Mastering The Masters

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I’ve never seen more raw emotion than when Rory McIlroy, 11 years chasing a dream and falling short, finally won the Masters golf championship.

It had built up for over a decade. Year after year something would happen so that it wouldn’t happen.

And then it did.

It did on a final round with more twists and turns than a tornado.

When it was over, after a birdie on the first playoff hole against Britain’s Justin Rose, the 35-year old from Northern Ireland became only the sixth golfer in history to win golf’s grand slam: The Open (British), the PGA, the US Open, and now the Masters.

The others are named Nicklaus, Woods, Player, Hogan, and Sarazen.

First it looked like it wasn’t in the cards once again for McIlroy, then it appeared he would break through, possibly in a runaway. Then things tightened up again, followed by a pair of heroic shots to the green. A short missed putt on 18 to win made you wonder if he just wasn’t destined to seal the deal.

It took an extra hole before Rory sunk his winning putt, collapsed on the green and sobbed uncontrollably.

The way it ended was a far cry from the anticipated scenario at the start of the final round. In the beginning it was all about a dream matchup between McIlroy and Bryce DeChambeau, who dueled to the finish of the 2024 US Open in Pinehurst, NC, when McIlroy lost to the American in heartbreaking fashion.

The final pairing of the two became a reality when DeChambeau sank a long birdie putt on the 18th to finish the third round.

You couldn’t have scripted a more enticing final round showdown, and it had to cross your mind that this might be McIlroy’s worst nightmare, going head to head with his conqueror at Pinehurst, even with a two stroke lead.

When Rory double-bogeyed the first hole and DeChambeau birdied the second to not only overcome the deficit but take the lead, it had the look of a movie you’d seen before.

Later, during his victorious post-match interview, McIlroy said that double on the first actually calmed him from his jitters at the start.

But it was DeChambeau who began to fall apart.

With the Irishman rallying with birdies on 3 and 4, the animated and outgoing DeChambeau three-putted both holes and lost his lead. Not only could you see McIlroy’s confidence rise, but DeChambeau slowly dropped out of contention, winding up with a 75, and a tie for fifth place.

The man who ended up as the real challenger was 44-year old Justin Rose, who had the early lead as he has so many times, before fading. Rose was in front after 36 holes put him seven strokes behind Rory.

So, while DeChambeau skied to that same 75 in the final round, the veteran Rose came back brilliantly and finished nine shots better than the previous day.

That’s golf.

Those of us who play it at the level we play are fully aware that it’s a day to day adventure, even a shot to shot game.

It’s really no different on the professional stage, only that the ability and skill are light years better.

That’s why it’s amazing how consistent Scotty Scheffler has been in recent years.

But in this Masters, Scheffler never made a serious run, in spite of a fourth place finish, trailing by only three shots.

When we talk about the team sports, we often cite what one side did to succeed or fail to do. That’s the way it is in football, basketball, baseball and hockey.

I’ve often mentioned what Red Auerbach, the legendary coach of the Boston Celtics once told me: “It’s not solitaire out there”, he’d say. He was on the money.

In team sports you go up against an opponent who has a lot to say about how you perform.

But golf is different. Yes, you’re playing the course. That’s your real opponent.

But you’re the one in control of your shots, the clubs you use, and your emotions.

Taking a big picture view of this year’s Masters, how refreshing it was to witness such an event with the drama building as it went along reaching a finish that took your breath away.

In your heart you could feel what McIlroy was feeling, although we all know we really had no idea.

It was live human drama unfolding the way it only does in sports. Most of what we see doesn’t go the distance emotionally the way this one did.

That’s a good thing.

It makes the ones that do special and truly memorable.

That’s what we got from the final round of the 2025 Masters, when Rory McIlroy finally reached the finish line in first place.