AUGUSTA, Ga. — Just four miles west of Augusta National Golf Club, in the charming Forest Hills neighborhood, dusk enveloped a garden party on Wednesday evening. It was the eve of the 2025 Masters Tournament, and Nick Faldo and Ben Crenshaw were enjoying a gathering typical for this time of year—exclusive and intimate. A fireside chat between the two Masters champions was the centerpiece of the celebration. Faldo and Crenshaw entertained the guests, sharing anecdotes and tales.
The conversation soon shifted to Rory McIlroy, and the tone became more urgent.
Crenshaw, appearing almost like a comforting sage, urged everyone to maintain their faith. At 73, with wispy white hair, the two-time Masters champion (1984, 1995) exuded trustworthiness. Attendees nodded in agreement as he declared that McIlroy was playing the best golf globally, emphasizing, “This is the year—it has to be the year,” predicting that McIlroy would clinch his first Masters title this week.
Faldo concurred, recalling his own victories at Augusta (1989, 1990, 1996). He noted McIlroy’s natural affinity for the course and expressed his support, not just in words but also with a hopeful sigh. Faldo contemplated which version of McIlroy would grace Augusta—would it be the joyful one, the analytical one, or perhaps the detached one? It was as though he was describing a man navigating a house of mirrors, all reflecting the different facets of the McIlroy we’ve come to recognize.
The next day, golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Gary Player arrived. With a collective eleven Masters titles between them, the honorary starters donned their green jackets and entered the media center after hitting the ceremonial opening tee shots.
The conversation yet again turned to Rory McIlroy.
Player asserted, “I think Rory McIlroy will win the Masters this year; I hope he does as it would provide a substantial boost for golf to have another Grand Slam winner. He has the best swing in golf without. a. doubt. He’s the fittest golfer, lifting 400 pounds in deadlifts!”
Watson chimed in with his Midwestern calmness: “I just have a gut feeling… that Rory is the guy who will win this week. That’s the bottom line.”
Finally, Jack added, “I think it’s time for Rory to win.”
This moment has long been McIlroy’s domain in golf’s elite circle. Once a teenage prodigy, his talent surged forth like a whirlwind, leaving behind a legacy that made success seem inevitable. Nicklaus once mused that a 25-year-old McIlroy might accrue 15 to 20 majors, while fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell suggested he could win “as many majors as he desires.”
Everyone responded with a familiar joke back then: Good luck, kid. It was said with humor, as the kid was evidently talented enough to not need any luck.
However, that kid has transformed into a 35-year-old man—a father, graying at the edges, who didn’t capture all those majors and who, indeed, required a touch of fortune.
It was this culmination of experiences that emerged late Sunday afternoon, as he strode through a wave of fans off Augusta’s 18th green, basking in the moment; arms raised, eyes brimming with tears, heart racing. The feeling was cathartic: Rory had claimed the 2025 Masters in the most dramatic fashion, navigating through an army of internal struggles to finally secure his place in golf history. The victory came after a playoff with Justin Rose, fraught with dramatic missteps and haunting reminders of past disappointments. Yet, it happened.
Kneeling after the final putt, McIlroy lowered his head to the green and pressed his forehead down, then pulled back, unleashing a primal yell that echoed from 2025 back to 2011, and traveled from Pinehurst to Los Angeles to St Andrews, resonating from his home in Florida to his native Northern Ireland.
You want to talk about pressure?
Listen to that yell.
“There wasn’t much joy in that reaction,” McIlroy said later, emotionally drained. “It was all relief.”
Rory McIlroy finally has his green jacket. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
We have long sought to grasp the pressure that both Young and Old Rory McIlroy have felt. Countless volumes have been penned, documentaries filmed, and podcast empires built around this topic.
Yet, the reality remains that no one can truly know. It’s one thing to feel self-imposed pressure, quite another to bear the weight of expectations from fans and media. But to carry the historical pressure handed down by all the Great Ones who preceded him? How does one measure that?
Earlier this week, after navigating a challenging start with an even-par 72 followed by a comeback 66, McIlroy addressed reporters and reflected on the remarks from Nicklaus, Player, and Watson. One could practically see the spark dim in McIlroy’s eyes as he leaned on his hand, pulling his face along his palm, before deflecting, “They’re getting old,” with a humorous chuckle.
By Sunday, McIlroy was prepared to discuss it.
You want to talk about pressure?
“You’ve had Jack, Gary, Tom, Tiger—everyone has come through here and said I’ll win the Masters one day,” McIlroy stated, nodding, wanting to emphasize his point. “That’s a heavy burden to carry. It truly is.
