Rory’s Finally Done It
It was messy, it was gutsy, but in the end, Rory finally has his green jacket.
Irishman Rory McIlroy was built up as golf’s new golden boy over a decade ago after he won his fourth major in 2014. But success at the Masters always eluded him, and McIlroy had to wait 11 years before winning his fifth major in dramatic fashion Sunday after he defeated Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff.
McIlroy’s moment. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ii5NCjvLmA
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 13, 2025
McIlroy made golf news by joining an exclusive list as just the sixth man to win the grand slam by finally winning all four major tournaments. He also joins a short list of players to win majors 11 years apart:
Make it 6!
Gene Sarazen
Ben Hogan
Gary Player
Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods
Rory McIlroy— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 13, 2025
Rory McIlroy joins an elusive group of golfers for the longest span in between major championship wins — 11 years
Henry Cotton, 1937-48
Julius Boros, 1952-63
Hale Irwin, 1979-90
Ben Crenshaw, 1984-95
Tiger Woods, 2008-19
+ Rory McIlroy, 2014-25— Anthony Rizzo (@ByAnthonyRizzo) April 13, 2025
Resiliency is certainly one word to describe McIlroy’s final round and 11-year drought. Golf rumors are saying it’s the first time anyone has won a green jacket after four double bogeys, including two on Sunday. His failed putt on the 72nd hole also forced the playoff where he won on a birdie.
Winning a major with 4 double-bogeys is some sick sick shit.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) April 14, 2025
But McIlroy also saved some of the best shots in his career like on the 15th hole, which came not long after he blew a 4-stroke lead:
Poised to make eagle. Rory McIlroy goes for glory on No. 15. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hAM0zxnkM7
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 13, 2025
It was messy, it was gutsy, but in the end, Rory finally has his green jacket.
It’s a Long Way to the Top
Tiger Woods dominated golf for years at the turn of the century. But in the 2010s, a new face of the sport was needed after we learned about Woods working on his stroke off the course with women who weren’t his wife. The injuries ultimately did him in, too.
A young Irish golfer named Rory McIlroy won his first PGA event in 2010, his first major (US Open) in 2011, and with four majors by age 25, he looked poised to take Woods’ top spot, eventually ranking as the world’s number one golfer nine times for 122 total weeks.
Four majors made @McIlroyRory great. Completing a career Grand Slam, legendary. pic.twitter.com/inD1hyPkWr
— Nike (@Nike) April 13, 2025
But after his fourth major in 2014, McIlroy hit a slump. He was a competent golfer, but major success eluded him. Soon, Jordan Spieth became a big deal too, and Brooks Koepka (2017-23) beat the post-Tiger prime era to five majors. McIlroy’s peers like Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler have spent more weeks as the world’s No. 1 golfer, including a dominant 2024 season by Scheffler, who just finished fourth at Augusta.
McIlroy was becoming old news with a runner-up finish at the Masters in 2022 as his best major finish since 2014. But McIlroy was a vocal critic of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022. He won the FedEx Cup for a record third time that year, and he won the Players Championship just last month for the second time.
He came into the 2025 Masters hot and a golf betting favorite. The purse was $21 million for the Masters, and McIlroy will earn about $4.2 million for his hard-fought win, which ties him with Koepka for the most majors won since 2010 (five).
It wasn’t a dream. #themasters pic.twitter.com/JIWeyeShDE
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2025
McIlroy, 35, has the monkey off his back after 11 years of hearing how he’s the next Tiger Woods. With three wins in 2025, we’ll see if this calms him down and if he goes on another tear to live up to that reputation as the best of the post-Tiger era.
But truth be told, watching Rory nearly give it away Sunday, you appreciate how special Woods was even more.
