Rory’s final triumphant putt
When asked on Tuesday of Masters week about all of the expectations heaped upon him in his quest for the career Grand Slam, Rory Mcllroy said: “It’s just narratives. It’s noise. It’s just trying to block out that noise as much as possible. I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year.”
Good luck with that, Rory, I thought at the time.
The Masters is like no other tournament; psychological ploys and mantras can’t reduce its historical weight. On Sunday, Mcllroy had to fight back and resist a series of “narratives.” Was he collapsing under the pressure? Was the title slipping away once again? Why can’t he close the deal?
In one of the most popular Masters victories since Tiger Woods’ triumphant win in 2019, Mcllroy finally persevered and donned his first green jacket, joining Woods and five other illustrious golfers in achieving the coveted career Slam—winning the Masters, U.S. Open, the PGA and the Open Championship.
Sunday at the Masters was riveting, with so many emotional highs and lows, with sensational shots and blunders. Mcllroy double-bogeyed the first hole, and he’s tied with Bryson Dechambeau. Oddly enough, the start calmed him down. “In a funny way, I feel like the double bogey at the first sort of settled my nerves,” said Mcllroy in the press conference afterward. “Walking to the second tee, the first thing that popped into my head was Jon Rahm a couple of years ago making double and going on to win. So at least my mind was in the right place, and was at least thinking positively about it.”
Well, some self-talk mantras do come in handy.
And in a topsy-turvy final round, they were employed over and over.
Every time Mcllroy incurred a setback, including another unlikely double bogey (his fourth of the week, the most for a Masters champion) on 13, he bounced back with a clutch shot to right his ship. Meanwhile, Justin Rose was in hot pursuit, carding 10 birdies on Sunday and making up six shots during the final round.
Seemingly, after a birdie and a one-shot lead heading to the 72nd hole, Mcllroy was in control. But again, the tables turned when he found the bunker and missed the par-save, sending it to sudden death.
It took one playoff hole to crown the champion, as Mcllroy rolled in a two-foot birdie putt, setting off a wave of emotion. This time, his collapse was purely physical—from his knees to the green in sheer relief—and led to tears of joy.
When asked by a reporter how he managed to “keep the faith” after so many disappointing finishes at the Masters, the new champ said: “Look, you have to be the eternal optimist in this game.”
On Saturday, Mcllroy got off to the hottest start in Masters history, burning the rubber with six consecutive threes, including three birdies and an eagle. On two of those birdies, on holes 5 and 7, he found the green by finding a narrow window from the second cut and tall pines.
Statistically, he was errant off the tee for the week, but overall, he managed to find the putting surface consistently. He was T-16 in the all-important Greens Hit in Regulation stat. At times, it was Houdini-like how he got out of manacled situations.
On Sunday, he admitted he was inspired to escape a similar lie in the pines on the 7th hole by his success there the day before. It was shot that his long-time caddie and boyhood friend Harry Diamond wasn’t confident of. But Mcllroy pulled it off.
The other question is why Mcllroy’s Masters victory resonates so resoundingly with the golf populi. Indeed, he possesses a likable and well-grounded personality, one that the public has readily embraced. He’s been a prodigy who has matured well without incurring any scandals that plagued his hero, Tiger Woods. As importantly, he stood his ground and defended the PGA Tour when the LIV Tour arrived as a barbarian at its gates. He could have cashed in big time (at least a half-billion dollars) and defected to the Saudi Arabia-backed Tour. But like Woods, Mcllroy appreciated and respected the deep history of the Tour and its place in the game. Besides, it didn’t seem broken and needed a major fix. Money wasn’t the end-all. So, he became an effective spokesman for the merits of staying with the PGA Tour as is, with a few modifications.
The average golf fan liked what he heard from Mcllroy. And with few exceptions, he didn’t dodge tough questions—hey Rory, why haven’t you won at Augusta?— and instead answered them with candor, patience, and humor.
Optimists get knocked down and have their hopes dashed every day. Rory knew all about them for the last 11 years.
But on Sunday at the Masters, Rory Mcllroy changed the narrative. “I’ve literally made my dreams come true today.”
Image courtesy of the Masters
