Rory McIlroy Describes The Emotions He Was Overcome With As He Fell To His Knees After Winning The Masters

We've been witnesses to a number of memorable Masters celebrations in recent years. Bubba Watson uncontrollably crying on the green after winning his first green jacket in a playoff in 2012. Adam Scott screaming to the sky the very next year. Tiger Woods pulling off the unthinkable in 2019 and celebrating with his son, Charlie. Hideki Matsuyama and his caddie sharing their moment in 2021. While those and plenty of other Masters-winning moments hold their rightful place in the game's history, what we saw out of Rory McIlroy after he birdied the first playoff hole against Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam is in a league of its own.

It's The Excruciating Pain That Makes Rory McIlroy's Masters Win So Beautiful

No more than two seconds after his putt found the bottom of the cup, McIlroy dropped to his knees and placed his head in his hands as he lay down on the 18th green of Augusta National. From there, it was tears shared with his longtime caddie and childhood best friend, Harry Diamond, before more tears with wife Erica and young daughter Poppy. 

Then came the walk. All by his lonesome, McIlroy made the coveted walk from the 18th green to the Augusta National clubhouse surrounded by thousands of patrons. Just him and his first thoughts as a Masters champion.

As he began his press conference in the media center, the initial focus wasn't on the round of golf he had just put together to write his name in golf's history books, but about the human element of it all.

McIlroy did his best trying to put into words the emotion he exuded in the minutes after getting the job done.

"What came out of me on the last green there in the playoff was, you know, at least 11 years, if not 14 years of pent-up emotion," McIlroy said. "You know, since 2011, I think it's so ironic, as well. I got to my locker this morning and I opened it up, and there was a note in there from Angel Cabrera, and just wishing me luck. And Angel Cabrera was the player I played with on the final day in 2011, it was a nice touch and a little bit ironic at the same time. It's been 14 long years, but thankfully I got the job done."

McIlroy held a three-shot lead with nine holes to play in the 2011 Masters. He went on to make triple bogey on the 10th hole, card an 80, and finish T-15. He earned seven Top 10 finishes at Augusta between 2011 and 2024, but those 13 years of not getting his hands on the green jacket understandably weighed on him.

As he finally crossed the line this time around, he was met with a feeling of relief more than a feeling of joy.

"It was all relief. There wasn't much joy in that reaction. It was all relief," McIlroy explained.

"And then, you know, the joy came pretty soon after that. But that was -- I've been coming here 17 years, and it was a decade-plus of emotion that came out of me there."

McIlroy is now the sixth player in the modern era to complete the career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tiger Woods.