AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy‘s lengthy, painful look ahead to the profession Grand Slam is lastly over.
And the best achievement of his profession was as nerve-racking and dramatic because the close to misses that got here earlier than it.
The 35-year-old from Northern Eire overcame a shaky begin — and much more perilous end — within the closing spherical of the 89th Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership on Sunday to defeat Justin Rose within the first gap of a sudden-death playoff to win a inexperienced jacket and turn into solely the sixth golfer to finish the profession Grand Slam.
McIlroy joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the one golfers to seize the 4 main championships within the Masters period.
“That is my seventeenth time right here, and I began to surprise if it could ever be my time,” McIlroy mentioned. “I feel the final 10 years coming right here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and making an attempt to attain that, yeah, I am type of questioning what we’re all going to speak about going into subsequent yr’s Masters.”
Within the playoff on the par-4 18th, each gamers hit their tee photographs within the fairway. Rose’s strategy from 187 yards almost hit the opening on the fly, and his ball bounced 15 toes previous. McIlroy’s second shot was even higher, touchdown on the slope above the opening along with his ball rolling again 4 toes from the cup because the patrons surrounding the inexperienced chanted his title.
After taking a number of minutes to learn the putt, Rose’s birdie try failed to interrupt and stayed proper. With a second likelihood to seize his first inexperienced jacket, he missed a 5-footer on the 72nd gap. McIlroy did not miss once more.
McIlroy threw his putter within the air and put his head in his arms. He fell to his knees and wept earlier than hugging his caddie, Harry Diamond. McIlroy discovered his spouse, Erica, and daughter, Poppy, and was nonetheless crying as he made the lengthy stroll from the 18th inexperienced to the clubhouse as hundreds of patrons cheered him on.
Later, as McIlroy walked to the apply inexperienced for the trophy presentation, he hugged his placing coach, former PGA Tour participant Brad Faxon, and advised him, “What a curler coaster.”
“I might say it was 14 years within the making, from going out with a four-shot lead in 2011, feeling like I might have gotten it performed there,” McIlroy mentioned. “Yeah, there was loads of pent-up emotion that simply got here out on that 18th inexperienced. A second like that makes all of the years and all of the shut calls value it.”
McIlroy thanked his household and workforce whereas accepting the trophy simply earlier than he slipped on his inexperienced jacket.
“They have been on this journey with me the entire approach by,” McIlroy mentioned. “They know the burden that I’ve carried to come back right here yearly and try to try to strive once more.”
McIlroy did simply sufficient within the closing 18 holes to affix that unique membership, posting a 1-over 73 to complete 11 below. Rose, who additionally completed 11 below, chased him down with a 6-under 66 to power the primary playoff on the Masters since 2017.
Rose additionally competed in that playoff, falling to Spain’s Sergio Garcia on the primary gap.
McIlroy had an opportunity to seize a inexperienced jacket on the 72nd gap. His tee shot safely discovered the green, however his strategy flared to the precise and landed in a greenside bunker. He calmly chipped out to about 5 toes. His par putt slid previous the opening on the low aspect, sending him right into a playoff in opposition to Rose.
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, completed third at 9 below with a 3-under 69 on Sunday. World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was making an attempt to win a 3rd inexperienced jacket in 4 years, completed fourth at 8 below after posting a 69. Bryson DeChambeau (3-over 75) and Sungjae Im (69) tied for fifth at 7 below.
It was McIlroy’s eleventh try at ending the profession Grand Slam, most amongst those that have performed it, and for some time Sunday, it appeared like he’d have to attend one other yr after he squandered a four-stroke lead in an exciting second 9.
On the verge of collapsing on the Masters once more, McIlroy delivered some of the memorable photographs of his profession on the par-4 seventeenth. Rose was already within the clubhouse because the co-leader at 11 below, so McIlroy wanted to birdie one of many final two holes to keep away from a sudden-death playoff.
After hitting a 248-yard drive down the precise aspect of the green, McIlroy smacked an iron and urged his ball to “go, go, go!” as he adopted it up the green. His ball bounced on the inexperienced and rolled 2 toes from the cup. He made the birdie to go to 12 below, one in entrance of Rose.
It appeared to be sufficient — till McIlroy missed the brief putt on the 18th.
It is McIlroy’s fifth main championship victory and first in additional than a decade. He additionally received the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship and 2014 Open Championship.
McIlroy made the flip at 1-under 35 and was the primary golfer to achieve 13 below. He added one other birdie on the par-4 tenth to keep up a four-stroke lead.
However McIlroy gave the golfers chasing him a prayer of coming again when he struggled at two of the holes at Augusta Nationwide’s iconic Amen Nook. On the par-4 eleventh, McIlroy’s strategy almost went into the pond in entrance of the inexperienced. His ball stopped on high of the financial institution. He chipped to 10 toes and missed the putt. A bogey dropped him to 13 below.
After making par on the par-3 twelfth, catastrophe struck on the par-5 thirteenth. McIlroy took a conservative technique after hitting a 300-yard drive down the green. As an alternative of going for the inexperienced, he laid up his strategy to 86 yards. Then, he hit one of many worst wedge photographs of his profession. His ball sailed nowhere close to his goal, bounced twice on the financial institution and fell right into a tributary of Rae’s Creek.
“I wished to cry for him,” mentioned DeChambeau, who was taking part in with McIlroy. “I imply, as an expert, you simply know to hit it in the midst of the inexperienced. I am unable to imagine he went for it or should have simply flared it. However I’ve hit unhealthy photographs in my profession, too, and it occurs.
“Once you’re making an attempt to win a serious championship, particularly out right here, Sunday of Augusta, the Masters, it’s important to simply do it and get the job performed and do it proper. There have been occasions the place it appeared like he had full management and at occasions the place it is like, ‘What is going on on?'”
After a one-stroke penalty, McIlroy chipped to 11 toes. He missed the putt and carded a double-bogey 7. His lead over Rose was down to at least one.
Then, on the par-4 14th, McIlroy pushed his tee shot into the timber on the precise, and his strategy was in need of the inexperienced. He chipped to about 10 toes. His par putt appeared to be breaking into the opening, however stopped about an inch from the cup. One other bogey dropped him to 10 below and in a three-way tie with Rose and Ludvig Åberg.
McIlroy took a two-stroke lead over DeChambeau into the ultimate spherical, however it was gone after he made a double-bogey on the primary gap.
McIlroy is the primary Masters champion to card 4 double-bogeys in a event (he had two within the first spherical).
