We are all witnesses. At long last, Rory McIlroy has secured his career grand slam in the most McIlroy fashion possible. After a rollercoaster at the 2025 Masters, the 11-year wait is finally over after defeating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff hole.
Now, McIlroy’s place in history is secure. He joins the pantheon alongside Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. His name etched alongside the game’s greats, not just for the trophies, but for the heart it took to win them.
No moment of McIlroy’s career has felt quite as earned as his victory at Augusta. The shadow of his infamous 2011 collapse (where he shot 8 over after going into Sunday with a 3-stroke lead) seemed to haunt him up until the very last putt. However, the final putt dropped in his favor, and the curse was lifted.
“The monkey’s off the back,” McIlroy told CBS afterward. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt a win like this. It’s not just a green jacket. It’s peace.”
The road to that peace, of course, was anything but smooth.
Justin Rose, no stranger to Augusta drama himself, mounted a spectacular charge on Sunday, firing a six-under 66 and burying a dramatic 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff. Rose put up a respectable par in sudden death, but it was not enough as he suffered another playoff hole loss at Augusta, the first being in 2017 to Sergio García.
“It’s the kind of putt you dream about as a kid, and to have it and hole it, it was a special feeling,” Rose said. “And unfortunately, the playoffs always end so quickly. If you’re not the guy to hit the great shot or hole the great putt, it’s over. But not really anything I could have done more today.”
Two-time U.S Open champion Bryson DeChambeau led the charge by two after Rory opened with a double bogey, however, the lead did not last. The back nine proved challenging for DeChambeau, letting two shots fly into the water and a brace of three-putts.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was quietly surgical for much of the tournament, finishing Sunday in solo fourth. He hovered within striking distance for four straight days.
Saturday’s 68-shot performance put him into contention, and if not for an out-of-character misstep on Sunday, where he found Rae’s Creek and accepted double bogey, Scheffler might’ve been in the playoff, or even donning a second green jacket.
Last year, Ludvig Åberg made his mark; 2025 was the year he announced he is not going anywhere.
The 24-year-old Swede, a product of Texas Tech, surged into solo second late Saturday, playing with a calm that belied his youth. Åberg’s tempo is mesmerizing, his swing like a metronome, never rushed and always repeatable. He carded a bogey-free front nine on Sunday and sat tied for the lead heading into the back nine.
A bogey on 13 and a three-putt on 14 halted Åberg’s momentum, but he rallied with birdies on 15 and 17, finishing solo third at 9-under and one shot out of the playoff.
“It stings,” he said. “But this week showed me I belong here. I’ll be back.”
Åberg’s ascension feels inevitable. He may not have won this week, but the golf world is already penciling his name onto future trophies.
But this year’s Masters was all about McIlroy, a full-circle moment for a player who’s worn the weight of expectation since he was a teenager.
Ironically, the tournament that was once the bane of McIlroy’s career is now the one that defines him. All the collapses, the heartbreak, the pure anguish that he and his fans shared alike, it all adds to the glory.
