Made McIlroy History... Career Grand Slammer (Comprehensive) [Masters]

Masters Victory in Playoff Completes Final Puzzle
Champion of All Four Different Major Tournaments
Sixth Golfer in History to Achieve Career Grand Slam
Rose Finishes Second, Scheffler Fourth, Im Sungjae Tied for Fifth

Finally completed the last puzzle with difficulty. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), ranked second in the world, achieved the career Grand Slam.

On the 13th (local time), at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,555 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA, the first major tournament of the year, the 89th Masters Tournament (total prize money $21 million) concluded. McIlroy lost one stroke and was tied with Justin Rose (England) at 11 under par 277, but secured the winning birdie on the first hole of the playoff at the 18th hole (par 4), finally donning the coveted green jacket. This was his thrilling first victory after 17 appearances at the Masters. It marked his third win of the PGA Tour season and his 29th career victory (including five majors), with a winner's prize of $4.2 million (approximately 6 billion KRW).

Rory McIlroy cheers after making the winning birdie on the first playoff hole, the 18th hole, at the Masters. Augusta=AFP Photo by Yonhap News

McIlroy has now won all four different major championships: the 2011 US Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, the 2014 The Open, and now the Masters. He became the sixth golfer in professional golf history to complete the career Grand Slam, following Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan (both USA), Gary Player (South Africa), Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods (both USA).

Starting with a two-stroke lead, McIlroy recorded six birdies, three bogeys, and two double bogeys. His start was shaky. At the first hole (par 4), his tee shot landed in a bunker, and after a three-putt on his third shot, he made a double bogey, allowing 'Hulk' Brian DeShambo (USA) to share the lead. At the second hole (par 5), his tee shot again landed in a bunker, and he settled for par, losing the top spot on the leaderboard. However, he changed the momentum with a birdie at the third hole (par 4), followed by consecutive birdies at the fourth hole (par 3), extending his lead to three strokes. He then made back-to-back birdies at the ninth and tenth holes (both par 4), widening the gap to four strokes over his competitors.

The second crisis came at the 13th hole (par 5), where his third shot fell short into a creek. He recorded a double bogey on the scorecard, losing the lead to Rose. Shaken by a bogey at the 14th hole (par 4), McIlroy regained momentum with a birdie at the 15th hole (par 5), and reduced his score by one stroke at the 17th hole (par 4), reclaiming the top spot on the leaderboard. At the final 18th hole, after sending his second shot into a bunker and making a bogey, he allowed the playoff. In the first playoff hole, McIlroy perfectly landed his iron shot close to the hole, securing the victory. Upon becoming a career Grand Slam winner, he knelt down and shed tears.

McIlroy had been particularly unlucky at the Masters. Since 2009, he had participated 16 times until last year, with his best result being runner-up in 2022 behind Scottie Scheffler (USA). The most disappointing year was 2011, when he was tied for second and held a four-stroke lead going into the final round but faltered in the later stages, shooting an 80 and dropping to a tie for 15th place.

He had predicted a great achievement even before this year's tournament. He had shown a sharp upward trend recently, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and the Players Championship, known as the fifth major, last month. He led the FedEx Cup rankings, money list, and scoring average. His powerful drives and excellent green play continued in this tournament. Ultimately, he displayed his best condition and ended an 11-year major victory drought.

Lori McIlroy is kneeling and shedding tears immediately after winning the Masters in a playoff. Augusta - Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

In an interview immediately after his win, McIlroy said, "Something truly unbelievable happened. Every year, I came to the Masters with the pressure of achieving the Grand Slam." He added, "After the mistake at the 13th hole, finishing the remaining holes well led to this good result. I want to praise myself." He became emotional, saying, "It was very hard not to win the Masters, but finally, I achieved the dream of the career Grand Slam."

Rose showed great resilience with a 6-under-par 66 to finish as runner-up. Patrick Reed finished third (9 under par 279), and world number one and defending champion Scheffler performed well, finishing fourth (8 under par 280). DeShambo, who aimed for a comeback victory, lost three strokes and dropped to a tie for fifth place (7 under par 281). He collapsed with a double bogey after his second shot at the 11th hole (par 4) landed in the water.

From Korea, Im Sung-jae recorded one eagle, four birdies, and three bogeys, rising from a tie for 10th place the previous day to a tie for fifth. He had previously achieved the best Korean result at the Masters with a runner-up finish in 2020. An Byeong-hun reduced his score by one stroke with three birdies and two bogeys, finishing tied for 21st (2 under par 286). Kim Joo-hyung recorded two birdies, three bogeys, and three double bogeys, finishing tied for 52nd (9 over par 297).