The 11-year drought has finally ended. Rory McIlroy earned the green jacket to complete his career Grand-Slam, winning the Masters once and for all.
Despite starting the first hole with a double-bogey and repeating that blunder at the 13th hole alongside a hit ball into Rae’s Creek, he secured the win in the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose. The nerves of the moment did not hinder McIlroy’s performance, with his heart set on getting the job done.
After he won with a short putt, he threw his club in the air and let out a large sigh before collapsing onto the green in tears. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, knowing that they had not only witnessed a historic moment in golf, but the feat of a man making his long-awaited dream come true.
“This is my 17th time here, and I [had] started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” he said. “…There was a lot of pent-up emotion that just came out on that 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.”
McIlroy’s road to champion was a rocky one, tying for 20th in his first ever Masters. Most notably, McIlroy famously choked at the 2011 Masters Tournament, throwing away a four-stroke lead to tie for 15th place. Since then he has faced many blunders and close calls in his time at Augusta, each one haunting him until the final day of play.
“There were points on the back nine today when I thought, ‘Have I let it slip again?'” McIlroy said. “My battle today was with myself. It wasn’t with anyone else.”
In 2009, he started out as a 19-year-old kid in the Augusta National Golf Club when he first stepped foot onto the green, and now completes his journey with a wife and 4-year-old daughter by his side. The path to victory has been long for McIlroy, but well worth the wait.
Over social media since the win, many fans have posted their utmost pride for McIlroy. In several instances, people were reduced to tears after watching the golfer make his dream a reality.
McIlroy is just the sixth golfer to complete a full grand-slam — winning championship trophies at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. He follows in the footsteps of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
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Featured photo courtesy of @themasters, Instagram
