Rory McIlroy wins 2025 Masters, becomes sixth to complete career grand slam after 11-year wait for fifth major

Rory McIlroy edged Justin Rose in a playoff to capture his first green jacket 14 years after leading in the fourth round at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The journey back to the winner's circle of a major championship appeared to be without an end in sight for Rory McIlroy. Lasting nearly 11 full years -- 3,899 days, to be exact -- McIlroy wandered from major to major, course to course wondering when the clock would finally stop ticking. 

That came for the 35-year-old at 7:16 p.m. ET on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club as McIlroy ended his decade-long odyssey in euphoric yet agonizing fashion, beating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the 2025 Masters to claim his first green jacket and become the sixth man in history to transverse professional golf's career grand slam.

Holding a 54-hole lead at a major for the sixth time in his career and first time since his last such victory at the 2014 PGA Championship, McIlroy double bogeyed No. 1 with it appearing as if ghosts of his past were back to haunt him as they did down the stretch of Thursday's first round. Birdies on Nos. 3-4 eased that anguish, and two more from Nos. 9-10 pushed him five shots ahead of the field with eight holes to play.

Sunday's final round appeared to be rolling as smoothly as the back-to-back 66s that pulled McIlroy into the 54-hole lead; however, a bogey on the 11th, shocking double bogey on the 13th -- his second of the round, fourth of the week -- and another bogey on the 14th saw that entire advantage erased as 18- and 36-hole leader Justin Rose scored three consecutive birdies across Nos. 14-16 to match McIlroy's position on the leaderboard.

Suddenly, a three-way tie emerged at 10 under between McIlroy (thru 14), Rose (thru 17) and 2024 Masters runner-up Ludvig Åberg (thru 15). Then McIlroy stood tall on the 15th, a par-5 he double bogeyed Thursday, birdied Friday and eagled Saturday. After curving a blast around a tree in one of the best shots of this all-time Masters, McIlroy missed an eagle putt but still found the cup for birdie to pull one ahead with three holes remaining.

Rose did not go down without a fight. He immediately matched McIlroy with a long birdie putt on his 72nd hole to post Sunday's best round with a 6-under 66, move back into a tie with the Northern Irishman and hold the clubhouse lead at 11 under.

McIlroy birdied the 17th to retake the lead and headed to the 18th with a chance to win; all he needed was par. After sending his second shot into the bunker, he recovered by immediately creating a par opportunity from 6 feet out. Rory was unable to convert, scoring bogey and sending the Masters went to a playoff for the first time since 2017 when Rose lost to eventual champion Sergio Garcia.

"After scoring, [caddie Harry Diamond] and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee [for the first playoff hole]. He said to me, 'Well, pal, we would've taken this on Monday morning.' I was like, 'Yup, absolutely we would have.' That was an easy reset. He basically said to me, 'You would've given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week.' That sort of reframed it a little bit for me, McIlroy said. "I just kept telling myself make the same swing you made in regulation. I hit a great drive up there. The rest is history."

Indeed, McIlroy and Rose went shot for shot onto the 18th green with the former finding himself even closer after a clean approach (4 feet). Rose missed a longer birdie putt, settling for par, while McIlroy dropped his into the cup and immediately crumpled over with relief after scoring birdie on the hole for the first time all week. The green jacket belonged to him.

"That was all relief. There wasn't much joy in that," McIlroy confirmed.

It may have taken 73 holes, but McIlroy became the first European golfer in history to win the Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and Open Championship in his career joining a select group of all-four major winners that only includes true legends of the game: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. It took McIlroy 11 attempts to complete the final leg while his five peers got it done in nine -- combined. 

The green jacket and career grand slam were paramount, but the Masters also stands as a fifth major title that now belongs to McIlroy, too. His trials lasted 38 majors spanning Augusta National to Los Angeles Country Club to St. Andrews. There were excruciatingly close calls, backdoor top-fives and shocking missed cuts -- basically everything but trophy raises.

Ten months after McIlroy lost his mettle and could only watch on a screen as Bryson DeChambeau avoided a playoff on the 72nd hole to win the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Rory remained steady and focused on the second nine at Augusta National to emerge as No. 1.

While McIlroy battled DeChambeau head-to-head and ultimately staved off Rose, his play on the second nine proved there were only two true ongoing competitions Sunday:

Rory McIlroy vs. Rory McIlroy and Rory McIlroy vs. Augusta National -- his two greatest adversaries over the last decade.

