Rory gets his green jacket

He won The Open at Hoylake 11 years ago, and Rory McIlroy is once again a fresh major winner. He fought relentlessly around Augusta National over the weekend to secure his much-awaited, much-anticipated career Grand Slam.

He had a rocky start to the tournament on the Thursday when two double-bogeys at the end of his round ruined the four birdies he had achieved earlier in the day so far, and he finished the day level par. However, two following rounds of 66 that included a handful of eagles catapulted him into the lead, and Rory started his final round on 12-under-par.

A final round for the ages, the Sunday held plenty of ups-and-downs for those at the hot end of the leaderboard. Bryson DeChambeau took the lead from Rory after the pair’s first hole but his hopes of a green jacket faded after making a handful of bogeys and he finished the day with a 3-over-par round.

Justin Rose was also putting up a fight with Augusta. The first-round leader had executed a fiery late charge that saw him defy the day’s pressure and finish the tournament on 11-under-par.

Rory himself bounced back from the double-bogey made on his opening hole and held a four-shot lead over Bryson heading into the back 9. His final stretch was similarly a roller-coaster as he found the water on the 13^th before carding two birdies and a bogey to finish on the same figure as Justin Rose.

A nerve-wracking playoff between the Englishman and the Northern-Irishman lasted only one hole when Rose narrowly missed his birdie putt, giving McIlroy the opportunity to sink a 3-foot-putt, which he did with poise and confidence.

The emotion on the green in the winning moment was palpable, and Rory’s success could be felt around the world. Transcending the world of golf, Rory was soon congratulated by multiple world-leaders, praising his Grand Slam achievement online.

During his green jacket ceremony speech, Rory praised his idols for inspiring him to chase and secure his own Masters victory “I go back to watching this tournament on the weekend with my father when I was 7 and 8 years old, watching Tiger Woods do what he did in 1997 and that was my inspiration to become what I am today, and to think that I’m up here today wearing one of those green jackets is, honestly it’s a dream come true.”

The 35-year-old seems fully fired-up and far from done when it comes to competitive golf. Who’s to say this weekend hasn’t given him the courage to chase this year’s three remaining majors?

A gripping Masters tournament from start to finish, this is the kind of action that makes golf so irresistible to us fans. If you’re playing golf yourself this week, we’re available to help you in the pro shop.