Augusta, Georgia. – The long and painful wait for Rory Mcilroy for the Grand Slam race is finally over.
And the greatest achievement of his career was as stressful and dramatic as the nearby failures that came before.
The 35 -year -old Northern player exceeded an unstable, and even more dangerous start, in the final round of the 89th Masters in the Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday to defeat Justin Rose in the first hole of a sudden death playoff to win a green jacket and become the sixth golf to complete the great great slam of his career.
Mcilroy joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers who capture the four main championships in the Masters era.
“This is my 17th time here, and I began to wonder if it would ever be my time,” Mcilroy said. “I think the last 10 years arrive here with the burden of Grand Slam on my shoulders and try to achieve that, yes, I wonder what we are going to talk about in the teachers of next year.”
In the playoff at par 4 18, both players hit their Tee shots on the street. Rose's approach since 187 yards almost hit the hole on the fly, and her ball bounced 15 feet further. Mcilroy's second shot was even better, landing on the slope on the hole with his ball rolling back 4 feet while the customers surrounding the green sang their name.
After taking several minutes to read the putt, the attempt of Birdie de Rose did not break and stayed well. With a second chance to capture his first green jacket, a 5 feet foot was lost in hole 72. Mcilroy did not miss again.
Mcilroy threw his putter in the air and put his head in his hands. He fell on his knees and cried before hugging his caddie, Harry Diamond. Mcilroy found his wife, Erica, and his daughter, Poppy, and was still crying while doing the long walk from Green 18 to the club house while thousands of clients encouraged him.
Later, while Mcilroy walked to green practice for the presentation of the trophy, hugged his putting coach, former PGA player Tour Brad Faxon, and said: “What a roller coaster.”
“I would say that there were 14 years of creation, from leaving with a four -shooting advantage in 2011, feeling that I could have done it there,” said Mcilroy. “Yes, there was a lot of accumulated emotion that has just come out in that Green 18. A moment like that makes every year and all nearby calls are worth it.”
Mcilroy thanked his family and equipment while accepting the trophy just before he slid over his green jacket.
“They have been on this trip with me all the way,” Mcilroy said. “They know the burden I have taken to come here every year and try to try and try again.”
Mcilroy did enough in the last 18 holes to join that exclusive club, publishing a 1 above 73 to finish 11 below. Rose, who also finished 11 below, pursued him with a 66 Bajo 66 to force the first playoff in the Masters since 2017.
Rose also competed in that playoff, falling to Sergio García in Spain in the first hole.
Mcilroy had the opportunity to capture a green jacket on hole 72. His exit blow found the street for sure, but his approach exploded to the right and landed in a Greenside bunker. Calmly came out about 5 feet. His Putt Par slipped beyond the hole on the low side, sending him to a playoff against Rose.
Patrick Reed of Liv Golf, the 2018 Masters champion, finished third at 9 below with 3 Bajo 69 on Sunday. The world number 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler, who was trying to win a third green jacket in four years, finished fourth at 8 under the publication after publishing a 69. Bryson Dechambeau (3 out of 75) and Sungjae Im (69) tied in fifth place at 7 bass.
It was Mcilroy's eleventh attempt to finish the Grand Slam race, most of them among those who have done so, and for a time on Sunday, it seemed that he would have to wait another year after he wasted a four -stroke advantage in an exciting second nine.
At the edge of collapsing the Masters again, Mcilroy delivered one of the most memorable shots of his career at the 4 17th. Rose was already in the Club house as a co-leader at age 11 under, so Mcilroy needed Birdie one of the last two holes to avoid a sudden death playoff.
After hitting a 248 yards trip on the right side of the street, Mcilroy hit an iron and urged his ball to “Go, go!” While he followed him on the street. His ball bounced in the green and rolled 2 feet from the cup. He did the Birdie to go to 12 Under, one in front of Rose.
It seemed enough, until Mcilroy lost the short put 18.
It is the fifth victory of the important Mcilroy championship and first in more than a decade. He also won the PGA championship of US 2011, 2012 and 2014 and the 2014 Open Championship.
Mcilroy turned 1 low 35 and was the first golfer to reach 13 below. He added another Birdie in tenth 4 to maintain a four -stroke advantage.
But Mcilroy gave the golfers chasing a prayer of returning when he fought in two of the holes in the iconic corner of Augusta National. In torque 4 11, Mcilroy's approach almost entered the pond against green. His ball stopped at the top of the bank. He broke at 10 feet and lost the putt. A ghost dropped 13 below.
After making the torque at par 3 12, the disaster hit the torque 5 13. McCilroy took a conservative strategy after reaching a 300 -yard trip along the street. Instead of going for Green, he established his approach to 86 yards. Then, he hit one of the worst wedge shots of his career. His ball sailed anywhere near his goal, bounced twice on the shore and fell into a tributary of Rae's Creek.
“I wanted to cry for him,” said Dechambeau, who was playing with Mcilroy. “I mean, as a professional, you only know how to hit it in the middle of the green. I cannot believe that I have gone for that or that I should have accumulated it. But I have also hit bad shots in my career, and it happens.
“When you try to win an important championship, especially here, on Sunday of Augusta, the teachers, you have to do it and do the job and do it well. There were times when it seemed that I had total control and at a time when it is like, 'What's happening?'”
After a penalty of a blow, Mcilroy contributed 11 feet. He lost the putt and carried a double Bogey 7. His advantage over Rose was reduced to one.
Then, in torque 4 14, Mcilroy pushed his t -shirt to the trees to the right, and his approach was short of green. He left for about 10 feet. His Putt Par seemed to be breaking in the hole, but he stopped at approximately an inch of the cup. Another Bogey dropped 10 below and in a three -way draw with Rose and Ludvig Åberg.
Mcilroy took a two -stroke advantage over Dechambeau in the final round, but disappeared after he made a double bogey in the first hole.
Mcilroy is the first masters champion to load four two bogeys in a tournament (he had two in the first round).
