Rory McIlroy slayed his Masters demons in 2025 by winning at Augusta National and completing the career Grand Slam.
However, after years of heartbreak and near misses at major championships, Rory McIlroy almost threw away yet another major win on the back nine. He was leading by four shots going into the 13th hole, but ended up having to beat Justin Rose in a playoff to claim his first Green Jacket.
That’s mainly because he inexplicably put his ball in the drink on the 13th hole in one of the most memorable unforced errors in the sport’s history. The Northern Irishman had a relatively simple wedge shot onto the green, but pushed his ball right and into the water.
That led to a double bogey on the par five, which was the beginning of the spiral that almost lost him the tournament. McIlroy recently revealed what he said to his caddie before taking this shot, which could explain why he made the error.
What Rory McIlroy said to Harry Diamond on the 13th tee at The Masters
Standing on the 13th tee box, McIlroy looked home and dry. He’d navigated the 12th hole that has ended so many players’ Masters dreams, and all he had to do was avoid a big mistake.
The problem was that McIlroy knew it, and it totally changed his mentality. He said on the Stick to Football podcast, “A lot of people’s Masters have been won and lost at the 12th floor, the hole before. And I got through that unscathed, hit it on the middle of the green, two-putted, did what I needed to do, moved on to the next.
“I said to my caddie, Harry, walking up to the 13th tee, usually you see people go for that green in two, and you can make it. But I said to him, ‘What do you think about playing this as a three-shotter? So, it was the first time I was thinking a little bit defensively.
“I had a four-shot lead… I was like, ‘Let’s just take a big number out of play’, is what I was thinking. So, I usually hit driver off the tee, I hit three-wood just to get it in play.
“I did and hit a good layup with an eight iron and left myself a pretty good number. You’re always trying to leave yourself yardages that you’re comfortable with and you like. But when I got down there, it settled, there’s like these drainage hollows by the left side of the fairway, and it was on the up slope of one of those.
Do you think Rory McIlroy will win two or more majors before he retires?
“And usually when you’re hitting wedge shots off an upslope with the loft of the club, the ball comes out left, so I was trying to guard against that a little bit. So I give myself maybe a yard or two of like a margin for error on the right side of the pin, and I just got ahead of it, made a bad swing.
“My dad said to me after, ‘You had all of Georgia on your left and you hit it right.’ I hit a similar wedge shot at the US Open in 2023, that lost me the US Open, and I that’s how I thought. I was like, ‘I’ve done it again,’ ‘Like you, idiot I’ve done it again.’
“So obviously I made a seven there, but I still looked up at the big leaderboard I still had the lead. So I was like, ‘Okay you still have the lead. You got five more holes to go. You’ve got another par five. Everything’s okay.’ It wasn’t quite panic stations, but it was it was close enough.”
With all that going through his head, it’s incredibly impressive that McIlroy won The Masters, regathering himself on the playoff hole to make an incredible birdie on the 18th. He was tested by Augusta National and passed by the skin of his teeth.
Rory McIlroy explained how he was able to win The Masters in 2025
McIlroy’s Masters shortcomings were the elephant in the room when it came to discussing the golfing great. There was an empty coat hanger waiting for the Green Jacket in McIlroy’s wardrobe, but there were huge doubts that it would ever be hung there.
After years of heartbreak, he was finally able to put his Masters memories behind him and complete the career Grand Slam.
He explained why 2025 was the year he conquered Augusta: “I felt like I was playing as good as I ever have. I was confident. I came into the Masters. I’d won two big events leading up to it. But I won at Pebble Beach. I won The Players.
“I won the Players in a playoff. So I had come through recent pressure situations, and I’d gotten through them. So, that’s why I felt like just more comfortable with where I was.
Do you think you could win The Masters if you started every hole on the green?
If not, how many shots would you also need?
“Those recent memories, I could draw upon a little bit.”
That’s a positive sign, looking forward to. In 2026, he’ll arrive at Augusta for the first time as champion, knowing how to win the event. He’ll play with freedom, under the least amount of pressure he has ever faced at that course.
With that said, don’t be surprised if McIlroy becomes the first player to win The Masters back-to-back since Tiger Woods.
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