Rory McIlroy defeated Justin Rose on the first playoff hole to win the 2025 Masters. This is McIlroy’s fifth career major but first Masters victory.
McIlroy is just the sixth male golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. He has been knocking on the door of this elusive club since his last major championship victory in 2014.
McIlroy’s two-shot lead quickly evaporated after he double-bogeyed the first hole and quickly fell behind by one after Bryson DeChambeau birdied the second hole. He regained momentum after birdieing the third and fourth holes to take a three-shot lead. After the first nine holes, McIlroy held a four-shot lead and had the green jacket in his grasp.
The second nine is where McIlroy’s hold on the green jacket started to slip away. He played a four-hole stretch at 4-over-par and quickly saw his lead disappear. He would go onto birdie 15 and 17 to give himself a one-shot lead heading to the 18th.
His second shot in 18 flared right into the greenside bunker, leaving him with a must-make up-and-down to secure the win. With a five-foot par putt left, he rolled it by the hole and found himself in a playoff with Rose.
Both players would hit their drive in the fairway, setting both up to attack the flag for their shot at glory. Rose was first and hit his approach to 15 feet behind the hole while McIlroy used the slope behind the green to get his ball within four feet of the hole.
Rose’s birdie putt slid past the hole on the right side, giving McIlroy a chance to join the history books. McIlroy, with the weight of an 11-year major drought, approached the ball and calmly sank his putt. The emotions of major heartbreaks and close calls spilled out as he threw his putter behind him and fell to his knees, tears flowing while releasing some vintage Rory screams.
“What came out of me on the last green there in the playoff was, you know, at least 11 years, if not 14 years of pent-up emotion,” McIlroy said in his post-round press conference.
McIlroy embraced his caddie Harry Diamond and opponent Rose before walking off the green to greet his wife and daughter Poppy with a hug and kiss. On the walk from the 18th green to the clubhouse, McIlroy released multiple sighs of relief and celebrated briefly with fellow Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood.
With this Masters victory, McIlroy becomes the first European to complete the career grand slam while also being the first champion to make four double bogeys during the tournament. The one missing piece on his resume is now checked off, and with that, his golf immortality is accomplished.
Next week, the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head, SC, for the RBC Heritage. Scottie Scheffler will look to defend his title at this signature event after a strong performance this week.
