Look back on Rory McIlroy's 11-year quest to win the Grand Slam

He’d done it all.

In golf, even in life, Rory McIlroy had done it all.

All except win at Augusta National.

Even at Augusta National he’d done everything but win. He’d played superb golf, though typically in isolated rounds rather than over a whole week. He’d led after the first round, he'd led after the second round and he’d led after the third round, but he’d never led after the final round.

The first significant chapter in McIlroy’s storied history at Augusta was written in 2011, when leading by four going into the final round. It wasn’t just the lead, but the chasing pack, that put McIlroy is such a strong position.

Of the four players within four shots, there was KJ Choi, Angel Cabrera – who had won a shock Green Jacket two years earlier but was now in his 40s – Jason Day competing in his first Masters and Charl Schwartzel competing in his second.

A disappointing opening nine almost erased McIlroy’s lead as he stood on the 10th tee when disaster struck. A drive miles left, a punch out, a wayward approach, a mis-judged first pitch that forced a second and two putts added up to a triple bogey. Stuck in second gear and needing to make a move, McIlroy slammed it into reverse. Another bogey on 11 followed by a four-putt double on 12 was the end of his Masters bid.

McIlroy had been on the scene all of two minutes but had quickly established himself as one of the game’s leading players, a star of current and future golf.

Instantly distinguishable with his curly hair, his bouncing walk and his massive driving that betrayed his diminutive stature, McIlroy knew he was on course to become such a star that he infamously referred to the Ryder Cup as no more than an exhibition; this of course before he’d competed in one, where the never-ending love affair began. But McIlroy’s eyes early in his career were fixed on winning majors.

Major breakthrough

The 2011 Masters was the first that got away, but McIlroy later reflected that it’s what got him ready to win majors, and in an incredible show of resilience, McIlroy tore apart Congressional just two months later. McIlroy led by three, six and then eight shots through the first three rounds with the final round a procession, winning the US Open for his first major.

The Northern Irishman still had to return to Augusta to exorcise some demons; if anything he attracted a couple more. One off the pace going into the weekend, McIlroy went out in 42 on the Saturday, promptly ejecting himself from the tournament and finishing in 40th.

Despite more Masters misery, McIlroy added a second major at the PGA Championship in 2012, winning by eight strokes.

2013 was a similar story; McIlroy was two-under-par going into the weekend, only four shots off leader Jason Day, but made a triple-bogey on 11 and a double-bogey on 15 to come home in 42. Hopes dashed again. It was an enduring year for McIlroy, who at the start of it had signed a mega-money deal with Nike, who viewed McIlroy as the heir to Tiger Woods’ throne, with Woods showing signs of decline. The deal was blamed for McIlroy’s dip in form, but he’d come roaring back the following year…

A 77 on the Friday this time ended McIroy’s Masters hopes in 2014 but it would go on to be his best year. It’s debatable whether McIlroy’s absolute best came in 2012 or in 2014; the case for 2014 is perhaps a little easier to make; McIlroy made headlines for a different reason in calling off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, but in the immediate aftermath won the BMW PGA Championship and followed that up with a third major at The Open, playing mature, composed golf at Royal Liverpool. McIlroy would then win a second PGA Championship in the dark at Valhalla.

Jack Nicklaus at that point claimed McIlroy could eclipse his majors record and at the age of 25 with four under his belt, double figures seemed well within reach.

To suggest on that night at Valhalla that McIlroy would have to wait a decade for another major - if he were to win one ever again - seemed impossible.

The drought begins

McIlroy returned to Augusta in 2015 – now a Green Jacket away from the Grand Slam – and finally put four good rounds together, but there was no catching Jordan Spieth, who shot a record-equalling 18-under-par. On the eve of his Open Championship defence, McIlroy suffered an ankle injury playing football, surrendering his title without playing a shot.

Returning to Augusta in 2016 with a new challenger, McIlroy was one shot behind Spieth going into the weekend but struggled once again on Saturday. Three-over for his round, McIlroy again came undone at 11, making double bogey and going on to card a 77.

Although 2016 was another majorless year for McIlroy, he did add a first FedEx Cup title to his growing list of accolades and played out his epic duel with Patrick Reed at Hazeltine in the Ryder Cup as his stature within the game continued to rise.

With Nike withdrawing from the golf equipment market, McIlroy was forced to find a new provider for his clubs in 2017; that, combined with an injury suffered at the start of the season would see McIlroy fail to win any tournament in the year, let alone a major.

A dip in form would see McIlroy actually drop out of the world’s top 10 at the start of 2018; perhaps taking a little of the pressure off McIlroy heading into that year’s Masters, and for the first time since 2011, he found himself in the final group again on Sunday, where he tried to suggest that all the pressure was on the leader.

By the second hole, McIlroy had closed the gap to Patrick Reed from three to one, but it was as close as he’d come to taking the lead. McIlroy signed for a hugely disappointing 74, and had to congratulate the winner on the 18th hole while his own Green Jacket still went unworn.