"The battle today was with my mind and staying in the present," McIlroy said. "I'd like to say I did a better job of it than I did. It was a struggle. But I got over the line."

In his 10 prior trips to ANGC since the career grand slam came into play, McIlroy had claimed six top-10s with a backdoor 2nd in 2022. No green jackets. He regularly played himself out of contention early and battled back to respectability late. There was never a time in which patrons in attendance or viewers watching at home could truly believe the Ulsterman would finish his story.

The double bogey on the 1st ensured McIlroy would again be contending with himself over the remaining 17 holes Sunday. His bogey on the last required discipline, composure and mental fortitude to erase what was nearly another failure, converting it into a success.

So frequently had McIlroy faced similar circumstances. So frequently had he fallen short.

Not this time. Not Sunday. Not with a chance to avenge his loss to DeChambeau. Not with an opportunity to win a green jacket. Not with the gravity of standing side by side among the immortals of the game weighing on his shoulders.

"It's the best day of my golfing life," he said.

McIlroy became the first Masters champion to card four double bogeys across his tournament and the first to post more than one since Craig Stadler in 1982. He is also the first golfer do so in any major championship victory since Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open.

In capturing his fifth major, Mcllroy becomes one of the 16 most successful major-championship golfers of the Masters era (since 1934). He stands as the sixth five-timer joining the likes of Byron Nelson, Seve Ballesteros and Brooks Koepka, and Mcllroy now sits one major shy of Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson.

The 11-year gap between major championships for McIlroy ties the longest for any golfer all-time.

CBS Sports will continue updating this story with scores and highlights from the Masters below. Check out the scores at the top of this story and our complete Masters TV schedule and coverage guide so you can watch the green jacket ceremony live from Butler Cabin.

[Apr 13, 2025 at 7:19 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

"The long journey is over. McIlroy has his masterpiece."

A perfect approach on No. 18 in the playoff left McIlroy with just over two feet for birdie and the win after Rose slipped his putt just by on the right side. As Jim Nantz said on the call, "the long journey is over, McIlroy has his masterpiece." 

McIlroy collapsed to the green in tears after holing the putt, securing his first green jacket in 17 tries and the career grand slam in his 11th attempt at it. After one of the wildest rounds of golf in major championship history, with incredible highs and brutal lows, McIlroy is a Masters champion. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 7:14 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Rose throws a dart at No. 18 to open playoff, Rory McIlroy answers with one even better

After both players hit the fairway off the tee, they proceeded to hit two of the best iron shots of the day. Rose flagged his approach, nearly holing out from the fairway, but got a bit unlucky not to have it come back down the hill at all. McIlroy then answered with his best wedge swing of the day from 125, leaving two feet for his birdie. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 7:05 pm ET · Stephen Pianovich]

How does Masters playoff work?

2025 Masters playoff format, rules, holes: How it works for Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose at Augusta National

Kyle Boone

[Apr 13, 2025 at 6:54 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy can't get up-and-down from the bunker on 18, will go to a playoff with Justin Rose at -11

Rory McIlroy's quest for a green jacket will require a playoff. After holding a 4-shot advantage on the 11th tee, he was tied with Justin Rose exiting Amen Corner and then with Rose and Ludvig Åberg after the 14th. 

However, he showed incredible resolve with incredible iron shots on Nos. 15 and 17 to set up birdies to put him back in front by one going to the 18th. A huge drive left just 125 yards in, but a wayward wedge put him in the bunker to the right of the green. He hit his bunker shot to 5 feet short of the hole, but pulled his putt for the win left on the low side, sending the 2025 Masters to a sudden-death playoff between he and Justin Rose. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 6:36 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy takes the lead again with a tremendous birdie on No. 17

After looking like he might fall apart with a double on No. 13 and bogey on No. 14, Rory McIlroy has gotten himself back on track and back into the solo lead. After the shot of his life on 15 to set up a birdie (that should've been eagle), he hit another great shot on No. 16 that likewise led to a somewhat disappointing two-putt for par. 

On No. 17, he laid back with 3 wood and delivered another picture perfect iron shot, hitting a towering draw to just below the hole. 

This time, McIlroy was able to get the putt to drop and reclaimed the lead at -12, one ahead of Justin Rose in the clubhouse, moving back to even par on his day as he strides to the 18th looking to secure the green jacket. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 6:19 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Rose buries a birdie putt on No. 18 to tie Rory McIlroy, post the clubhouse lead at -11 

Rose responded to McIlroy's birdie on No. 15 with a putt we've seen a thousand times on Sunday at No. 18, pouring it in from 20 feet to tie McIlroy, who couldn't make a birdie putt of his own on No. 16, and post -11 in the clubhouse. 

