Ella Kittler | Writer
April 16, 2025
Rory McIlory has finally done it. After years of close calls at Augusta National Golf Club, McIlory claimed his first green jacket on Sunday, April 13th.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions for McIlroy who started the final round with a double bogey but quickly recovered. However, after a series of mistakes on the back nine opened the door for Justin Rose, who caught up after McIlroy missed a crucial par putt on the 72nd hole. Many fans were disappointed by his performance late in the round. Varsity golfer and San Clemente High School junior Sami Christou shared, “My favorite moment of the 2025 Masters was watching Rory miss his putt on 18 on Sunday.”
This tied the two competitors sending them to a sudden-death.
McIlory delivered under extreme pressure as he hit a fantastic approach shot then sank the birdie which ultimately gave him the win. Overcome with emotion, he fell to the floor as all his hard years of work finally paid off.
This win marks a milestone in McIlroy’s 18-year-long career. Though he has long been one of the most dominant in the game, the Masters had always eluded him. This was his 14th appearance at Augusta since 2011, a journey filled with multiple near misses including several top 10 finishes between 2014-2022.
Despite his consistency, the green jacket has always seemed just out of reach until now. Due to his winning drought, many golf fans were rooting against him rather than for him. Junior and Varsity Golfer, Colin Koch said, “I was rooting for Pat Reed. He was more deserving. His skills were insane, his hole on 17 was gross.”
With this win, McIlory completes a career Grand Slam: winning The Masters, US Open, PGA Championship, and Open Championship. He joins an elite cub of only five other golfers. This feat has only been completed by Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods (the only modern-era golfer in the last half century to do so).
At 35 years old McIlory has nothing left to prove. With this victory, the Northern Irish golfer has cemented himself in golf history. He has already had an impressive career with 29 PGA Tour titles. This includes recent victories at The Players Championship and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year. This is just another one of the many impressive victories on McIlroy’s resume and perhaps the most meaningful yet.
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