Rory McIlroy ended his long wait for a fifth major title and completed the career Grand Slam with a dramatic play-off victory over Justin Rose at The Masters.
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
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An emotional McIlroy reflects on what his Masters win will mean to his family as he receives his Green Jacket from last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
McIlroy’s fifth major title is his first since the 2014 PGA Championship and makes him just the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
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McIlroy bogeyed the 72nd hole of The Masters after finding the bunker with his second shot to drop in to a play-off against Justin Rose
How McIlroy made history in Masters thriller
McIlroy saw his two-shot lead disappear during a dramatic opening hole, where he had to pitch out of a fairway bunker and three-putted from 20 feet to open with a double-bogey six, as Bryson DeChambeau got up and down from just short of the green to save par.
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McIlroy made a horror start to the final round of The Masters by making a double bogey at the first hole
DeChambeau edged ahead when he made a two-putt birdie at the par-five second, where McIlroy made par after having to lay up from a fairway bunker, only for the Northern Irishman to respond brilliantly with back-to-back birdies over his next two holes.
McIlroy holed from seven feet at the third and converted from 10 feet at the par-three fourth, which gave him a three-shot cushion when DeChambeau three-putted both holes, although failed to extend his lead at the seventh despite a stunning recovery over trees.
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McIlroy recovered from a nightmare start to his final round to charge clear at The Masters
Back-to-back birdies around the turn moved McIlroy four ahead despite bogeying the par-four 11th, only for him to pull in the chasing back by hitting a wedge into the water and racking up a double-bogey at the par-five 13th.
McIlroy also bogeyed the next to suddenly move Rose ahead, who charged up the leaderboard by posting three consecutive birdies at the 11th and cancelling out a blemish at the 14th with back-to-back gains over the next two holes.
Another bogey at the 14th from McIlroy briefly gave Rose the solo advantage, with the Englishman responding to dropping a shot at the 17th by making an eight-feet birdie – his 10th of the day and set the clubhouse target.
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McIlroy found the green in two at the par-five 15th after producing one of the shots of his life!
McIlroy produced an incredible shot at the 15th to set up a two-putt birdie and added another at the 17th to take a one-shot lead to the 72nd hole, where he found the greenside bunker from the middle of the fairway and missed a five-foot putt for victory.
Any possibility of another major near-miss was eradicated with a moment of brilliance on the first play-off hole, where McIlroy’s approach left himself a close-range birdie for victory and saw him collapse to the floor in tears of joy.
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McIlroy won The Masters with a birdie in the first play-off hole against Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam
2018 champion Patrick Reed claimed third spot ahead of defending champion Scottie Scheffler, while DeChambeau ended tied-fifth with Sungjae Im. Ludvig Åberg – who briefly shared the lead – took seventh after dropping four shots in his last two holes.
McIlroy proud of roller-coaster win
Rory McIlroy: “It feels incredible. This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve.
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Highlights from the final round of The Masters at Augusta National as Rory McIlroy completes the career Grand Slam after beating Justin Rose in a play-off
“I’m sort of wondering what we’re all going to talk about going into next year’s Masters. But I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.
“I would say it was 14 years in the making, from going out with a four-shot lead in 2011, feeling like I could have done it got there. There was a lot of pent-up emotion that just came out on that 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.”
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage, the latest Signature Event, with early coverage on Thursday from 12.15pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 7pm.
The women’s major season begins with the Chevron Championship from April 24-27, where Nelly Korda is defending champion, while the next men’s major is the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club form May 15-18. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
