Rory McIlroy admitted in his post-final round interview with reporters that dropping to his knees after watching his playoff birdie putt sink to win the 89th Masters tournament was pure relief.
“That was all relief, there wasn’t much joy in that reaction,” he said when one reporter asked what emotions he was feeling when he defeated Justin Rose in the first Masters playoff since 2017. “It was all relief. Then, the joy came pretty soon after that. I’ve been coming here 17 years, and it was a good decade-plus of emotion that came out of me there.”
McIlroy waited 11 years to not only break his major-win drought, but, more importantly, etch his name alongside the five golf greats who collected the career Grand Slam with every major victory on their resume.
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McIlroy has been hearing it from the likes of Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, all of whom have the Grand Slam, for years. They believed he would win at Augusta National Golf Club one day, and after coming so close in the past, McIlroy admitted feeling slightly skeptical about ever getting the green jacket fitted for himself.
However, as he stood up on the podium, the green jacket already placed on his back by the 2024 champion Scottie Scheffler, he looked over at his daughter, Poppy, and delivered quite the heartfelt message after living it out on Sunday.
“Over to my left, my family, my team,” McIlroy said while holding back some tears. “They’ve been on this journey with my the whole way through. They know the burden I’ve carried to come here every year and try and try and try again.
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“The one thing I would say to my daughter, Poppy, who’s sitting over there: never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Keep coming back, keep working hard, and if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Love you.”
McIlroy entered his 17th Masters appearance carrying the same weight on his shoulders of not having won a major since the 2014 Open Championship, and he posted back-to-back rounds of 66 on Friday and Saturday to enter Sunday with a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau was just one of the golfers who has hoisted a major during the 11-year drought McIlroy has had to endure, coming at the 2024 U.S. Open in what was a brutal meltdown for the latter.
“The U.S. Open last year was just awful,” McIlroy mentioned when asked the low point of his major drought, while also adding the 2022 Open Championship loss to Cam Smith at St. Andrews.
“The losses are hard, and again, so proud of myself that I keep coming back and put myself in these positions to win championships.”
It was an emotional and physical roller coaster for McIlroy, who did not make it easy on himself throughout the round. It was up and down throughout, and just when it appeared he was in full control on the second nine, he faltered at the 13th with an approach that landed in the water.
From there, McIlroy would get his lead back heading into the 18th tee, needing only par to let all the weight on his shoulder go. However, he missed the short par putt, which led to a sudden-death playoff with Rose, who was also searching for his first green jacket in 20 appearances at The Masters.
However, McIlroy never lost faith, and he said his longtime caddy, Harry Diamond, helped him on the golf cart ride back to the 18th tee box.
“After scoring, Harry and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back. He said, ‘Well, pal, we would’ve taken this on Monday morning.’ Absolutely we would’ve. That was a nice reset. ‘You would’ve given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week.’ That reframed it for me.”
McIlroy hit the same exact tee shot he did on his 72nd hole of the tournament, and his approach was much better this time, sloping back down to a two-foot birdie putt.
After Rose’s miss, McIlroy had the chance to turn dreams into reality, and he did not waste it this time.
As one would expect, McIlroy could not contain his emotions, and the tears continued to flow as he hugged his wife and daughter, as well as many others on his team, as he made his way to Butler Cabin.
It has been a long 11 years, filled with trials and tribulations. Although McIlroy pointed out still playing some fantastic golf along the way, he knew he would always have something to prove if he didn’t capture that green jacket.
McIlroy has nothing more to prove now.
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