After a thrilling playoff win at the Masters on Sunday, Rory McIlroy finally earned an elusive Masters win to complete a career grand slam more than a decade in the making.
By winning the Masters, the British Open, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in his career, McIlroy became just the sixth man to achieve that feat.
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One of the others, Tiger Woods, made sure to welcome McIlroy to that exclusive club Sunday. Woods missed the Masters (and the champions dinner) while recovering from an Achilles injury sustained last month.
“Welcome to the club,” Woods said in a social media post directed to McIlroy on Sunday. “Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!”
Another member of that club, Gary Player, also offered “heartfelt congratulations” to McIlroy in a lengthy social media post.
“This is one of the rarest and most difficult achievements in all of sport, something only now six golfers in history have ever accomplished. We are proud to add Rory to our exclusive club and no doubt he has set the standard for his era. To win all four major championships takes unwavering perseverance and the courage to overcome adversity time and time again in the face of immeasurable pressure few have ever experienced. Rory showed true grit today and also through the entire tournament,” Player wrote.
“It was 11 years ago when Rory first started the final leg of his career Grand Slam journey. And throughout this time, he’s carried himself with class, led with principle, and played with passion. For him to finally don the Green Jacket in golf is a moment to be celebrated by fans around the world.”
McIlroy won the 2025 Masters after a number of ups and downs. The 35-year-old made four double-bogeys throughout the weekend, including two on Sunday that erased what was at its height a seven-shot lead and set up a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose.
In the end, McIlroy locked in for the birdie and the win — long overdue. With his Masters victory, McIlroy completes his career grand slam nearly 11 years after his last major tournament win.
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When McIlroy finally got a chance to put on his green jacket, he received it from the 2024 Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler. In a post after the tournament ended, Scheffler also offered congratulations to McIlroy — with a joke at his expense about how long it took.
“The green looks good on you bud, only took you 11 years to try it on,” Scheffler quipped before adding, “Jokes aside, proud of you.”
Despite the narrow, painful loss, Rose graciously congratulated McIlroy on his win online while saying that he “gave it everything.”
“Very cool sharing the green with you in that moment,” Rose said in a post, thanking his team as well.
In addition to Woods, who picked up the career grand slam in 2000, and Player, who got his in 1965, the other three to achieve the feat are Jack Nicklaus (1966), Ben Hogan (1953) and Gene Sarazen (1935). Woods and McIlroy are the only two to complete the milestone in the past 50 years.
