Rory McIlroy finally completed the career grand slam on Sunday, and he overcame more putting woes to capture the Green Jacket.
McIlroy entered the final round at Augusta National Golf Club with a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau played poorly, but Justin Rose charged up the leaderboard by shooting a six-under 66.
Despite making a brutal mistake by hitting a ball in the water on the 13th hole (video here), McIlroy still put himself in position to win with a par on the 18th. He hit a beautiful drive and then put his second shot in the bunker. McIlroy made a nice bunker shot to give himself a roughly 5-foot putt for the win.
And he missed it.
Rory McIlroy bogeys No. 18.
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 13, 2025
He will head to a playoff with Justin Rose.
CBS | Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/UuIEeTOScj
The result was similar to what happened for McIlroy at the 2024 U.S. Open, when DeChambeau beat him. McIlroy missed two brutal putts down the stretch in that tournament when he was in a prime position to win. Only this time, McIlroy was able to overcome the mistake.
To his credit, McIlroy continued to battle. He hit a perfect drive on the first sudden-death playoff hole, which was the 18th. He then hit a beautiful approach shot and was left with a tap-in birdie to win after Justin Rose missed his birdie putt.
Prior to Sunday, McIlroy’s best chance to win the Masters was in 2011. He had a four-shot lead heading into the final round in that tournament, and he completely collapsed. Some of those memories had to have come flooding back on Sunday, especially when McIlroy missed the short putt on the final hole of regulation.
Now, none of that matters. McIlroy is just the sixth golfer to win all four majors in a career. The Masters win was the 35-year-old’s first victory in a major since 2014.
