- Share via
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose.
Rory rose even higher.
Rory McIlroy finished a rollercoaster round Sunday by beating Rose in a sudden-death playoff — the first at the Masters since 2017 — becoming the sixth man in golf history to win a career Grand Slam.
With the two players tied at 11 under after 72 holes, it came down to a playoff on the par-four 18th hole with Rose narrowly missing his longer putt and McIlroy draining a two-footer for birdie, raising his putter to the sky, then tearfully dropping to his knees and lowering his head to the ground.
“It feels incredible,” he said moments later in the Butler Cabin jacket ceremony, his voice trembling with emotion. “This was my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. The last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that… I’m just absolutely honored and thrilled, and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
The call of legendary CBS announcer Jim Nantz: “The long journey is over! McIlroy has his masterpiece!”
It had been 11 years since McIlroy’s last major championship, and now the 35-year-old from Hollywood, Northern Ireland, joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win all four majors.
McIlroy had a wild round that included two double bogeys, making him the first Masters winner to have four double bogeys over four rounds.
“I didn’t make it easy today,” he said. “I was nervous. It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on the golf course. In a funny way, I feel like the double bogey at the first sort of settled my nerves.”
McIlroy had another double bogey on the par-five 13th, when his third shot from 82 yards landed well right of where he was aiming and rolled into Rae’s Creek.
Once again, he recovered and made two more birdies, setting up the drama of the final holes.
He had a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole but missed a short par putt and the championship headed to an extra hole. Disappointed, McIlroy walked over and kissed the forehead of his 4-year-old daughter, Poppy, kissed his wife and girded for the playoff.
“After scoring, [caddie Harry Diamond] and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee, and he said to me, `Well, Pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning.’ I’m like, `Yeah, absolutely we would have.’
“That was an easy reset. He basically said to me, look, you would have given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week. So that sort of reframed it a little bit for me.”
Augusta National is known for being tech-averse, but it is changing in some ways. From drones to AI, the Masters is slowly adjusting to the times.
Rose, 44, was looking to become the oldest first-time Masters winner. His 66 matched the best Sunday round at the Masters, and he had 10 birdies – eight in his final 12 holes. He said he didn’t glance up to the leaderboard until the 18th green. There, he sank a 20-foot birdie putt that ultimately would force a playoff.
“I was laser-focused out there,” Rose said. “I realized that putt — I could hear from the crowd on 17 — that I was right in the mix.”
A signature moment for McIlroy came on his approach on the 17th hole, a beautiful shot that left him with a three-foot birdie putt. “Go, go, go, go,” he walked forward and talked to the ball as it curled to its soft landing spot. He made the putt to drop to 12 under and was a par on 18 away from winning.
But that par didn’t come. His bogey left him tied with Rose.
Had another Masters opportunity slipped away, it would have been familiar to McIlroy. In 2011, he had a four-shot lead after three rounds but shot 80 on Sunday and finished tied for 15th.
“I was unbelievably nervous this morning,” McIlroy said. “Really nervous on the first hole, as you witnessed with the double, but as I said, that sort of calmed me down and I was able to bounce back and show that resilience that I’ve talked about a lot.”
The day started as a showdown between McIlroy, who began the day at 12 under, and Bryson DeChambeau at 10 under. (Despite a strong start, DeChambeau wound up shooting 75.)
Scottie Scheffler, who won the Masters last year, shot a 69 to finish fourth at eight under.
Asked where Sunday ranks among the greatest days of his life, McIlroy said he wouldn’t compare it to his wedding day or the birth of a child.
“But it’s the best day of my golfing life,” he said. “And yeah, I’m very proud of myself. I’m proud of never giving up. I’m proud of how I kept coming back and dusting myself off and not letting the disappointments really get to me.”
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
