“This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.” After his Masters victory, Rory McIlroy candidly expressed his doubts over his legendary win. It wasn’t straightforward for the 35-year-old, who kept his composure and defeated Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. This means that McIlroy becomes the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam and his first major victory since 2014. Naturally, the golf fans were ecstatic, including NBA icon Dwyane Wade.

With this victory, McIlroy also became the first Grand Slam winner since Tiger Woods completed the feat in 2000, as per ESPN. His first major win since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, Rory joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to capture the four major championships in the Masters era. Truly a legendary list for McIlroy to be on.

Fans have been celebrating the moment, as it took more than a decade to materialize. Dwyane Wade was ecstatic too; on his X account, the 3x NBA champion simply added, “RORY!!!!” alongside a GIF to celebrate the Northern Ireland native. Well, the man knows the hardships of winning the championship as an athlete. But he also knows the ebbs and flows of a golf course, especially Augusta. Speaking of Augusta, D-Wade, alongside NBA icons Charles Barkley and Grant Hill, had an “unbelievable” experience there a month before NCAA March Madness.

It was Chuck who detailed the golf trip with Peyton Manning on Altitude Sports Radio. “He took me and Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill down there and we stayed. It was right before March Madness. It was two of the best days of my life… Getting to play a month before the Masters and stay on the property… It was unbelievable.”

It was also unbelievable to see McIlroy end his 11-year-long wait! But for some time, it felt he would have to wait another year to try again in 2026 as he squandered a four-stroke lead.

How Rory McIlroy’s win has golf fans going crazy

It was not only Dwyane Wade who celebrated the victory on social media. Current Knicks star Josh Hart also wrote, “RORY!!!” while NFL icon JJ Watt called it “All time Memory“. If you missed it, we’ve got you covered. Rory McIlroy missed a close putt and, as a result, went into a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose. Some fans even started retirement calls, as it was a frustrating watch. But the 35-year-old came back strong.

It was he 11th such playoff at the Masters since 1975 and the first since 2017, when Sergio Garcia defeated Rose. It was the Englishman Rose, who birdied on 18, momentarily tied him with McIlroy for the lead. Then McIlroy answered with a birdie on 17 to retake the lead. As stated before, it was his bogey on the 18th hole to landed him in a playoff with Rose. But as Rose hit a par, McIlroy then won with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

Also, a stat was mounted against the 35-year-old before his victory. He had four double bogeys in the tournament, including two on Sunday. Entering this year, no player had won the Masters after making four double bogeys or worse in the week. But it was Rory McIlroy who made it possible as he defied the odds, the stats, and some critics along the way to win the career grand slam!