The 89th rendition of the Masters, the most storied tournament in golf, had a finish for the ages. Rory McIlroy was the leader at -12 along with Bryson Dechambeau -10 going into one of the most important days in golf, Masters Sunday. Along with the two leaders, many other notable golfers were near the top heading into the final day as Justin Rose and defending champion Scottie Scheffler were both at -5. This tournament also marked notable disappointing performances as stars Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau all missed the cut after Friday night and were sent home early.
The Masters is so unique, because of what the tournament represents and symbolizes not only for golf, but for sport. It is seen as one of the highest-class tournaments in the world along with Wimbledon. There are no cell phones allowed on the course, which sets a precedent for patrons to live in the moment. The Masters is also a special place for fans, as the concessions costs are significantly lower than at other venues, as you can get sandwiches for just a couple of dollars. All that paired with the magical greens in Augusta, Ga. makes this the premiere event of the year in golf.
The Sunday slate got going early, as Rose was the talk of the town, as he got off to a hot start. Rose started the day at -5 and got up to -11 at a point in time where he held the lead. However, Rose would go down to -10 on the final hole and he would birdie to put the pressure on McIlroy who had a later tee time than him.
Dechambeau, who was paired with McIlroy on the final day, struggled tremendously. The US-born golfer hit multiple balls in the water, as he saw his once close path to the title dwindle rather quickly. Scheffler also had a decent day on Sunday as he finished at -8, however, this was not enough for him to capture the green jacket in back-to-back years.
After a hard day for the leader, McIlroy had a strike on 15 from 208 yards out over water and just in front of the hole. After adversity all day this shot was a big one for the golfer as he made an eagle, giving him a two-stroke lead over Rose and Ludvig Aberg with three holes left to go. As previously mentioned, Rose would birdie again putting all the pressure on McIlroy to finish strong to capture the green jacket. Aberg would fade as he finished his final two holes as he would finish the day at -6.
On the 17th hole, McIlroy had another golden stroke from far out as he regained the lead with a birdie putt going into the final hole. At 18 with the weight of the world on his shoulders and all eyes on him, McIlroy would just need to make par to capture the green jacket and an illustrious career grand slam. His tee shot on the final hole was an absolute strike as it set him up in a great position to make at least a par. On his second shot, McIlroy made it interesting as he skipped one into the bunker on the far side of the hole.
From the bunker, McIlroy would win money as he set himself up with a 10-foot shot to put himself in the record books. With the crowd watching the Irish golfer would miss the putt putting him back tied with Rose at -11. This would set the scene for the rare and iconic playoffs.
The playoff between McIlroy and Rose would be set back on the 18th hole as the stage for a victory would be set again. Rose shot first with a strike down the fairway as McIlroy matched it. Rose put the pressure on McIlroy with his second shot as he bounced the ball just past the hole to give himself a chance for birdie. McIlroy’s shot was even closer, as his ball was half the distance closer to the cup than Rose’s shot was as he now held an advantage.
On the green, Rose had his third shot which he would most likely need to hole to go to a second playoff. Rose’s shot was hit just right as he would have to settle for par and leave the door open for his opponent to win. McIlroy now had a chance to avenge his mistake earlier if he sank this putt he would win. McIlroy wouldn’t miss twice as he finally secured his crown and green jacket emphatically as he fell to his knees in celebration.
The final leaderboard stood at McIlroy -11, Rose -11, Patrick Reed at-9, Scheffler -8, Dechambeau -7, marking the end of an illustrious 89th Masters that went down to the wire. McIlroy would not only go home with the green jacket, but also with a purse of 4.28 million dollars. The winner solidified himself as an elite staple in the game of golf, and just the sixth player ever to record a career grand slam.