I’ve watched golf for the better part of 15 years. I’ve (horribly) played golf on and off for the last 10 years. I’ve even been a patron before at The Masters once upon a time.
From Speith’s 2015 victory, to his 2016 demise, to Tiger Woods’ sensational victory in 2019, I’ve seen an array of moments of the Masters just in the last decade. But Rory McIlroy’s win on Sunday may just take the cake for me.
McIlroy, a 35-year-old golf prodigy from Northern Ireland, won his first Masters tournament after defeating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. With the win, he joined Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as one of six to achieve the “Career Grand Slam,” an achievement for winning The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open and PGA Championship tournaments.
For the millions that tuned in on Sunday, you could see the raw emotion that McIlroy showed as he sank the winning putt on Hole 18. But the casual viewer may not know how special the journey truly was.
Turning pro in 2007, McIlroy immediately made his mark on the golf scene within his seven years. In 2011, he claimed the U.S. Open title. The next year, he claimed his first PGA Championship. In 2014, he won his second PGA Championship as well as his first Open title.
The Masters, however, always seemed to be the one he could never reach.
Rolling back the tape in 2011, McIlroy seemed destined to win his first major title in Augusta at just 21. But a +8 finish on Sunday cost him the tournament and temporarily dashed his hopes at a major crown.
Little did he, and the golf world, know that it would be the last time until 2018 that he’d have any real shot of winning the tournament.
Seven years later, he entered on Sunday in the final pairing alongside eventual champion Patrick Reed, one of golf’s biggest “heels.” Inconsistent play ultimately cost him any real shot of winning.
While McIlroy had some good showings in the years after, it started to become a question of not when he would win a green jacket, but if.
All signs seemed to be reverting the question back to “when” after it seemed as if he would win the 2024 U.S. Open. After he took over the lead from fellow star Bryson DeChambeau, it seemed as if he’d make the comeback win to end his then 10-year major drought.
But I and millions of others around the world gasped when he missed the four-foot putt that cost him the win.
History nearly repeated itself this year, when McIlroy missed a makeable par putt on hole 18 that forced a playoff with Rose.
After scoring multiple double bogeys on the scorecard on Sunday, I was skeptical that McIlroy would win a playoff over Rose. The 44-year-old had played exceptional golf all weekend and scored a six-under 66 for one of the best rounds of the day.
Rose had also been in this position before, going to playoff with Sergio Garcia in 2017 (the year I went as a teenager), but losing.
A great drive and a fantastic gap-wedge shot got the ball within a few feet for McIlroy to sink his birdie putt and finally prove the doubters wrong.
There’s a lot that can be said from Sunday’s performance from McIlroy. But what I admire the most is the perseverance he showed to get to this point.
Over a decade over golf major droughts – including his heartbreaking 2024 U.S. Open loss – never stopped him. Two double-bogeys on the day never stopped him. A poor final hole on 18 never stopped him.
He kept persevering. Because that’s what Rory McIlroy does.
I think we all could learn a little bit from McIlroy after the effort he showed in Augusta. It was truly an all-time Masters moment in my eyes.
Congrats on the green jacket, Rory. You deserve it.
Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.