AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ultimately, after Rory McIlroy walked the final fairway not just once, but twice, with the chance to win the Masters, holding off numerous competitors and overcoming his own errors during an emotionally charged 19 holes, after he sank to his knees, overwhelmed by emotion, he paused near the Augusta National clubhouse.
He had finally conquered his personal Everest. Now, only one thing remained. Red-faced and tearful, he turned to his friends and spoke the words he had longed to say for over a decade:
`I need to go get a green jacket.`
On Sunday, under the weight of an 11-year major drought, Augusta`s cheers were ready to celebrate McIlroy`s breakthrough. But as he navigated what he described as a roller-coaster round of golf, whispers also circulated through the grounds.
`Oh my God,` one spectator exclaimed after McIlroy double-bogeyed the first hole.
`It`s nerves,` said another, as McIlroy conceded the lead to Bryson DeChambeau on the second hole.
One spectator covered his face, saying, `He`s doing it again.`
When McIlroy double-bogeyed the 13th hole, donating his ball to Rae`s Creek, added another bogey on 14, and then countered a birdie on 17 with a bogey on the last, it seemed like just that: another opportunity squandered on the grandest stage. Even McIlroy himself thought so.
`There were moments on the back nine today when I wondered, “Have I let it slip again?”` McIlroy admitted. `Today, my battle was with myself, not anyone else.`
This achievement was over a decade in the making. Past near misses and disappointments may have faded, but the scars remained, lingering between victory and defeat. It was fitting, then, that it unfolded this way, that a six-shot lead with eight holes left wasn`t enough, that every shot McIlroy took felt weighted with the potential to either place him on the losing side again, or ultimately, here, after a playoff, bring him relief.
`This is the greatest day of my golfing life,` McIlroy declared. `I have literally realized my dreams.`
A victory at St. Andrews in 2022 would have been poetic. Winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 would have tangibly demonstrated his game`s evolution. Triumph at Pinehurst last year could have been an epic conclusion to his major drought.
Yet, none of those victories would have answered the persistent question: Could McIlroy win at Augusta?
For McIlroy, this tournament holds personal significance, marking his entire golfing journey. Memories of watching the tournament as a 7-year-old with his father flooded back to him when he spoke on Tuesday and again on Sunday night.
`I think all of that comes back to me,` McIlroy said. `Remembering why I first fell in love with the game.`
Two years after turning professional in 2007, McIlroy debuted at the 2009 Masters, finishing tied for 20th. He has participated in every one since—17 in total—experiencing both close calls and disappointments. Over nearly two decades, the golf world and its premier tournament have evolved, and so has McIlroy.
The overgrown, dark curly hair that framed his 17-year-old face as he drove down Magnolia Lane is gone. McIlroy now sports a shorter cut. Graying temples mark the passage of time, a testament to his long presence in the sport and a reminder of the numerous opportunities he`s had to achieve what he finally did on Sunday: complete a career Grand Slam, reaching the sport`s pinnacle.
`I believe I`ve carried that burden since August 2014,` McIlroy reflected. `It`s incredibly difficult. Today was challenging.`
McIlroy spoke extensively about the nerves he felt throughout Sunday. He discussed the pressure, both self-imposed and from the expectations of legends like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, who had predicted his Masters victory as if it were inevitable.
However, Sunday`s performance, in a frenzied snapshot, reiterated that McIlroy has never been Nicklaus or Woods. This isn`t to say McIlroy`s game is inferior, but his journey, with its four double bogeys and unpredictable swings, mirrors this week`s events: the highs and lows are integral to his narrative.
`You have to be an eternal optimist,` McIlroy said. `I genuinely believe I am a better player now than I was ten years ago.`
His mantra of patience, belief, and resilience in the face of repeated setbacks reached a low point at Pinehurst last year. That defeat cast doubt on McIlroy`s immediate future, necessitating what felt like a complete reset. McIlroy obliged, taking time off, wandering New York City alone, and eventually practicing his swing in a simulator.
A technical adjustment, mental recharge, and a new year brought a refined McIlroy. He won at Pebble Beach and then again at the Players Championship, acknowledging Scottie Scheffler`s dominant year as motivation and displaying a remarkable balance of control and aggression. It was as if a superhero`s powers had finally emerged.
And yet, the question persisted, more urgently than ever: Could he achieve it at the Masters? On Sunday, he delivered the long-awaited confirmation. It also demonstrated the depth of his desire.
`This is my 17th time here, and I had started to wonder if my time would ever come,` McIlroy confessed. `What poured out of me on the last green in the playoff was at least 11, if not 14 years, of bottled-up emotion.`
`I accomplished the mission.`
In a video released by the PGA Tour earlier on Sunday, McIlroy is asked about his jacket size. He responds that he wears a 38 or 40 short, depending on his weekly eating habits.
`I prefer a slightly more European style,` McIlroy explains in the video. `A bit more fitted, tapered, and cinched in.`
On Sunday, Scheffler assisted McIlroy in donning the green jacket. It was a size 38 regular, slightly large and not yet tailored to McIlroy`s preferred fit. But as the wool fabric embraced his shoulders, McIlroy closed his eyes, raised his hands, and tilted his head to the sky.
The fit didn`t need to be perfect; everything else already was.
