It was like a premonition. Last Wednesday, at the relaxed “Par 3” tournament that serves to entertain the audience before the Masters, four-year-old Poppy McIlroy sank a long putt on the 9th hole, causing an excited celebration from her father. Five days later, with a much longer putt, Rory McIlroy celebrated his first title at the Augusta National Golf Club.
In this way, the Northern Irish golfer completed his own Grand Slam with victories in the US Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012 and 2014), British Open (2014) and now the Masters, at the age of 35 and 11 years after his last major win.
McIlroy thus joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players in history to have completed the Grand Slam of golf.
How did McIlroy achieve his victory at the Masters?
McIlroy’s triumph was a rollercoaster of emotions as he turned a potential collapse of proportions into his greatest performance of all.
He made a double bogey on the first hole of the fourth round and lost the lead he had at the start of Sunday. But he recovered with birdie-birdie on holes 3 and 4.
He seemed to falter again when he went to the creek on the approach of the 13th hole and scored another double bogey. From there, he made a bogey on the 14th, but with great talent and mental strength, he recovered with birdies on the 15th and another on the 17th with a great second shot.
He arrived at the 18th hole, the last one, with a one-shot lead but a bunker and nerves on a moderately difficult putt left him tied with Justin Rose on the final scoreboard (both 11 under par), so it was necessary to play a playoff with the Englishman.
Rose was also looking to win at Augusta for the first time.
Back to the 18th hole for the tiebreaker, McIlroy showed great mental strength and played perfectly: great drive off the tee and then with a wedge he left the ball 4 feet from the flag, and from there he sunk the short putt that finally allowed him to win the Masters and secure his place in golf history as the sixth player to achieve the Grand Slam.
There McIlroy let go of all his emotions, crying on his knees on the green.
“I started to wonder if my moment would ever come,” said McIlroy in the Butler Cabin before Scottie Scheffler helped him put on the green jacket that distinguishes all Masters champions at Augusta.