Tiger Woods said he was ‘proud’ of Rory McIlroy after he won the Masters and completed the career Grand Slam in dramatic fashion at Augusta National.
McIlroy finally achieved golfing immortality at the famous course as he beat Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off.
Leading by two shots going into the final round, McIlroy suffered a shocking start with a double-bogey on the first, his advantage gone in a matter of minutes.
McIlroy’s hopes of donning the Green Jacket took a further blow as he found water and dropped two more shots on the 13th, but the Northern Irishman produced some excellent golf either side of his major setbacks.
Missing a par putt on the 18th cost McIlroy victory in regulation and gave Rose the chance to secure the biggest win of his career in a play-off.
But Rose could only make par and a brilliant approach shot gave McIlroy the chance for birdie and this time he made no mistake, throwing his putter over his shoulder and collapsing to the ground as he finally achieved his lifetime goal of winning all four majors.
‘I would say it was 14 years in the making,’ an emotional McIlroy said in reference to the 2011 Masters when he threw away a four-shot lead in the final round.
‘A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.
‘I want to say hello to mum and dad back in Northern Ireland. I can’t wait to see them next week and can’t wait to celebrate with them.’
McIlroy won the US Open, The Open and two US PGA Championships by the end of 2014 but had to wait over a decade before claiming a career Grand Slam.
He is the sixth man and first European to achieve the Slam following Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.
Reacting to McIlroy’s victory at Augusta, Woods – widely considered the best player in history – said: ‘Welcome to the club Rory.
‘Completing the Grand Slam at Augusta is something special.
‘Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re part of history.
‘Proud of you!’
While McIlroy, who finished on -11 after a one-over par final round, was able to revel in a stunning victory, there was more heartbreak for Rose following the 44-year-old’s play-off Masters defeat to Sergio Garcia in 2017.
Rose had led after the first two rounds at Augusta but a combination of his underwhelming third round and a surge from McIlroy saw the Englishman trailing going into Sunday’s final round.
‘He kind of gave me an opportunity on 18 from the fairway,’ Rose said of McIlroy’s miscued approach to the last in regulation time. ‘That was nice of him.
‘But then he closed the door beautifully on 18 in the play-off with two great swings when it mattered most for him.
‘What he’s really learned to do this year is play much more controlled golf, and obviously it’s paying off for him. He’s having an unbelievable season.’
Bryson DeChambeau issued a warning to McIlroy ahead of their final-round battle but fell away on Sunday to finish fifth on -7, four behind McIlroy and Rose.
America’s world number one Scottie Scheffler was fourth on -8, with his compatriot Patrick Reed an outright third, two shots behind the joint-leaders.
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