Rory McIlroy ends his great drought in a barely believing way by dramatically beating Justin Rose in a play -off match to finally win the masters and complete the career of the career.
McIlroy fired the first extra hole after the couple was tied on para on 11 after an extraordinary final.
On his 11th attempt to join Golf’s most exclusive club and 3,900 days after his last big victory in the US PGA in 2014, McIlroy almost threw away a five -stroke lead before demanding a sought -after green jacket at a pulsating Augusta National.
After unexplaining his third shot after the 13th in Rae’s Creek to run a second double Bogey of the day, McIlroy also finished 14th in front of Birdies on the 15th and 17th place with a shot in front of roses.
Rose then set the clubhouse target at 11 thanks to his 10th Birdie of the Day on the 18th in a remarkable closing of 66, before McIlroy of five feet missed on the same hole to claim the title.
The players returned to the 18th for extra holes and after Rose missed his bird attempt, McIlroy drove off three feet before sanking on his knees and crying in relief.
The victory makes McIlroy the first player in a quarter -century who completed the Grand Slam career and matched the Feats or Gene Sarazen (completed in 1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965), Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods (2000).
The outlook that McIlroy was hosted by Scottie Scheffler with the green jacket was slim when he doubled the 15th and 17th on Thursday to get an opening of 72 to Trail Rose with seven shots.
Only Nick Faldo in 1990 and Woods in 2005 found out from seven after 18 holes to win, but McIlroy launched his Comeback with a back nine of 31 in a Friday 66 and exploded from the blocks on Saturday with a record of six consecutive tries to start another 66 on Saturday.
So McIlroy started the final with a two -stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau, lost it on the first hole and dragged the one on the next one, but the next two flew to expand his benefit.
After riding in a Fairway bunker at first place and composing the fault with a three-Putt of 18 feet, McIlroy was only able to take the first time for the first time for the first time for the first time.
McIlroy understandably looked whole as he walked to the third tea, but hit the driver at the short time and pitched up to 10 feet to set up his first bird of the day before Dechambeau for the second duel in the space of three holes.
An absolutely breathtaking beginning continued, as Dechambeau was also the fourth of the fourth of the green before McIlroy took nine feet for Birdie, another two-shot and a three-stroke lead.
McIlroy ended a four straight press with a nine -feet of nine feet on the ninth to move four shots away from DeChambeau, which now had a company in the form of Ludvig Aberg and Rose.
Rose and McIlroy traded on the 13th and 10th birds before McIlroy enjoyed a large part of happiness, while his approach to the 11th, around a tree, stopped an inch of the lake on the left of the green.
DeChambeau was not so lucky because he found that the water was running a devastating double bogey, and although McIlroy dropped a shot, his lead remained in tact when Rose was 14th place.
Rose closed the gap on the 15th with a bird and hit an excellent tea shot on the next time before McIlroy found incredible Rae’s Creek with his approach to the 13th and short of the green.
“It’s horrible. I can’t believe it, ‘Faldo said at Sky Sports. “There’s no reason to go nowhere near the flag.”
The resulting double Bogey, together with Rose’s bird, meant a tie for the lead, and Aberg made it a three-way tie with a bird on the 15th, just to drop four shots in the last two holes.
McIlroy produced a beautiful approach to the Par-fifth place to set up a decisive eagle, but missed the six-foot pit and had to prepare a bird to recycle the lead until Rose was 20 feet in the last place.
A brilliant approach to the 17th set up a decisive bird for McIlroy, just for the world number two to last the last after pushing his approach into a green bunker and missing five feet for the title.
