Rory McIlroy’s Masters Win Didn’t Come Easy, and That’s How It Should Be

Rory McIlroy is now a Masters Champion and one of golf’s elite as he completed the Career Grand Slam. But his win at Augusta did not come easily: he overcame two double bogeys on the back nine of the first round, a tough start on Sunday, and an even more dramatic finish than what we have ever seen before.

It was just how it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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McIlroy proved all the doubters wrong with a number of statements over the past four days. Some said he’d never win The Masters, he’d never complete the Grand Slam, and he’d never be in golf’s elite company if he could not figure out how to handle the pressure that comes with being in contention on Sunday. He not only proved those people wrong, but he also did it in stunning fashion.

After making a smart decision to lay up on 13, Rory pushed a sand wedge into Rae’s Creek, bringing numerous names back into the running. It was adversity that was unneeded, but it sure did make a sweet story.

Needing a birdie to tie Justin Rose at -11, McIlroy stepped up to the 15th tee and put himself in an unfavorable position behind the tall pines that sit on the left side of the fairway. Rory hit a massive draw around the trees to eight feet for Eagle. He would birdie the hole.

He then had a chance to close it out with a par on 18. It didn’t happen. The bogey sent him and Rose back to the 18th tee box for a playoff hole, where McIlroy would slam a drive in perfect position, leading to a gap wedge from 125 yards to just three feet. He would sink the birdie putt and drop to his knees.

It was exactly the story we all wanted for Rory. Like him, love him, or despise him, McIlroy has stood the test of time. He has been on top of the golf world for many years, in contention at Major Championships, but never quite closing the gap and coming through when it really counted.

All that is done. That narrative is officially gone. Rory McIlroy did everything he needed to do to close out at Augusta and finally win the Green Jacket. His legacy is now cemented into golf legend. He is a Grand Slam winner. Most importantly, he did something many of us thought he would never do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cover Image via CBS News