Rory McIlroy failed to do exactly what he said he wanted to at The Masters but in the end it won him the green jacket

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Rory McIlroy has finally emerged victorious at The Masters, with an understandable release of emotion let out on the 18th green after his winning putt.

Jack Nicklaus thinks McIlroy has a weight off his shoulders after his triumph at The Masters, which was the only major championship he hadn’t previously won.

But McIlroy has now completed the career Grand Slam, having also won the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open Championship during his stunning career so far.

The 35-year-old finished his four rounds at Augusta National on 11-under, level with his fellow European Justin Rose.

But he managed to succeed after just one sudden-death playoff hole, which McIlroy birdied after Rose’s par.

Rory McIlroy fails to be more like Scottie Scheffler as he wins The Masters

The champion did, however, fail in one regard, with McIlroy saying he wanted to take a leaf out of Scottie Scheffler’s book earlier this year.

Scheffler won The Masters in 2022 and 2024, with world number two McIlroy having unsurprisingly shared an ambition to be more like the world number one.

READ MORE: Dame Laura Davies makes claim about Scottie Scheffler that ‘sounds ridiculous’ after watching Rory McIlroy win The Masters

But that certainly didn’t transpire this week at Augusta, where the Northern Irishman played like himself and only himself to come out on top.

All four of his rounds were filled with ups and downs, and included both typically disastrous and typically world-class shots at various stages.

Rory McIlroy vs Scottie Scheffler scoring stats from The Masters

McIlroy remarkably carded four double bogeys en route to the green jacket, becoming the first champion of The Masters to do exactly that.

Two of those arrived in round four, with his nightmare water-shot on the 13th coming at a time when he was seemingly cruising to victory.

READ MORE: Gary Player issues statement after Rory McIlroy’s playoff against Justin Rose at The Masters and sends message to both players

But he quickly bounced back with simply outstanding shots at the 15th and 17th, where he carded two birdies.

It is certainly worth noting that Scheffler impressively didn’t give up at Augusta, with the defending champion finishing fourth.

That fantastic result comes despite the American having had his season heavily impacted by injury, having undergone hand surgery after an accident over the festive period.

With three PGA Tour wins in 2025 compared to Scheffler’s zero, it may just be time for McIlroy to focus on himself and appreciate his own unique way of clinching titles.