Chasing dreams can be exhausting. Especially when they contain within them the promise of fulfilment or completion, and seem to remain just out of reach. For Rory McIlroy, the dream of winning the Masters on Augusta’s magical greens — and completing the career Grand Slam — had begun to assume the proportions of an anxiety-inducing nightmare.
McIlroy knew exactly what a triumph would signify: the famed green jacket was all that separated him from golfing immortality, only tasted by Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. But the closer he came to fulfilling his lifetime dream, the more it kept slipping away. In 2011 at the Masters, when McIlroy had the world at his feet, a four-shot lead and one arm in a green jacket, he contrived to throw it away with an 80 in the final round.
Close calls
McIlroy continued to endure years of close calls, finishing in the top five on four occasions at Augusta. Finally, on his 17th attempt playing the Masters — the 11th time with the Grand Slam at stake — the long and winding road to golfing immortality led to salvation. The green jacket is a size 38, draped on the shoulders of the first European to win all four Majors.
The 35-year-old, who previously claimed the US Open (2011), the PGA Championship (2012, 2014) and the Open Championship (2014), earned his reward for stubbornly persevering.
“I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” the Northern Irishman said. “I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that — yeah, I’m sort of wondering what we’re all going to talk about going into next year’s Masters. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.
“You have to be the eternal optimist in this game. I’ve been saying it until I’m blue in the face. I truly believe I’m better now than I was 10 years ago. It’s so hard to stay patient. It’s so hard to keep coming back every year, trying your best and not being able to get it done. It’s the best day of my golfing life. I’m very proud of myself for never giving up and always fighting back.”
Last Sunday at Augusta felt like a microcosm of McIlroy’s last 11 years at the Majors, blunders mixed in with sheer brilliance. What could have been a coronation along the back nine turned into a heart-racing, lead-changing, jaw-dropping finish at golf’s greatest theatre.
A two-shot lead gone in two holes. A four-shot lead gone in three holes with a shocker. A five-foot putt on the final hole to win narrowly missed. And then McIlroy turned what could have been another Major collapse into his grandest moment of all when he hit wedge to three feet for birdie in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose before sobbing with joy and disbelief.
Dialled in: McIlroy has been working with a sports psychologist to focus on himself and not spend any energy on what his rivals are doing. Being comfortable with making mistakes — instead of seeking perfection —helped him recover after errors. | Photo credit: Getty Images
It was an astonishing display of grit, of picking himself up every time the pressure got to him. He was resilient as ever — he has been like that his entire career, from his time as a precocious prodigy to all his years of frustration at the Majors.
Response to setbacks
A measure of how well McIlroy handled his frailties can be had from the fact that he became the first player to win the Masters with four double bogeys, two of them coming on Sunday. “I didn’t make it easy,” he said. “I was nervous. It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had in golf. I just think all week how I responded to setbacks, that’s what I’ll take from this week.”
McIlroy has been working with a sports psychologist to focus on himself and not spend any energy engaging with what his rivals are doing. He has also consistently reminded himself that golf is a game of mistakes; being comfortable with that — instead of seeking perfection — has helped him react better to errors and bounce back mentally.
The triumph reinforced McIlroy’s belief that dreams are worth striving for. As he told his daughter Poppy after the win, “Never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams.”
It was a famous victory, with tributes pouring in from around the world of sport and popular culture. Woods welcomed him to the club. Tommy Fleetwood described his Ryder Cup teammate’s win as “possibly the greatest mentally resilient achievement ever in our sport.”
England’s three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo said McIlroy’s victory had topped Woods’ in 2019, when the American won his fifth green jacket by one stroke after fighting back from injury. “For a man to do that after what he went through for 11 years — Rory is a legend now,” said Faldo. “He is 35 years old and a legend. How about that?”
It will be interesting to see how the victory affects McIlroy. Will it liberate him or will it reduce his motivation? Six-time Masters champion Nicklaus, whom McIlroy had lunch with in the lead-up to Augusta when they went over how to play the course, believes it will be a case of the former. “It’ll take the world off his shoulders and you’re now going to see a lot more of really good golf out of Rory McIlroy,” said Nicklaus.
Taste of triumph: McIlroy’s was a popular victory around the world, but the feeling in his hometown Holywood in Northern Ireland was particularly sweet. One bakery immortalised him in biscuits! | Photo credit: Getty Images
McIlroy agreed, telling the BBC that “getting the Masters, the career Grand Slam, the fifth Major, getting all that out of the way… I think it will allow me to play with a lot more freedom.”
Although it is possible that the achievement of a lifelong ambition will diminish the competitive fires, it’s worth remembering that McIlroy went 11 long years without any Major. The desire to make up for ‘lost’ time, especially when he is in a good moment, cannot be discounted. Besides, he is only 35. Even if there is a drop-off, there is plenty of time for another tilt at the Majors.
What’s next
There is not long to wait. With three Majors still to be played over the next three months, fans will soon get to see how the Masters triumph has impacted McIlroy in the short term. He will play the PGA Championship in May and the US Open in June before travelling home to Northern Ireland for a very special edition of the British Open, the year’s last Major.
Royal Portrush will host the event in July marking only the third time that the course in Northern Ireland has had that honour after 1951 and 2019. Royal Portrush is located about an hour’s drive from McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood. McIlroy’s 61 at age 16 in the 2005 North of Ireland championship still stands as the old course record at Royal Portrush.
“I can’t wait to go back to Portrush in July with this [the Masters title] in tow,” he said. “I’m very proud of where I’m from and every time I go back I realise that more and more.”
Published – April 18, 2025 10:29 pm IST