AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rory McIlroy fell to his knees and began to cry. He let out a primal scream as 14 years of pent-up frustration poured out.
“My battle today was with myself,” McIlroy said. “It was a struggle but I got it over the line.”
McIlroy, 35, sank a 4-foot birdie putt at Augusta National Golf Club on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose to win the 89th Masters on Sunday. He became the sixth player in men’s professional golf to complete the career Grand Slam, the first to do so since Tiger Woods in 2000, and ended his 11-year victory drought in the majors.