By Mathieu Wood
They say if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it and while that may be a cliché, the outpouring of emotion from Rory McIlroy at completing the career Grand Slam with a dramatic victory at the Masters emphasised that effort and struggle are necessary parts of a journey.
The Northern Irishman’s extraordinary achievement at becoming just the sixth man – joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – to win all four of golf’s Major Championships cannot be overstated.
In a sport where the depth of talent is only becoming stronger, he has achieved greatness and forever etched his name in history.
He did so with his greatest attribute – resilience.
Yes, there were moments when he will have left all those watching incredulous – at both his good and bad – but it is the courage he showed at Augusta National on his way to overcoming Justin Rose in a sudden death play-off amid his fallibility that truly characterises McIlroy.
And it is because of that he is a player who so many have grown an attachment to and will continue to follow and will on.
Ultimately, his story is as human as they come.
READ MORE:
• Report - Rory McIlroy wins The Masters to complete career Grand Slam
• Reaction - McIlroy says Masters win the best day of his golfing life
• Reaction - The fantastic five - A look at McIlroy’s Major wins
Here, we take a closer look at the key markers in McIlroy’s journey to the most exclusive club in men’s golf.
The genesis of a generational talent
By the time McIlroy appeared as a guest on a Northern Irish talk show in 1999, aged nine years old, his promise as an aspiring golfer was already known locally. Introduced to golf at a young age, he was then already a member at Holywood Golf Club – in his hometown – and had quickly begun to draw attention to his potential. In front of a TV audience, McIlroy made headlines by chipping balls into a washing machine – a practice he would do at home. The video will no doubt do the rounds again, but more meaningful is the support his parents gave him growing up in pursuing his dreams. In the Butler Cabin, in the immediate aftermath of his Masters victory, McIlroy cast a teary thought to his mother, Rosie, and father, Gerry, who worked multiple jobs to support his golfing ambitions. “I want to say hello to my mum and dad, they're back at home in Northern Ireland,” he said. “I can't wait to see them next week and celebrate this with them." McIlroy has for long said that the success he has enjoyed is down to their sacrifices on his behalf. It is perhaps for that reason that McIlroy sought to offer his own message of perseverance and hope towards his daughter, Poppy, during the prizegiving ceremony later. “One thing I’d say to my daughter Poppy is never give up on your dreams,” he added. “Never, ever give up on your dreams. Keep coming back, keep working hard and if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”
From amateur success to first win on Tour in Dubai
While still an amateur, McIlroy made his debut on the DP World Tour – then known as the European Tour – in May 2005, aged 16, at the British Masters. Weeks later, he shot a record-breaking 61 at Royal Portrush in the North of Ireland Amateur which reverberated around the country. He made his first cut in a professional event at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2007. Following that, he became the amateur world number one and made his Major Championship debut in The Open at Carnoustie, before drawing the curtain on his amateur career in the Walker Cup at Royal County Down, which included a victory against future American star Billy Horschel. Across just three starts on the DP World Tour towards the end of that season, he earned his card for 2008. He would end that campaign with six top ten finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open – a performance that helped him move into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at the close of the calendar year and thus earn an invite to the 2009 Masters. Before that Augusta debut, he won his first professional title at the Dubai Desert Classic, holding off Rose. He would finish that season second on the Race to Dubai, behind Lee Westwood, subsequently entering the world’s top 10 for the first time.
Bouncing back from Masters heartbreak to claim Major glory in quick succession
Across his first two years competing in Majors as a professional, McIlroy finished in the top ten on four occasions. But it was at the Masters in 2011 when his story came to wider prominence. Aged 21, he held a four-shot lead in the final round but dropped six shots in three holes on the back nine on his way to an 80 as Charl Schwartzel won the Green Jacket. Just two months later, he showed his hallmark resilience to bounce back and dominate the field to break records aplenty as he won the U.S. Open at Congressional. It was a victory that left great of the game Jack Nicklaus in no doubt that world dominance would follow. "Rory is going to have a great career, there is no question about that. He has got all the components,'' said the 18-time Major winner. "He is a great kid. He is humble when he needs to be and confident when he needs to be confident.” While his Masters nightmare could have derailed his progress it seemed to only fuel his desire further as he became a two-time Major winner at 23 with an eight-shot victory at the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island – a record victory that still stands today. While Major success would elude him in 2013, he would go back-to-back at The Open – lifting the Claret Jug in wire-to-wire fashion – and then again at the US PGA Championship, emerging from a see-saw final-day battle to finish one shot ahead of Phil Mickelson in near darkness at Valhalla. Still just 25, it left onlookers predicting many more would follow.