At this point, McIlroy was closing in on four years without a major, and the question was being asked as to whether he’d ever win the Masters. McIlroy said that his collapse in 2011 came with the benefit of readying him for the majors he did win, but did it come at the cost of his only chance at the Masters?

McIlroy again played well in a major at the 2018 Open (after carding an 80 at the US Open earlier in the year) and remained on the fringes of contention throughout the week, but it was another good performance without a win, and a theme was developing.

Return to form

2019 saw a return to form for McIlroy, who claimed a first Players Championship and a second FedEx Cup title. It was easy to forget because he’d been around for so long, but time was still very much on McIlroy’s side. He was the third player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win four majors and the Players before his 30th birthday. Nevertheless, the major drought was growing with a disappointing showing at Augusta.

All eyes were on McIlroy at Royal Portrush, with The Open returning to the island of Ireland, but it was another Irishman in Shane Lowry who claimed the title; McIlroy would miss the cut after a shocking opening round of 79. Of the majors he hadn't won, this would've hurt more than most and he didn't even play the weekend.

McIlroy was back playing outstanding golf at the start of 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic brought the game to a halt, moving the Masters to November. McIlroy actually shot one better than eventual winner Dustin Johnson over the final three rounds, but a bewildering opening 75 killed his bid immediately.

It presented more evidence that McIlroy absolutely had the game to conquer Augusta National, but more evidence that he simply might not have the mental fortitude for it.

All too often over the years, McIlroy had played well at majors but thrown a bad round in somewhere along the way to kill his chances of winning one. But in 2022, he did everything right at The Open at St Andrews.

He co-led with Viktor Hovland after three rounds and was four clear of the chasing pack. It felt like only McIlroy could stop himself from winning. At the Home of Golf, McIlroy played well, but could not hole a single putt. The flat stick went ice cold while Cameron Smith holed everything, chasing McIlroy down and taking the Claret Jug. A new way for McIlroy to experience heartbreak.

The 2023 US Open saw McIlroy tie the lead early in the final round but wasn’t able to build on the momentum, finishing one shot behind winner Wyndham Clark, and in 2024, he gifted the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau with a series of short missed putts, watching DeChambeau hole the winning putt from the scorer's hut. This was the worst loss since the 2011 Masters – and maybe even worse than that. The agony was etched all over the McIlroy's face and he essentially went into hiding in the aftermath.

McIlroy was 13 years older and 13 years wiser and still couldn’t get the job done. The major drought grew as players who weren’t even professionals when he won his last major were starting to gain ground on him.

Destiny

But the 2025 Masters changed McIlroy's career and life forever.

McIlroy had recognised that "good golf at Augusta feels like boring golf", which traditionally isn’t his style, and at the 89th Masters Tournament we finally saw that boring golf from McIlroy.

Through his first 14 holes, McIlroy had got to -4, tying favourite Scottie Scheffler with a par-5 to come. Slightly overshooting the green on approach, McIlroy was left with a very difficult up and down for birdie. Opting to throw the boring golf approach in the bin, McIlroy lofted a pitch onto the green that raced past the pin and into the water. He’d make double bogey, following up with another two holes later.

McIlroy couldn’t face the media, surely recognising he’d thrown away another chance at a Green Jacket with no one but himself to blame.

But his Friday got him back into the tournament, firing a 66 before getting off to an electrifying start on Saturday. The day that had so often been his undoing saw McIlroy briefly hold a four-shot lead. Opening birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie, McIlroy dropped a couple of shots around the turn but made an outrageous eagle on 15, reminiscent of Nicklaus and Woods in years past.

It wasn’t totally error-free golf, but with all of his rivals barring DeChambeau falling away, McIlroy could hardly be in a better position to finally end his major drought and complete the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy made double-bogey to start and trailed after the second hole. After turning things around, McIlroy led by five when approaching the 11th green when disaster struck again. McIlroy bogeyed 11, parred 12, but after laying up on 13, inexplicably pitched into the water, making double bogey and surrendering his lead.

A bogey on 14 followed before hitting the shot of a lifetime on 15. Slinging a hook around the trees to six feet, McIlroy assured himself of the lead with at least a birdie. The eagle putt missed, but the birdie was secure, with McIlroy making another on 17 to lead by one, finally securing the Masters.

Now 35 years old, McIlroy is a five-time major winner, a Ryder Cup icon, and has finally completed the Grand Slam. He's a husband and a father and will be recognised as the best and most pre-eminent golfer of his generation.

He will now go down as the greatest European golfer and one of the game's true greats. He has at long last fulfilled the dream of a lifetime, and yet it feels like his best years may still be ahead of him.

Rory Daniel McIlroy of Holywood, Northern Ireland, a Masters champion forever, and the sixth man to complete the Grand Slam.