Augusta National has enshrined great golfers, but there was never so much unanimity in the joy for a winner. Rory McIlroy, his long wait, his charisma, created a magical atmosphere around his victory. Nor was a champion so excited at Augusta. On the green, in the presentation of the jacket and an hour later, before the journalists. Even the defeated Justin Rose, a close friend of the champion, confided on the green that he was “glad to be here on this green to see you win the career Grand Slam. It’s a cool and momentous moment in golf.”
He started jokingly saying, “What are we going to talk about with me next year?” he said in reference to the repeated insistence of the press of the reasons why he was missing this great year after year. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve dreamed of that moment since I can remember. Seeing Tiger here in 1997 do what he did, and then win his first green jacket, I think inspired many of my generation to want to emulate him.” And then he revealed that, coincidentally, Angel Cabrera, the Argentine who has returned to the Masters after serving 32 months in prison in Brazil, had left him a message of encouragement in the locker room and that Cabrera had been the player with whom he shared a match in 2011, when the debacle of the 80 strokes.
The 2025 champion had been emotional at the presentation of the green jacket in front of the cameras – “I remember my parents who made a great sacrifice for me to get to this and they are in Ireland” – and acknowledged the nerves with which he had arrived at the first hole, from which he came out with a double bogey and lost all the advantage. “I’m the only one who has won the Masters with four double bogeys during the week. Well, that’s fine. I didn’t feel like eating all day, but it was normal. On the first tee my legs were jelly. My battle throughout the day was: you have to hit the next shot well, you have to hit the next shot well. And yes, I would have liked to do better, I collapsed, but in the end I got it. It was a battle against myself.”
Jon Rahm also came to mind. It was after the mistake on the 1st hole. “It was one of the toughest days I’ve had on the golf course. Funnily enough, I feel like the double bogey on the first hole calmed me down a little bit. Walking to the second tee, the first thing that came to mind was Jon Rahm, a couple of years ago, making double bogey on the first hole on Thursday and winning. I always thought positively.”
I would tell the 2011 Rory: “Stay the course. Keep believing”. And I would say that to any boy or girl who is listening to this
To be seen as one of the six players with the Grand Slam in the history of golf is a desire that has marked an entire career. “I’ve been carrying that burden since August 2014. It’s almost 11 years. And not just for not being able to win another major, but for not being able to complete the Grand Slam. I’m not going to compare it to life moments like getting married or having a child. But it’s the best day of my golfing life. And yes, I’m very proud of myself. I’m proud of never giving up.”
He then revealed the conversation with Harry his caddie, after missing the putt on the 18th hole. “When we were in the buggy going to the tee he said to me ‘You would have given your right arm to be in this playoff at the start of the week’. So that helped me to rethink things. Then I thought: make the same shot you just did on the 18th tee. And it came out.”
With the trophy cabinet complete, he dared to look back. To that Rory who shot 80 and lost the 2011 Masters. “I saw a young man who didn’t really know much about the world. Yes, I would say I probably saw a young man with a lot to learn and grow, and also… and maybe I didn’t understand myself. I didn’t understand why I got into such a good position in 2011, and why I let it slip away. I would say to that guy: ‘Stay the course. Keep believing.’ And I would say that to any boy or girl who is listening to this. I’ve literally made my dreams come true today, and I would say to every boy or girl listening to this: ‘Believe in your dreams, and if you work hard enough and push yourself, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.'”
Rory congratulated himself on his behaviour. “For a few moments over the last nine holes I thought, ‘Are you going to mess it up again?’ But I responded with some really good shots and I’m proud of myself.” However, when asked about the best shot of the day, he highlighted, “the second on the 3rd hole. I was coming off a 6-5 and made a birdie and Bryson bogeyed. I think that was key.”
Another of the coincidences he revealed came when he praised Justin Rose. “He’s a great friend and hopefully he’ll have more opportunities. On Tuesday we went to dinner with some friends from the club and there were only two golfers, coincidentally him and me,” he revealed, invested in a size 38 green jacket, lent by a partner as tradition dictates until he has his own.
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