AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Rory McIlroy made the turn Sunday at Augusta National and the crowd has tilted his way, there was an epic feeling of, well, this could really happen. Sport has a unique way of making the grandest stars on the grandest stages feel so very small. But McIlroy, for all the heartbreak and the demons at this particular place, went through Sunday at the Masters and took it to the finish line for the biggest win of his life.
Rory McIlroy has won the Masters.
The moment when McIlroy did it (he did it!) saw the 35-year-old drop to his knees and release more than a decade of pent-up emotion to the greatest extent. Heaving sobs on the 18th green of the most iconic golf course on the planet.
A 38 regular was waiting for the little man from the little town in Northern Ireland. Just the sixth male golfer in history to complete the grand slam. The first to complete the slam at the Masters. The biggest championship in the sport now belongs to McIlroy.
“It’s a dream come true. I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember,” McIlroy said, a slight catch to his voice.
He did not make it easy, however.
McIlroy opened the day with a double bogey on the first and admitted Sunday was the toughest day of his golfing life (later he also said it was the best day of his golfing life, but a new addition to your wardrobe will do that to a person’s emotions). McIlroy led by five shots with eight to play. Then he trailed by one with four to play. And then he was tied with Justin Rose, who at 44 turned back the clock with a Sunday 66, tied for the low round of the day.
McIlroy managed to get the two shots back with birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 and then added two more on Nos. 9 and 10.
“Just a complete rollercoaster of a day,” McIlroy said. “It was very tricky out there. It almost felt more like a U.S. Open than a Masters at some points just with how firm and fast the greens got.”
McIlroy bogeyed the par-4 11th and then made double on No. 13, which played as the third-easiest hole of the week. He also bogeyed 14.
He wasn’t going to lose this one, again, was he?
McIlroy bounced back with birdies on No. 15 and 17 before missing a six-footer on 18 for par that would have won him the Green Jacket in regulation. He then pounded a driver on the first playoff hole and flipped a gap wedge to just four feet.
When Rose missed his own birdie attempt, the door was open for McIlroy to finally do it.
“There were points on the back nine today, I thought, ‘You know, have I let this slip again?’ But you know, again, I responded with some clutch shots when I needed to, and really proud of myself for that,” McIlroy said. “It’s been an emotionally draining week for a lot of reasons, a lot of just rollercoaster rounds and late finishes. And so just, you know, absolutely thrilled to be sitting here at the end of the week as the last man standing.”
Ironically, McIlroy said Sunday night, he was invited to a dinner Tuesday by a few of the club’s members and he and Rose were the only two players there (next year, of course, McIlroy will have other plans on Tuesday of tournament week). McIlroy also said, ironically, that there was a note in his locker from Angel Cabrera wishing him luck. Cabrera was who McIlroy played with Sunday in 2011 when he melted down, losing a four-stroke lead and the Masters. That was, perhaps, the start of the curse at this particular course and this particular tournament.
But that’s all gone now. It’s broken. Not only has McIlroy won the Masters, but also the career grand slam. The names alongside his are icons. Titans. Historically as compared to the rest of this golfing generation, McIlroy stands alone.
“It’s very difficult. I think I’ve carried that burden since August 2014. It’s nearly 11 years. And not just about winning my next major, but the career Grand Slam. You know, trying to join a group of five players to do it, you know, watching a lot of my peers get green jackets in the process,” McIlroy said. “It was a heavy weight to carry, and thankfully now I don’t have to carry it, and it frees me up and I know I’m coming back here every year, which is lovely.”
Golf is, of course, an individual game. But McIlroy has had the same tight team supporting him for years — a decade at least. His caddie, Harry Diamond, has been his friend since he was seven. Almost like an older brother, McIlroy said Sunday through tears. Ditto his manager, another childhood mate.
As McIlroy came off the 18th green for the second time, a Masters winner now, the crowd couldn’t stop chanting his name. There was barely a dry eye amongst patrons, staff members, and even some media members. But McIlroy is the most human of golfing superstars, and human beings who accomplish great things inspire different kinds of feelings.
As he walked through to the scoring hut, he was stopped by fellow Irishman Shane Lowry. A major champ in his own right and long-time pal of McIlroy’s, Lowry lifted his friend as high as he could in a tight hug. And then, before McIlroy went further into the depths of Augusta National — special spots reserved only for Masters champions — he came over to an assembled group of Irish press. They cheered and exchanged handshakes. And then McIlroy lifted his head high and exhaled deeply and emotionally.
“Ok guys,” McIlroy said, “I’ve got to go get a Green Jacket.”
