Rory McIlroy Wins the Masters For 2025, Completing his Career Grand Slam
By: Padraig Smith
Rory McIlroy has earned his coveted Green Jacket and brings his career Grand Slam to a close in style. He is now one of just six golfers to win all four majors, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
It was not easy. McIlroy’s journey toward winning the Masters title has been one that includes raw talent, public expectation, and, mostly, heartbreak. He has spent many years chasing the elusive Masters title since winning three majors in an early 2010s streak. Multiple top 10s at Augusta, but the Green Jacket had been eluding him up until this point.
Yet it was stacked in 2025, but McIlroy and Justin Rose stole the show on a thrilling final round, capped by sudden death. Both veterans ended the 72-hole regulation play at 11 under par, with McIlroy bogeying the last hole, which opened doors for Rose. However, Rose could not finish off the door swinging open majestically for him, and the playoff was on.
During the playoff hole, McIlroy showed the same nerve and brilliance that characterized his earlier majors. He stroked a smooth drive and then hit a stunning approach, shot to ten feet from the pin and made a clutch birdie putt. Rose required a birdie to advance into the playoff and missed his putt just left of the hole, handing McIlroy the long-awaited victory.
“This means everything,” McIlroy said in a tearful post-round interview. “I’ve dreamed about this moment for so many years, and to finally get it done, especially in the way it happened, it’s just surreal.”
The final scoreboard mimicked the extremely tight finish in the tournament. Patrick Reed finished third on his own at 9 under, and Scottie Scheffler was at 8 under, but all eyes were on McIlroy, who would collect $4.2 million from the event-record prize of $21 million. McIlroy’s win was not only a personal gain; it was a victory over the battle with resilience and persistence, 11 years at the age of 35 without a major title for him. Critics had written him off, saying his best golf was behind him. However, McIlroy never gave up. It was all about intense preparation, maturity, and love for the game that he showed all week.
“I’ve been through a lot of highs and lows over my career,” he said. “But I never stopped believing I could win here. I never gave up.”
The moment didn’t need much setting up as he hugged his wife, Erica Stoll, alongside their young daughter, Poppy. This moment of tenderness was complemented by a brief yet much-talked-about embrace of McIlroy by Kate Rose, Justin Rose’s wife, straight after the win. While some argued on social media, both were clear in immediately answering the moment as an act of heartfelt sportsmanship and mutual respect between two old friends and rivals.
Beyond emotions and history, McIlroy’s win sends a big message to the golf world. He has given cement to his legacy: not just one of the most talented players of his generation but also one of its most permanent and enduring players. It is refreshing for the sport at a time when professional golf life seems rapidly changing in terms of new formats, rival tours, and up-and-coming young stars vying for attention.
