Rory McIlroy’s reaction to Masters winning putt was worth the decade-long wait

More than a decade passed since Rory McIlroy won a major championship and it'd been nearly two decades since his first time playing The Masters when he took to Augusta National in 2025. The weight of the major drought, his torrid history at this tournament, and so much seemed to weigh on him every time he took the course.

The weight has now been lifted, and we saw all of that on the 18th green at Augusta.

After 72 holes, it seemed like the dream was crumbling down as McIlroy was unable to get up-and-down from the bunker on the 18th hole for par, forcing a playoff with Justin Rose. Then, magic happened. Rose stuck his approach on the first playoff hole to 15 feet — but Rory bested him, putting it at two feet for birdie and a Green Jacket after Rose missed his putt.

McIlroy sank the putt, and he immediately ran the gambit of emotions.

There was relief, there was overwhelming joy, there was the need to comfort his friend, Rose, and there was triumph. For a player who golf fans have loved and rode the wave with throughout every bump, bruise and heartbreak, we were all there with McIlroy as he put every emotion on display.

Rory McIlroy's reaction to Masters win took golf fans through every emotion

Even as McIlroy walked off of the 18th green to go receive his Green Jacket — which he hilariously told some friends in the gallery he had to go get on the walk to Butler Cabin — there was more emotion. The loving embrace with his wife, Erica, and daughter, Poppy, showed that this emotional triumph was theirs, not just his.

Truly making sure that every emotion was captured too, he then walked up to his close friend and fellow major winner, Shane Lowry, and the palpable joy between the two was downright exuberant. Lowry was beaming, and McIlroy had to smile as well, celebrating with someone who's been along for this wild ride to finally getting back to major glory.

Every part of watching McIlroy during this, though, made an already untouchably special moment even that much more so.

Golf is a strange sport. Traditionally (and leaving some room for LIV and TGL), there are no teams. It's a player, a caddie and the 72 holes ahead of them to win a tournament. That creates a sense of personal connection with a golf fan's favorite players, something Rory is to too many fans to count. And with McIlroy's forthrightness, his willingness to be vulnerable, his ability to articulate the game through difficult times, it only made it that much harder to watch him keep coming up short at The Masters and in majors alike.

That's also what makes a moment like this worth it. All of the emotions he showed so blatantly, fans were feeling at well, whether on the grounds at Augusta or at home watching on TV. We felt the relief, we felt the joy, we felt the love. And it's about damn time that we got to feel that with Rory at The Masters.