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Rory McIlroy has been winning professional golf tournaments for more than 16 years, but the one that had always eluded him was the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. That is, until yesterday. His win made him just the sixth man to earn a career grand slam - victories in all four of golf's major championships. But as Steve Futterman reports, he did not make it easy on himself.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: Rory McIlroy repeatedly squandered what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. It started at the very first hole.
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FUTTERMAN: McIlroy, admittedly nervous, ended up with a double bogey. His two-stroke lead was gone. By the 13th hole, he had built up a three-stroke lead. Then he hit the ball into a creek, and soon that lead was also gone. On the 18th, up by one, McIlroy needed to make just a simple 4-foot putt to win, and...
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Oh, my...
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It's bad. It's bad. It's bad.
FUTTERMAN: Amazingly, he missed it. The startled crowd couldn't believe it. That forced a sudden-death playoff. On the first hole, McIlroy, faced with a 3-foot putt and a history of disappointment at Augusta, sank it.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: The long journey is over.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: McIlroy has his masterpiece.
FUTTERMAN: The call on CBS. McIlroy collapsed to the ground, sobbing into his hands. At last, he had captured the one major tournament missing from his resume - the Masters. Now, the crowd celebrated.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPECTATORS: (Chanting) Rory, Rory, Rory.
FUTTERMAN: Marco Maretto from Montreal, Canada, couldn't believe what he had seen.
MARCO MARETTO: This was incredible sporting drama. He is an amazing champion. He showed grit. He showed determination. He showed how mentally tough he is.
FUTTERMAN: Soon afterwards, McIlroy was presented with the famed Masters green jacket by last year's winner Scottie Scheffler.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: And Scottie, I would be grateful if you would please do the honor of placing the green jacket on Rory.
FUTTERMAN: McIlroy had been so close so many times, with so much heartbreak for more than a decade, but could never quite win here.
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RORY MCILROY: Yeah, it's been difficult. It's been 14 long years, but thankfully, I'm - I got the job done.
FUTTERMAN: Greg Allen with RTE Irish radio has been covering Rory McIlroy since he was 15.
GREG ALLEN: He goes from being great to being someone who's undisputedly a legend because that's what goes with being a winner of the career Grand Slam.
FUTTERMAN: McIlroy joins golf's royalty - Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen - as the only winners of all four majors - the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA and now the Masters.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Augusta, Georgia. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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