Rory Mcllroy battled and barged his way to his first Masters victory Sunday, birdying the first hole in the sudden-death playoff to beat Justin Rose by one stroke. The 35-year-old golfer walked out of the woods for his first major win since 2014, joining the all-time greats as the sixth golfer in history to hit the grand slam. The Masters, the Open Championship, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and now Rory McElroy.
The Northern Irish golfer has ridden the rapids of sport, winning early and battling later. An 11-year drought in majors. Each tournament, each year, each near miss, each one that got away, the gnawing public failure of sport.
“Just stay the course. Just keep believing,” McIlroy said after the Masters. “I’ve literally made my dreams come true today. I would say to every boy and girl listening to this, believe in your dreams and if you work hard enough and put the effort in, you can achieve anything you want.”