In between the two, Ludvig Åberg made a bogey on 17 to effectively end his bid at the green jacket, dropping him to -9 with one to play. McIlroy will now need a birdie on one of the last two holes to win the Masters outright, or go even on Nos. 17 and 18 to force a playoff with Rose. 

Rose's 66 matches the low round of the day by Hideki Matsuyama, and is a 9-shot improvement over his 75 on Saturday that seemingly took him out of contention. Now he'll sit back and watch as McIlroy closes out his round to see if we'll get a playoff or if someone will be putting on the green jacket after 72 holes. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 5:57 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy bogeys No. 14, Justin Rose bogeys No. 17 and Ludvig Åberg birdies No. 15 to create a 3-way tie at -10

The wild twists and turns of the final round of the 2025 Masters continue, as the second nine has been about as crazy as any Masters in recent memory. After Rory McIlroy's double bogey on the 13th, a whole host of players were suddenly back in play for the green jacket, including last year's runner-up, Ludvig Åberg, who made a birdie on the par-5 15th to move to -10, good at the time for solo third. 

Behind him, McIlroy sprayed his tee shot right on No. 14 and couldn't get up-and-down from short of the green, dropping back to -10 for his fourth dropped shot in four holes. Ahead of both, Rose missed the green right on No. 17 after pulling his tee shot left, and needed an up-and-down of his own to maintain a solo lead at -11. He couldn't make his 6 footer for par, and suddenly we had a three-way tie for first at the Masters. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 5:23 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

McIlroy finds dry land on 12 to make par and maintain his 4-shot lead

After his near-disaster on 11 resulted in just a bogey, the next hurdle for McIlroy to clear on Augusta National's second nine was the ever-perilous tee shot on the par-3 12th. Rae's Creek has drowned many Masters dreams, but McIlroy made a terrific swing with a 9 iron to put his shot on the back edge of the green, taking it straight over the front bunker. A two-putt from there allowed a brief exhale, still leading by four over Justin Rose and Ludvig Åberg, the latter of whom birdied the 13th to join Rose in T2. 

Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, continued his slide with a bogey on No. 12 from the back bunker to back up his double on No. 11, dropping him to -6 for the tournament and out of contention. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 5:14 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy narrowly avoids the water on 11, makes bogey; Bryson DeChambeau rinses his approach and makes double

While the 10th hole was McIlroy's nemesis in 2011 and the 12th is the most famous place where Masters dreams go to die, the 11th hole presents plenty of opportunity for disaster as well. After pushing his tee shot right, McIlroy had to sling one around the trees and over the mounds, and nearly overcooked his draw, as his ball stopped just inches from the water. 

DeChambeau was in the fairway and trailing by five, he knew he didn't have time to play it safe so he tried to draw an iron into the left hole location and put it in the water, forcing a drop. Both players left lengthy putts from there -- McIlroy from 10 feet for par and DeChambeau for bogey -- that neither could make. That meant Rory dropped to -13 again with a bogey and DeChambeau fell to -7 with a double, 6 off the pace. Justin Rose also made bogey on 14 ahead of them, giving McIlroy a reprieve as he maintained his 4-shot lead going to the iconic 12th. 

[Apr 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy birdies No. 10 after a club drop on his approach, Justin Rose birdies every hole on Amen Corner to move to -10

14 years ago, Rory McIlroy's best chance at a green jacket went up in smoke on the 10th hole when he hooked his drive left into the cabins, beginning an all-time second nine collapse. In 2025, McIlroy exacted some early revenge as he made the turn with a 4-shot lead and striped a 3 wood around the corner to find the fairway. His approach led fans watching at home and patrons watching on the course to gasp, first in horror as he dropped his club immediately on contact and second in jubilation after his shot landed just below the hole on a perfect line. 

McIlroy would continue his hot run on the greens of late by rolling that in to move to 2 under on the day and -14 for the tournament, maintaining his 4-shot advantage. 

That lead is no longer over Bryson DeChambeau, who is now five back at -9 after another par, but Justin Rose, the 36-hole leader who went birdie-birdie-birdie around Amen Corner to get it to -10. With McIlroy still having to navigate the difficult 11th and the always tricky 12th, we'll find out if he can emerge from the first two legs of Amen Corner unscathed or if the gap will get closed down when he steps onto the 13th tee.