After 11 long years, dozens of heartbreaks, and countless questions about whether it would ever happen, Rory McIlroy finally conquered Augusta National. The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland etched his name into golf history on Sunday, winning the 2025 Masters Tournament in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy becomes only the sixth player in the modern era to win all four major championships, joining the most legendary names in the sport: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. But unlike the others, McIlroy’s road to immortality was a saga — one filled with near-misses and painful stumbles that made this moment all the more powerful.
The final chapter of that saga unfolded with all the drama Augusta is known for. After squandering a four-stroke lead on the back nine, McIlroy found himself tied with Rose at 11-under par after 72 holes. The Englishman had charged up the leaderboard with a 6-under 66 — including a clutch 20-foot birdie on the 18th to force the first playoff at the Masters since 2017.
In the playoff, both players split the fairway with their drives on the par-4 18th. Rose’s approach from 187 yards nearly dunked into the cup, his ball settling 15 feet past. McIlroy, with everything on the line, delivered a masterpiece: a perfectly struck iron that hit the slope above the hole and trickled back to just four feet as the patrons roared, chanting his name.
Rose’s birdie try stayed out to the right. Then came McIlroy’s moment. With the same length putt he missed on the 72nd hole that could have sealed it in regulation, McIlroy calmly stepped up — and this time, he didn’t miss.
He tossed his putter skyward, dropped to his knees, and wept. Embracing his longtime caddie Harry Diamond, and moments later his wife Erica and daughter Poppy, McIlroy’s tears flowed as he made the emotional walk to the clubhouse, where thousands of fans showered him in ovation. The long, painful wait was finally over.
McIlroy began the final round with a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau but opened with a double bogey, immediately injecting uncertainty into the final day. He righted the ship and even reached 13-under after a birdie on No. 10. But Augusta’s Amen Corner lived up to its reputation.
At the 11th, a near-water disaster led to a bogey. He steadied himself at 12, but on 13, playing conservatively, McIlroy laid up — only to mishit his wedge into Rae’s Creek. The ensuing double bogey reduced his lead to one.
On 14, another bogey dropped him into a three-way tie with Rose and Ludvig Åberg. With Rose in the clubhouse at 11 under, McIlroy needed a moment of magic — and delivered on 17. A 248-yard drive and pure iron shot set up a 2-foot birdie putt to reclaim the lead.
But once again, Augusta tested him. On 18, McIlroy found the fairway but flared his approach into a greenside bunker. He blasted out to five feet — and missed.
For a moment, history was delayed. But in the playoff, the veteran showed why he’s one of the game’s greats.
With the win, McIlroy now owns five major titles: the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, 2014 Open Championship, and now the 2025 Masters. The Masters had always eluded him — from his Sunday collapse in 2011 to years of close calls. But in his 11th attempt to complete the Grand Slam, he finally broke through.
He is also the first Masters champion to ever record four double bogeys in the tournament — two in the first round and two more on Sunday — a testament to how hard-earned and emotionally grueling this victory was.
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion, finished solo third at 9-under after a 69. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler posted a 69 to finish fourth at 8-under, falling short of his quest for a third green jacket in four years. DeChambeau and Sungjae Im tied for fifth at 7-under.
In the end, it wasn’t the smoothest of roads, nor the cleanest of scorecards, but Rory McIlroy finally has his green jacket.
“It’s hard to put into words,” McIlroy said afterward, eyes still red. “This is the one I’ve wanted most. This is the one that’s haunted me. And to finally do it… I’ll never forget this day.”
No one else will either.
