Rory McIlroy survives a playoff with Justin Rose to win his elusive first Masters

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times on Apr 13, 2025

Published in Golf

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose.

Rory rose even higher.

Rory McIlroy finished a rollercoaster round Sunday by beating Rose in a sudden-death playoff — the first in the Masters since 2017 — becoming the sixth man in golf history to win a career grand slam.

With the two players tied at 11 under after 72 holes, it came down to a playoff on the par-four 18th hole with Rose narrowly missing his longer putt and McIlroy draining a two-footer for birdie, raising his putter to the sky, then tearfully dropping to his knees and lowering his head to the ground.

The call of legendary CBS announcer Jim Nantz: “The long journey is over! McIlroy has his masterpiece!”

It had been 11 years since McIlroy won his last major championship, and now the 35-year-old from Hollywood, Northern Ireland, joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win all four majors.

McIlroy had a wild round that included two double bogeys, making him the first Masters winner to have four double bogeys over four rounds.

He had a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole but missed a short par putt and the championship headed to an extra hole playoff. Disappointed, McIlroy walked over and kissed the forehead of his 4-year-old daughter, Poppy, kissed his wife and girded for the playoff.

Rose, 44, was looking to become the oldest first-time Masters winner. His 66 matched the best Sunday round at the Masters.

A signature moment of the day for McIlroy came on his approach on the 17th hole, a beautiful shot that left him with a three-foot birdie putt. “Go, go, go, go,” he walked forward and talked to the ball as it curled to its soft landing spot. He made the putt to drop to 12 under, a brief two-shot lead that was cut to one when Rose made a long birdie putt on 18.

The day started as a showdown between McIlroy, who began the day at 12 under, and Bryson DeChambeau at 10 under. (Despite a strong start, DeChambeau wound up shooting 75.)

The scene leading up to the showdown felt a little like golf’s answer to Ali-Frazier. From the clubhouse to the first tee, the competitors passed through a chute of people that crackled with anticipation and began forming a half-hour before McIlroy then DeChambeau emerged.

McIlroy was stoic and focused, staring straight ahead and ignoring when the occasional fan reached out a hand to slap his. Tightly wound as an old Titleist, he didn’t acknowledge the cheers and applause and shouts of “Rory!”

The carefree DeChambeau made McIlroy wait for several minutes, happily bouncing out of the clubhouse just before he was scheduled to be on the tee. He slapped hands and gave fist bumps, looking like a hype man pumped enough to gleefully snap a pitching wedge over his knee.

McIlroy looked anything but relaxed on the first hole, landing in the fairway bunker with this drive then laying up with his second shot. His third wound up 15 feet past the hole, and he missed both the par putt and comebacker for only the second double bogey of the day on No. 1. DeChambeau made birdie, and just like that, the two were co-leaders.

On the second hole, McIlroy once again wound up in the bunker on his drive and had to scramble to make par. Another birdie by DeChambeau put him up by a stroke just minutes into their rounds.

Somehow, with everything seemingly falling apart, McIlroy found a way to reattach his wheels.

He birdied holes 3 and 4, and DeChambeau bogeyed them, and the bucking bronco of a Masters Sunday was officially underway.

Despite a double bogey on the first hole, McIlroy would finish under par after the first nine, taking a four-shot lead into his final nine. And he even started occasionally slapping hands of patrons when he moved from one hole to the next. His relief was palpable.

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