How it unfolded
Rory McIlroy had gone eleven years without a major since the 2014 PGA Championship and had repeatedly stumbled at Augusta, the last piece of a career Grand Slam. In 2025 he led alone after 54 holes but double-bogeyed the 1st on Sunday, regained the lead, then double-bogeyed the par-5 13th after finding Rae's Creek with a wedge. Birdies at 15 and 17 put victory in reach, but he missed a short par putt on 18 to finish at 73 and 277, eleven-under. Justin Rose, playing ahead, had closed with 66 to match him in the clubhouse. The playoff returned to the 18th; McIlroy's second shot finished inside a metre and he made birdie to win. He sank to the green and wept for a long time.
Why it still matters
McIlroy became the sixth player after Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Nicklaus and Woods to win all four professional majors. After three years of a split men's game following LIV Golf's launch, the Masters reaffirmed that major narratives still sit at the sport's centre. An eleven-year drought and repeated near-misses made the finish a textbook story of pressure and recovery.