British royalty hailed a new king of golf as tributes poured in from both sides of the Atlantic after Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy claimed a career slam with a stunning Masters triumph.
The 35-year-old became the first European man to win the four majors as he sank a birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against Englishman Justin Rose, a dramatic finish for McIlroy in his 11th attempt to win the tournament.
He previously won at the U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014) and Open Championship (2014).
“Congratulations @McIlroyRory on your historic win at @TheMasters!” the X account for King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla posted on Monday.
McIlroy is the sixth man in history to complete the career grand slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Sky Sports pundit and renowned coach Butch Harmon called the Augusta win “one of the greatest days in golf we will ever see.”
“It had an ebb and flow that a Hollywood producer could not have come up with,” said Harmon. “He was like a gladiator in the way he came back. Did he quit? No. Did he hang his head? No. Did he feel sorry for himself? No. Now he has a Green Jacket.
“I’ve known Rory since he was 16, done a little work with him at times, and this is one of the most amazing victories I have ever seen.”
The Belfast Telegraph captured the national mood with the rapturous headline, “Putting man on the moon? What Rory McIlroy has just achieved is statistically even more impressive.”
The tributes were all the more meaningful after a long and winding road to golfing immortality, as McIlroy endured years of close calls, finishing in the top five four times at Augusta before his success.
The BBC chronicled his path from heartbreak to triumph, revisiting his disastrous 2011 outing, when he let a four-shot lead slip through his fingers on a haunting final day at Augusta.
“The boy from Holywood finally gets his Hollywood ending,” read The Telegraph’s headline.
‘A LEGEND’
His good friend on the tour Tommy Fleetwood wrote a tribute to his Ryder Cup teammate on Monday, as McIlroy earned a “place alongside the greats of the game.
“Possibly the greatest mentally resilient achievement ever in our sport,” the Englishman wrote on Instagram. “So happy for you @rorymcilroy and everyone involved and to be there to witness it was truly special.”
England’s three-times Masters champion Nick Faldo said McIlroy’s victory had topped Woods’ in 2019, when the American won his fifth green jacket and 15th major by one stroke after fighting back from injury.
“When Tiger won here in 2019 (his first major in 11 years), I said that scene would never be topped but I was wrong,” Faldo said.
“For a man to do that after what he went through for 11 years – Rory is a legend now. He is 35 years old and a legend. How about that? It is a remarkable achievement.”
Six-times Masters champion Nicklaus phoned the CBS post-Masters telecast after McIlroy beat Rose, who birdied the last to force the playoff.
“It’ll take the world off his shoulders and you’re now going to see a lot more of really good golf out of Rory McIlroy,” said Nicklaus.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is an avid golfer, congratulated McIlroy while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, five years after McIlroy slammed his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That took tremendous courage. He was having a hard time, but it showed great guts and stamina and courage,” the President said.
“People have no idea how tough that is. He came back. It’s better for him that it happened that way because that showed real courage to have come back from what could’ve been a tragedy – it was amazing.”
