Rory McIlroy has admitted fears he may never win the Masters before completing the Grand Slam during the ‘best year’ of his golf career.
McIlroy’s dramatic victory at Augusta National in April made him the sixth male golfer in history and the first European to complete a Grand Slam. He defeated Justin Rose in a playoff to win his fifth major title after an 11-year wait.
The world No. 2 has 21 major top-10 finishes before earning a green jacket at the 2014 PGA Championship, including six at the Masters. McIlroy has come under close scrutiny after several narrow misses in previous attempts.
Rory McIlroy completes career Grand Slam at Masters.
McIlroy failed to convert a four-stroke lead on the final day of the 2011 Masters and was eliminated in the final group with Patrick Reed on Sunday of the 2018 event, before his victory in 2025 made him the first player since Tiger Woods to join the Grand Slam club.
“Yes, I doubted that moment would ever happen.” McIlroy told Sky Sports The new documentary ‘McIlroy ’25: A Career Year’ is scheduled to be released this month. “I think I’ve had many opportunities in the past.
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Rory McIlroy looks back on the best shots that led to his historic victory at the Masters.
“I won the Masters at 35, but I had a chance at 21. I had a chance at 28. I had a few more in between, but it feels like that window is closing as my career continues.
“On that Sunday, I was saying, ‘Could this be my last chance? Could this be my chance?’ The way everything went, Bryson was in the final group and right after Pinehurst in 2024 (US Open) there was a lot of riding that day.
“Yeah, I had my doubts before, but I had to keep it all in my mind and go out and try to play a good round of golf. It just didn’t feel like it. In some parts I did, but in other parts I didn’t.”
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Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters winner, sat down to reflect on his victory at Augusta after years of disappointment.
McIlroy had a two-shot advantage on Sunday’s roller coaster, and after finding water, he made a double bogey on the par-5 13th, temporarily leading by four until he followed up with a bogey on the 11th.
Another drop shot on the next hole canceled out birdies on the 15th and 17th, and McIlroy made a close birdie on the first hole of the playoffs to cancel out a bogey on the 72nd, sparking emotional celebrations.
“The reaction has been to go there for years and try and fail, but even before that, when I was sitting in my living room in Holywood with my dad,” McIlroy explained.
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Highlights from the final round of the Augusta National Masters, where Rory McIlroy completed a career Grand Slam by defeating Justin Rose in a playoff.
“As boys and fathers, we would watch the Masters and think about playing in that tournament one day, and then all of a sudden we were playing and trying to win and then we had that moment.
“I remember being with Harry (Diamond, caddy) when Tiger (Woods) shot 16 against Chris DeMarco in 2005. We watched it together. I had that reaction. When I stood up and turned around, who was the first person I saw? It was Harry.
“The only thing I can think of is how lucky I was that it happened the way it did, because I don’t think many other people in golf have the moment or feeling I had that Sunday on the 18th green at Augusta.”
Why McIlroy’s 2025 will be more meaningful than the 2014 Majors
Masters glory was part of an incredible 2025 for McIlroy. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players on the PGA Tour before earning an epic playoff victory at the Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour.
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Iona Stephen and Paul McGinley look at how Rory McIlroy eagled the 18th hole in regulation play before beating Joakim Lagergren in a play-off to win the Irish Open.
The Northern Irishman was a key part of Europe’s historic Ryder Cup success at Bethpage Black, contributing 3.5 points during a 15-13 away win over Team USA, two years after predicting a historic victory on American soil at the 2023 winners’ press conference.
“I always believed a Masters and Ryder Cup double was possible. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t have said it,” McIlroy explained. “Every time you start a new year, you have all these goals and hopes and dreams.
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Team Europe spoke about what it means to play alongside Rory McIlroy at the Ryder Cup.
“I felt like I finished 2024 really well and felt like I could ride that momentum into early 2025. I had a great start to the year, gained confidence early on and kept that confidence tied up throughout.”
McIlroy concluded his campaign by securing his seventh DP World Tour season Race to Dubai title, with the 36-year-old proud of his 2025 achievements.
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See the best shots from Rory McIlroy’s five major wins, including the Augusta National winning shot.
“I would say I won more majors in 2014, but I feel like this year was the best because I still had things left to accomplish in my career, including winning the Masters, winning the Ryder Cup on the road and winning the National Open,” McIlroy claimed.
“If I’m just looking for big moments, and that’s going to be the rest of my career for the next 10 years, if I have these big moments scattered all over the place, you’re not going to get a third bigger moment than what I’ve had this year.
“So this is the best year I’ve ever had.”
This Christmas, watch the new documentary ‘McIlroy ’25: A Career Year’ on Sky Sports, which looks back on his historic 2025. The show premieres on Sky Sports Golf at 9pm on Tuesday and will be repeated throughout the festival. Get Sky Sports or Stream contract-free on NOW.
