Most years, the tournament lives up to the hype. Watching the world’s best take on the exclusive course year after year is thrilling for golf fans. But every so often, a truly epic tournament unfolds, where the champion’s impact goes beyond the sport — like Tiger in 1997 and, to a lesser extent, in the 2019 Masters.
This year, in a Masters without Tiger, the Masters still delivered a final round for the books. It felt like a movie script — Rory McIlroy battling his demons, overcoming both internal and external challenges, and emerging victorious. His win at the Masters was more than a decade in the making.
There are two timelines to consider.
The first is 11 years. It’s been 11 years since his last major victory, and with it, the chance to complete the rare Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors. Why is it important to note? Professionals go through careers without majors. But Rory isn’t just a run-of-the-mill pro. He was supposed to be the next Tiger Woods. He looked and played the part initially, until like Tiger, he fell into a major slump for over 10 years.
The second timeline to note is 14 years. It was at the 2011 Masters where Rory was supposed to win his first major, carrying a 4-shot lead heading into the back 9 on Sunday. His collapse could’ve ruined a lesser golfer, but he went on and won the next major, the 2011 US Open at Congressional.
So 11 years and so many heartbreaking close calls and disappointments later, and 14 years after missing an opportunity of a lifetime, Rory McIlroy has finally done it.
How he did it, however, will be the topic of discussions and the focus of golf documentaries for decades.
Rory came into the 2025 Masters in good form. He has won twice this year, at Pebble Beach for the AT&T and TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship.
Even when he wasn’t playing great, Rory was always among the top picks for the Masters with his talent and length. But this year, after a couple of wins, Rory was front and center.
His recent major disappointments, especially at the 2022 Open Championship and last year’s US Open, provided plenty of motivation.
But we’ve all witnessed Rory’s major heartbreaks since 2014, and coming close but falling short seemed to be his trademark. It’s likely one of the reasons Rory is so beloved by fans and respected by the legends of the game.
In fact, during the press conference after the first round of the Masters, honorary starters Gary Player, Tom Watson and the GOAT, Jack Nicklaus, all chose Rory to win.
The tournament began well for Rory, putting himself well in the mix at -4 by the 14th hole in his first round. A little heavy-handed chip from the back of the 15th for eagle turned into a double bogey, and another fumble on the 17th added another double, resulting in a first-round even par 72.
He was three of the lead on the 15th, looking at a probable birdie and going just two back of leader Justin Rose. But when the smoke cleared, he was seven back after day one.
It could have been the end of the tournament for Rory. But credit to his resilience, he turned the lost opportunities of day one onto a 66 on day two. He didn’t let up and turned in another 66 on day three to grab the lead, two shots clear of Bryson DeChambeau.
Had anyone else been in second place, the final-round pairing would still have been thrilling. But with Bryson, the person who snatched the US Open from him last year, the same Bryson who represents LIV Golf against Rory’s PGA Tour, the animosity between them was palpable.
This wasn’t a contrived rivalry; it was pure and raw — so much so that Bryson revealed Rory didn’t utter a single word to him all day.
The day began with a double bogey at the first for Rory.
In one hole, his lead was gone. The 2nd hole was the same, Bryson made a birdie and Rory a par. In the first 30 minutes of a match-up billed as a duel, Rory came from leading by two to trailing by one.
It seemed like vintage Rory, a disastrous final round ruining what could have been an easy win. But this time Rory came back with counter punches of his own. A birdie on hole 3 and again at the long par 3 fourth put McIlroy back on top.
Bryson was the one to crumble this time around. By the 10th hole, Rory was leading at -14, and Bryson five shots adrift. By the 11th, Rory would lead DeChambeau by six. Bryson didn’t get into the mix in the rest of the final round.
(with a little help from Justin Rose)
Even with a bogey on the 11th hole, Rory was still in control after making a safe par at 12. His conservative play at 13 meant he was being mature, avoiding big numbers coming home. But after a good drive and lay-up at 13, he had just 86 yards for his third.
With the green sloping back to front and left to right, a conservative approach left of the pin and past it could still result in a tap-in birdie. Had he played his third shot to 90 yards at the center, par would have been the worst he could manage.
But Rory lost focus and dumped his approach into Rae’s Creek, making double on a hole where everyone makes a birdie. Another bogey on 14, combined with Justin Rose’s six birdies on his final nine holes, cut Rory’s lead to just one shot over Rose and Ludvig Åberg. By the 16th, Rory had lost his lead and was tied with Rose.
A brilliant approach on the par-5 15th left Rory with a short eagle putt — but he missed. Still, a solid par at 16 and a clutch birdie at 17 put him one shot ahead with one hole to play. All he needed was a par to complete the Career Grand Slam. But it wouldn’t be that simple. After a strong drive and a wedge in hand, Rory dumped his second shot into the right bunker and missed a six-footer for par.
The playoff between Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy shouldn’t have happened. Rory could’ve secured the green jacket with simple, conservative play from the 13th onward. He also could’ve lost it outright if not for brilliant approaches on the 15th and 17th. But as fate would have it, it took one more perfect drive, a pinpoint approach, and a three-foot putt on the first playoff hole for Rory to finally slay his inner demons. Finally!
