McIlroy makes history with dramatic Masters win

The Irishman has done it! Rory McIlroy has finally completed the golf career Grand Slam! McIlroy carried a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Masters but had a tumultuous day. He scored a double-bogey on the first hole, but birdies on 3, 4, and 9 had him one-under on the front nine. The rollercoaster ride continued on the back nine, where a birdie on 10 was followed by a bogey on 11. The wheels came off when McIlroy went double-bogey and bogey on 13 and 14, but birdies on 15 and 17 put Rory back in first heading to the final Tee box.

Justin Rose put the pressure on McIlroy, with ten birdies on the day, offset by four bogeys. With Rose already in the clubhouse at 11-under, McIlroy knew a par on 18 would complete the Grand Slam. McIlroy's second shot on the par four found the greenside bunker, meaning he would have to go up-and-down out of the sand if he wanted to win the green jacket in regulation. With "Rory" chants coming from the gallery, McIlroy pitched one to about five feet, setting up the putt of a lifetime. Rory lines up... and misses. Time for a playoff!

In the first hole of the playoff, Justin Rose hit a great second shot onto the green, putting him about 15 feet from the hole. Rory's second shot was even better, settling just four feet from the hole. Rose's put missed just right of the hole, meaning Rory was once again just a few feet from history. This time, he knocked it in for the win. 

Rory’s Resume 

Rory McIlroy’s win at the 2025 Masters snaps an 11-year major championship drought. McIlroy’s last win in a major came in 2014, when he won both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. McIlroy also won the PGA Championship in 2012 and the U.S. Open in 2011. McIlroy now has five major championships, to go along with 28 wins on the PGA Tour, and 20 wins on other tours. 

Elite company 

McIlroy joins a short list of just five other golfers that have won all four majors. He is just the second golfer to complete the Grand Slam in the last 55 years, joining Tiger Woods. 

Tiger completed the career grand slam in 2000. He has 15 major championships to his name, most recently winning the Masters in 2019. He has won the green jacket four other times: 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005. He won the PGA Championship in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007, the U.S. Open in 2000, 2002, and 2008, and the Open Championship in 2000, 2005, and 2006. He is really good at golf. 

The other four golfers with career grand slams are Jack Nicklaus (1962 U.S. Open, 1963 Masters, 1963 PGA Championship, 1966 Open Championship), Gary Player (1959 Open Championship, 1961 Masters, 1962 PGA Championship, 1965 U.S. Open), Ben Hogan (1946 PGA Championship, 1948 U.S. Open, 1951 Masters, 1953 Open Championship), and Gene Sarazen (1922 U.S. Open, 1922 PGA Championship, 1932 Open Championship, 1935 Masters). 

On the cusp 

Two active golfers have won three of the four majors in their careers. Jordan Spieth needs a PGA Championship to complete the Grand Slam, while Phil Mickelson needs a U.S. Open crown to put the exclamation point on his incredible career. Mickelson has come in second in the U.S. Open 6 different times, and Spieth was the runner up at the PGA Championship in 2015.