His love for the Ryder Cup, regret for ‘exhibition’ remark
In 2009, having just turned 20, McIlroy described the Ryder Cup as “an exhibition”, a comment he has since taken back several times. Now, almost 16 years on, he is the beating heart of the European team, with an eighth appearance later this year at Bethpage a certainty barring injury. Since his debut at Celtic Manor in 2010, he has been a part of five winning teams, most recently embracing his role as elder statesman to produce his best Ryder Cup performance at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. He won four points from five, two years on from enduring a painful loss to the United States at Whistling Straits, failing to get past the 15th in three defeats and missing a session for the first time in his Ryder Cup career after not being selected for the Saturday foursomes. Next on the wish list is a rare away triumph, something he believes is one of the biggest accomplishments in golf, and he experienced at Medinah in 2012. "I'm probably on the back nine of my Ryder Cup career and every one that I get to play in from now on is very, very meaningful,” he said in Italy in 2023, needing four more appearances to drawl level with Sir Nick Faldo and Westwood’s European record of 11.
Huge success but a Major drought
All the while, individual success continued to come for McIlroy. At 22, he became the second youngest golfer – behind only Tiger Woods – to reach the World Number One position in 2012. Later that year, he won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship for the first time. Success on both sides of the Atlantic was becoming an ever more regular occurrence too, winning the FedExCup on the PGA TOUR for the first time in 2016. A winless season would come in 2017 amid injury problems, before he parted ways with caddie JP Fitzgerald and teamed up with longtime friend Harry Diamond. A first triumph at THE PLAYERS would come in 2019, before he continued to rack up top ten finishes at Majors in the years that followed. He returned to the winner’s circle on the DP World Tour in 2023 at the Dubai Desert Classic after more than three years away, marking the first of four Rolex Series triumphs in two years. Among those was a third DP World Tour Championship success to claim the Race to Dubai title for the sixth time, moving alongside Seve Ballesteros. This feat was made all the more emotional as it came at the end of a season that saw him cruelly suffer Major heartache at the U.S. Open, letting slip a two-shot lead with five holes to play to miss out to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst - the latest in a line of near Major misses. It was the fourth time McIlroy had finished second at a Major since the US PGA Championship a decade earlier. The bid to end his long Major drought went on.
Redemption
As he got older, the task of finally landing the prize that had so far eluded him was seemingly becoming harder. Ahead of his 11th attempt at completing the career Grand Slam last week, McIlroy spoke of how he was trying to block out the noise around his pursuit of the Green Jacket. In form, with two PGA TOUR titles already to his name in the opening months of the year, the 35-year-old played perfectly for the first 14 holes of his first round on Thursday. But two double bogeys saw him head into the second round seven shots adrift of early pacesetter Rose. Factoring in the tumultuous moments he experienced before, the task appeared hard to overcome. But he was right back in the mix after a patient bogey-free 66 on Friday, containing five birdies on the back nine, before repeating the score on Saturday to claim a two-shot lead. The prediction was for a blockbuster tussle between McIlroy and DeChambeau over the final 18 holes, but it was anything but. After opening with double bogey, he found himself behind when his American playing partner birdied the second. But he remained calm amid the intense atmosphere to take control as three birdies in seven holes saw him go four clear with nine to play. But it was never going to be easy – all who have followed his journey knew as much. While Rose was mounting a remarkable back-nine charge, McIlroy was threatening to throw away his greatest opportunity to win the Masters. He dumped his third shot at the par-five 13th into the creek on his way to a double bogey and then bogeyed the 14th to fall out of the lead. But he responded with brilliant birdies at the 15th and 17th, thanks to sensational second shots. The later left him one clear of Rose – who birdied the last to set the clubhouse target - with one to play. He would miss, however, from around five feet for par after finding the greenside bunker, before overcoming that disappointment quickly to produce more magic when required with his approach on the first play-off hole and create the stage for his crowing moment. He later described his success as the best day of his “golfing life”, while highlighting his pride at his resolve. "“It’s [been] very difficult,” McIlroy said. “I think I’ve carried that burden since August 2014. It’s nearly 11 years. And not just about winning my next Major, but the career Grand Slam. Trying to join a group of five players to do it, watching a lot of my peers get Green Jackets in the process. All week I responded to setbacks and that's what I'll remember. I'm so proud of that and being able to bounce back."
