Rory McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a play-off to win The Masters at Augusta National earlier this month.
McIlroy completed the Grand Slam after winning The Masters the week before last, whilst Rose‘s search for his second major Championship continues to rumble on.
Only six golfers can lay claim to having won all four major championships throughout their careers, and McIlroy is the first to have achieved that feat in 25 years, so it goes without saying that he is already in the ‘legendary’ category.
The final day at Augusta National was captivating viewing. Rose was incredibly unlucky to miss out on winning a green jacket, after firing a scintillating six-under par 66 at The Masters on Sunday.
Rose has since been praised for his graciousness in defeat to McIlroy, and he will undoubtedly get more chances to win at Augusta if he continues to work hard on his game and remains physically fit.
However, the Englishman did receive some criticism for making the Northern Irishman wait for so long on the 18th tee before the play-off began.
Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher has since insisted that Rose making McIlroy wait was not intentional, but it matters little now anyway.
The 35-year-old is a five-time major champion – finally.
Lucas Glover says why he wanted Rory McIlroy to win The Masters instead of Justin Rose
Lucas Glover – the 2009 US Open champion – has been speaking to Sirius PGA Tour Radio about the dramatic final day at Augusta National.
Like many golfs fans, and indeed PGA Tour pros, Glover was desperate to see McIlroy win.
However, it was a it slightly different for the 45-year-old due to the fact that he is very close friends with Rose.
Glover said:
“We drove down to Hilton Head on Sunday, after missing the cut at The Masters, we got in our house a little early, and I had these grand plans to go work out some of the kinks on Sunday afternoon. Then The Masters started, and I never made it to the golf course. I watched every shot, and I wanted that so bad for Rory to complete the career Grand Slam, because I said Masters week that he deserved it, and he does. Now, that’s not to discount my friendship with Rosie, or the rounds he played Thursday and Sunday. Before Rosie got hot on the back nine, it looked like it was Rory’s to just walk in with. I was like, ‘oh man he’s finally going to do it’. I was so happy and felt so good for him, and then golf happened again! He hit a one in a million shot on 13. You drop a million balls there, he’ll never hit it where he hit it again. It just happened, and I was devastated for him at that moment, and I’m watching this just going, ‘oh my goodness’.”
That’s totally understandable from Glover.
Nobody could begrudge McIlroy finally winning The Masters on his 16th attempt, especially considering what has happened to him at Augusta throughout the years.
What Justin Rose said to Rory McIlroy in the 18th green at Augusta
Rose is clearly a very nice person, and that shone through brightly with his behaviour just after losing the play-off to McIlroy.
Speaking after the tournament finished, the 44-year-old shared what he said to his long time friend and fellow Ryder Cup team member on the 18th green when the play-off finished:
“I just said, listen, this is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it, someone who achieves the career Grand Slam.
“I just said it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s a momentous occasion for the game of golf.”
That was sheer class from Rose, and McIlroy would undoubtedly have appreciated the sentiment.
It’s fair to say that if Rose couldn’t win it, McIlroy was the player he would have liked to see draped in the green jacket come Sunday night at The Masters.
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