“These are my idols, and it’s … flattering that they believe in me and my potential to win this tournament and achieve the Grand Slam.”
“But it doesn’t help, you know?”
It’s remarkable that McIlroy remains standing after enduring such pressure for years. He was just 25 when he secured his fourth major title—the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla—only a month older than Nicklaus was at his fourth major and nine months older than Woods at his fourth.
It’s hard to remember, but it was once assumed McIlroy would not only match the success of Nicklaus and Woods but also eclipse another generation of professional players, just as they did. During 2010 to 2011, as Woods struggled through personal turmoil and injuries, a door opened for others. Phil Mickelson claimed the 2010 Masters at 41. McDowell became the first European to win the U.S. Open since 1970. Oosthuizen took the Open title, Kaymer won the PGA Championship, and Charl Schwartzel captured the 2011 Masters, signaling a newfound parity in the sport.
Enter McIlroy. The sensation from Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, made the 2010 European Ryder Cup team at 21, electrifying Augusta with rounds of 65-69-70. However, an infamous final-round 80 highlighted his youth in the 2011 Masters. Then came an unassailable U.S. Open victory by eight strokes at Congressional. There was no turning back.
Since then, McIlroy’s entire adult life—every personal moment and professional swing—has been scrutinized, recorded, and analyzed.
Once heralded as the Next One, McIlroy found himself trapped in an interminable limbo. From 2015 to 2024, his 21 top-10 finishes in majors marked the most for any player in a decade without a win. From 2020 until this week, he owned the record for the best weekend score to par in the major championships, yet shockingly went 0-for-19.
The legends McIlroy was meant to stand alongside continued to wait. No one cared that he amassed a plethora of FedEx Cup points; his last major victory being in 2014 overshadowed all his achievements.
Without a Masters victory, McIlroy risked being eternally relegated to that treacherous category of nearly-greats—much like Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Nick Price, and Brooks Koepka, among others.
Without a victory at Augusta, he would forever be one position outside of the Grand Slam—separated from legends like Nicklaus, Woods, Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
Each passing year heightened the stakes.
You want to talk about pressure?
Before the 2023 Masters, Woods essentially guaranteed that McIlroy would someday triumph at Augusta.
“He will,” Woods stated. “It’s just a matter of time. Rory possesses the talent, his game is solid, and he has all the tools needed to win here.”
Upon arriving at Augusta that week, the question loomed large, and McIlroy addressed it: “I feel like I am just as good, if not better than when I last won a major.”
Yet, he ultimately shot rounds of 72 and 77, missing the cut.
The pressure nearly overtook Rory McIlroy on Sunday. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
McIlroy’s immense talent is matched only by the burdens he has shouldered.
Despite Sunday’s discomfort, every moment now seems entirely fitting. McIlroy began the day facing Bryson DeChambeau, a formidable competitor capable of driving the ball as far as he can draw a crowd. Initially, McIlroy transformed a two-shot lead into a one-shot deficit in a scant 33 minutes. Yet, soon after, he clawed back to take a stroke lead, then expanded it to four, and eventually five.
For a moment, it seemed Augusta might refrain from unleashing its dark forces.
However, misfortune struck with what may have been the worst pitch shot of McIlroy’s career, rolling into the water on No. 13—a double bogey, marking his fourth of the week.
You want to talk about pressure?
No player had ever won a Masters with four double bogeys until this week. How was this occurring? Augusta felt disoriented, the pace fluctuating wildly. Memories surged.
At 5:38 p.m., McIlroy and Rose stood tied atop the leaderboard. By 5:51, Rose led by one. At 5:57, they were joined by Ludvig Åberg in a three-way tie. At 6:10, McIlroy hit what may have been the finest 7-iron of his life, leading to a birdie on 15. At 6:14, Rose potted a 20-foot birdie on 18. At 6:53, McIlroy failed to secure par on 18, prompting a groan that could have echoed endlessly had circumstances been different.
Then, history pivoted.
McIlroy birdied the first playoff hole. Rose did not.
A collective exhale escaped, a release of all prior tension.
“The best day of my golfing life,” McIlroy later declared. “I’m proud of not giving up. I’m proud of how I kept bouncing back and not allowing disappointments to weigh me down.”
Emerging from the throng of fans, resembling an Irish Andy Dufresne, McIlroy eventually ran out of people to embrace. He paused, absorbing the moment as if realizing the enormity of his achievement.
With a deep breath, McIlroy announced, “All right, I need to go get a green jacket,” and then turned toward the clubhouse, where many awaited his arrival.
(Top photo: Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)