4/13/25
(Augusta, GA) Sarazen. Hogan. Player. Nicklaus. Woods. Now, McIlroy.
Those are the last names of the most exclusive and hardest fraternity to enter in men’s professional golf. The sensational six players who’ve completed the career grand slam. Perhaps Gene Sarazen in 1935 has a compelling case for the most dramatic fashion in completing the career grand slam at the Masters. Rory McIlroy made the case for one of the wildest, circuitous rides to immortality.
In sports, specifically golf, history has a curious case of repeating itself. In 1975, Jack Nicklaus won his fifth green jacket, drawing inspiration for the hole location on the 16th hole in the final round of this year’s Masters. 11 years later, Nicklaus improbably won his sixth green jacket, on April 13. 11 years later, Tiger Woods dazzled the world with a record-setting performance and winning the Masters by 12 strokes. When Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket in 2019, it ended an 11-year major championship drought. Rory McIlroy ended his 11-year major championship drought on Sunday.
Bobby Jones completed the grand slam in the amateur era, winning The Amateur Championship, Open Championship, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur Championship, all in 1930. Tiger Woods completed “The Tiger Slam” by holding all four major championships simultaneously in 2001 when he won the Masters after winning the final three majors of 2000. Those feats, in all likelihood, will never be replicated. The career grand slam still holds remarkable grandeur. When Gene Sarazen fulfilled the career grand slam in 1935, it wasn’t acknowledged. 80 years later, when Rory McIlroy first had a chance to complete the career grand slam, McIlroy couldn’t escape it.
For the last 11 years, Rory McIlroy has won numerous PGA Tour events, the FedEx Cup, was part of a history Ryder Cup comeback in 2012, and multiple victorious European Ryder Cup teams, and worldwide victories. The ever-growing cloud hanging over McIlroy was when he would win his next major. At every event, he would be peppered with the same questions. “When will you win your next major?” “When will you win the career grand slam?” Among many other repetitive questions that McIlroy would graciously and patiently answer.
It can wear the weak down getting asked the same questions for over a decade. It’s multiplied infinitely when you’re one of the most recognizable names in sports and competing in front of a global audience every time you step on your playing surface. Rory McIlroy would let golf fans inside his head and his heart. It’s part of the allure of McIlroy and why he has such a rabid fanbase.
His 10 top-5 finishes in majors from 2015-2024 were full of heartbreak. Most recently, the 2024 U.S. Open, where he fell to Bryson DeChambeau after holding a two-shot lead on the back nine in the final round. His two missed putts inside of five feet in the final few holes were the daggers he and his fans could hardly live with. It was heartbreak that added more questions McIlroy would face, and a stronger weight on his back to find the winner’s circle at a major once again.
Winning a major championship is one of the hardest accomplishments in sports. Completing the career grand slam is the most difficult feat in sports. In this era of social media, the suffocating pressure adds up with each passing second. Rory McIlroy has heard it all from all corners of the globe, making his quest to fulfill the career grand slam that more difficult. His ardent fans would fight tooth and nail to claim their guy will one day do it. Even on the darkest days, McIlroy’s fervid fans still held hope, as did their leader.
When Rory McIlroy arrived in Augusta, Georgia, there was a unique aura that followed him, unlike any trip he’d ever made to a golf tournament. McIlroy won at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass, two of the United States’ most recognizable golf courses. Augusta National Golf Club might be the most recognizable golf course, not just in the United States, but in all of planet Earth. The final piece of the career grand slam was staring him dead in the face with a different look in 2025. It was a stare of “Come and get me”.
The week was full of plot twists and roller coaster-esque turns that had fans globally holding their breath for four days. Sunday amplified those feelings. McIlroy’s final round at the Masters was emblematic of his career, squeezed into five hours. Ups, downs, questions, roars, groans, nail-biting excitement, and finally, completion. After 11 years of trying. 11 years of frustration. 11 years of tears. 11 years of heartbreak. 11 years of hell and back, their guy finally conquered the finest golf tournament, and the most onerous accomplishment sports has to offer. And he did it, Rory’s way.
In sports, every athlete dreams of leaving a legacy. Very few get that opportunity, and even fewer snatch that opportunity and leave one that is historic. On April 13, 2025, Rory McIlroy cemented his status as one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. He will forever be honored at Augusta National Golf Club, and his imprint on the game will last for as long as golf is played.
Finally completing the career grand slam warranted McIlroy’s reaction after his birdie putt dropped on the final hole of the playoff. Finally exercising the demons of previous major championship failures. Finally silencing the haters. Finally winning a major championship in front of his daughter, Poppy. Finally slipping into the green jacket. Finally achieving his dream.
Finally reaching immortality.
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