Rory has finally conquered his “nemesis” and is now the only European golfer to complete a Career Grand Slam. Oh, and what a beautiful sight it was after Rory McIlroy finally won his first green jacket and his fifth major title after 4017 days. The way the Irishman dropped to the ground after shooting a birdie on the playoff hole against Justin Rose explains what this moment meant to him. With this win, McIlroy not only completed his long-awaited career Grand Slam but also quieted his critics.

He was off to a rough start at Augusta National. Yes, he shot four birdies in the first round, but a double bogey on Firethorn and Nandina forced him to finish with a 72. Fans thought he would not make it this year as well and would have a disappointing finish just like the last 10 attempts. However, the Irishman had a bogey-free second round and also fired an eagle on Azalea; thanks to that, he started to climb the leaderboard. But it was just the trailer before what was yet to come. On Saturday, he fired two more eagles on Pink Dogwood and Firethorn. Moving forward, things took a turn! On Sunday.

Rory McIlroy was playing Holly. Had he birdied, he would have won the Green Jacket. But he bogeyed. Missed a close putt and, as a result, went into a sudden-death playoff with England’s Justin Rose. But he EMERGED. He won! Justin Rose made par, whereas McIlroy birdied and took home the win that was supposed to be his right from the start.

The journey of the Green Jacket has been very heartbreaking for Rory. Most painful was the 2011 Masters. Just 21 years old, McIlroy was one of the budding talents among veterans. While trying to win his first major back then, he held a four-stroke lead heading into the final round at Augusta National. With this, the green jacket was looking very likely. However, he was unable to capitalize on the lead. On the back nine, he shot an 80, which included a triple bogey on the 10th hole after his tee shot veered so far left it ended up near the cottages. Not only that, he shot another bogey on the 11th, followed by a frustrating four-putt double bogey on the 12th. After this, he just could not hold his head high and was full of tears.

Three years after that, Rory McIlroy expressed his sadness and said, “That’s probably the only time I’ve cried over golf.” Well, it’s the second time now. Moments before wearing the green jacket this year, the Irishman got emotional while talking to the former champion Scottie Scheffler and the Masters chairman Fred Ridley about what this win meant to him.

The final round was nail-biting, to say the least. Looking just a step away from the green jacket when the Irishman bogeyed on the 18th, it agitated many fans with calls mounting for him to retire.

What did fans say about Rory McIlroy when he choked?

Rory! Rory! Rory! Cheers filled the Augusta Green after almost every shot of the Irishman in the final round. However, they immediately went silent after the golfer shot a bogey on Holly. To this, one frustrated fan added, “Rory should just retire! Fu**ing awful.” 

Coming to Augusta National, the Irishman went through a lot of highs and lows starting from the first round. However, the lows of the final hole of Sunday were too much to take for this fan as they said, “If Rory McIlroy loses this – He should retire and never play another round of golf again.” Interestingly, Rory McIlroy had to face the same kind of heat last year at the St. Jude Championship after he finished T68 at the tournament.

Expressing similar sentiments, another added, “Rory McIlroy might have to retire if he loses this lol.” The Masters has always been a close call for Rory McIlroy. In 2018, he showed strong form with an opening 69 and a superb third-round 65, highlighted by an eagle and five birdies. But he lost steam in the final round, struggling with fairways, greens, and putts, and ended up T5—six shots behind champion Patrick Reed. 

The green jacket marked his fifth major title and made him the first golfer in 25 years, since Tiger Woods, to complete the Career Grand Slam. Considering that, this fan believes the Irishman has achieved everything that the golf world has to offer and added, “All the pressure off Rose too, I think he wins it now. If Rory wins this, if I was him, I’d just retire after it lol.” Expressing similar sentiments, another added, “You have everything now, Rory. You can freely retire.” 

After his long-awaited win, do you also think that Rory McIlroy should retire on a good note? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!