It is hard to imagine that there will ever be a round of golf with more memorable moments than Rory McIlroy’s Sunday at The Masters earlier this year.
Rory McIlroy certainly did everything he could to throw away his best chance to win The Masters. The Northern Irishman made six birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys to end up in a playoff with Justin Rose.
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Thankfully for McIlroy, a birdie on the first additional hole was enough to edge out Rose.
Whether it was the drive into the bunker on the first, the scarcely-believable approach on seven, the baffling wedge shot on 13, the iconic second into 15, or the stunner on 17, McIlroy provided plenty of both the sublime and the ridiculous.
Rory McIlroy names the most underrated shot from his final round at The Masters
The draw on the final par five is likely to be remembered as the shot of his career, given its significance.
It will certainly be the shot which is shown on several occasions every time The Masters comes around again each year.
But speaking on 5 Clubs, McIlroy suggested that what he did on the following hole felt just as important given his concerns about that shot.
“You talk about the shots on 15 and 17, but I think the most underrated shot of the whole day was my tee shot into 16,” he said.
“That wasn’t the traditional Sunday hole location, and I was worried about that shot all day. I felt like that was going to a pivotal point in the tournament. Obviously, paying homage to Jack’s win in 1975, the 50th anniversary. But for whatever reason, that pin up on that top right shelf on 16, I was worried or uneasy about it all day and I made one of my best swings into that hole, three-quarter eight iron.
“I didn’t end up making the birdie. That was one of the best swings of the day after what had happened on 15.”
How difficult the 16th hole at Augusta National was during the last round at the 2025 Masters
It is fascinating to think that the tee shot on 16 was the moment McIlroy was worried about.
If there is going to be an ace across the week at Augusta National, it is likely to come at the last par three.
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Obviously, the Sunday pin was not one to be too aggressive to, particularly as it was a unique placing for 2025. But it was still the easiest of the final three holes.
According to the stats, the 16th was the 10th easiest hole on Sunday, playing fractionally over par (+0.019).
Having said that, it proved to be McIlroy’s only par in the final six holes. So you can understand why he reflects on it being such an important moment.
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