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Newsweek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Rory McIlroy's 'Stupid' Reason for Scottish Open Haircut Backfires
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy debuted a new haircut at the Genesis Scottish Open, attracting fans' attention in the days leading up to the event. As is often the case, the reigning Masters champion did not arrive at this hairstyle by accident. However, the reason for his hair being so short is much more bizarre than one might think. McIlroy revealed it during an interview with CBS after finishing the third round at The Renaissance: "I'm getting a little gray as everyone probably knows and I stupidly thought that by going shorter it would take the grays out and if anything, I think it makes me look more gray," he said. Rory McIlroy shares the story behind his new haircut with @Amanda_Balionis 😂 — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) July 12, 2025 The five-time major winner took the opportunity to give a hint about the upcoming event that lives rent-free in his thoughts. "It'll grow back. That's a good thing. It'll be in perfect length for the Ryder Cup in September." Rory McIlroy's New Hairstyle Has Worked Wonders for Him His new hairstyle may not have helped him get rid of his gray hair, but it's likely he will maintain this look for some time. Whether or not it's for this reason, Rory McIlroy is currently co-leading the Scottish Open with just 18 holes remaining. McIlroy started the third round tied for sixth, four strokes behind the 36-hole leader, Chris Gotterup. However, while he carded five birdies and a bogey to climb five places on the leaderboard, Gotterup could only post even par and wasn't able to prevent the Grand Slammer from tying him at the top. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green on day two of the Genesis Scottish Open 2025 at The Renaissance Club on July 11, 2025 in North Berwick, Scotland. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green on day two of the Genesis Scottish Open 2025 at The Renaissance Club on July 11, 2025 in North Berwick, the day was not a walk in the park for the Northern Irishman: "I was even par through seven...I felt like the conditions were tougher as the day went on and the back nine played more difficult today than it did yesterday, at least for me," he said. "I think the wind and the conditions we got are sort of similar to what the afternoon wave got yesterday. But I controlled my ball flight well and did what I needed to do, close on the last two holes as well. Overall happy with the day's work." Rory McIlroy will be chasing his 30th PGA Tour title and 20th DP World Tour title on Sunday. He will tee off in the final round at 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time, sharing a group with Wyndham Clark and Chris Gotterup. More Golf: Charley Hull breaks silence after collapsing at Evian Championship
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
PGA Championship: Scottie Scheffler overcomes scare to run away with third career major
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scottie Scheffler has spent the past year and a half further establishing himself as the best player in the world. Jon Rahm has spent the past year and a half trying to remind the world that he still exists. On Sunday at the PGA Championship, the two crossed paths — atop the leaderboard, and at a pair of back-nine greens — and Scheffler came out on top in impressive fashion, winning by five strokes over Bryson DeChambeau, Davis Riley and Harris English. For Scheffler, it's his third career major and first outside Augusta. The victory means Scheffler's career trajectory continues to arc into territory occupied only by players with names like Woods and Nicklaus. Raise it high, Scottie. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2025 The week at Quail Hollow began with quite a few voices questioning whether the PGA Championship ought to be at Quail Hollow in the first place. This course, while pristine and challenging, is also extraordinarily familiar — it's the frequent site of the Truist (née Wells Fargo, née Wachovia) Championship, held annually since 2003 at roughly this same point on the calendar. So this year's PGA Championship was less 'Welcome to a fancy new locale' and more 'Welcome to a familiar locale dressed up in its Sunday best.' Critiques of the course — too broad, too anonymous, too kindly to the players — ranged from the devastating to the downright disrespectful. Hunter Mahan delivered the knockout blow — in an interview with The Athletic, he compared Quail Hollow to a 'Kardashian. It's very modern, beautiful and well-kept. But it lacks a soul or character.' (Quail Hollow president Johnny Harris swung back when asked about Mahan's line: 'Tell me who that is?") What Quail Hollow did not lack, at least early in the week, was water. Torrential storms dumped up to 5 inches of rain on the course during what should have been practice rounds, washing out all of Monday and a fair portion of Tuesday, as well. Coming into the week, the two major stories centered on Rory McIlroy, just off completing his career grand slam, and Jordan Spieth, lacking only the PGA Championship to complete one of his own. For different reasons, the two brought an early end to their storylines — Spieth because he continued his years-long struggles and missed the cut; McIlroy because he drove the ball everywhere but the fairway his first two rounds. McIlroy played those first two rounds in a supergrouping with Scheffler and defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele, and — much like many supergroups — the whole ended up being a lot less than the sum of the parts. All three players struggled to one degree or another, and Schauffele and Scheffler pinned the blame squarely on 'mud balls' — the logical result of playing on a soaked course without the ability to clean off the balls following their shots. 'It's frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it's going to go,' Scheffler said. 'I understand it's part of the game, but there's nothing more frustrating for a player. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.' Others didn't share Scheffler's indignation. Max Homa, who briefly flirted with the top of the leaderboard during the week, noted that golf is 'supposed to be entertaining, so seeing people who can look like robots for a while look completely silly isn't the worst except when it's you.' The chaos that befell Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy resulted in a leaderboard that, over the first two days, looked like a collection of who's-that-guy's. Jhonattan Vegas, who's won four times on the PGA Tour but struggled at every major he's ever played, streaked out to the lead Thursday. The first-night lead over Cam Davis and Ryan Gerard was two strokes, but could have been four had Vegas not double-bogeyed the 18th. Vegas held onto his lead at the halfway mark, but Scheffler eased his way into position, finishing out at -5 and just three strokes back. Scheffler turned on the heat Saturday, torching the field by finishing the final five holes — including the entirety of the closing three-hole Green Mile — in 5-under par to finish the day at -11. The highlight: a dead-solid-perfect tee shot on No. 14 that landed inside of 3 feet to the cup for an eagle. Scottie being Scottie. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 17, 2025 Scheffler thus began Sunday with a three-stroke lead on the field, a lead that — given that finish — felt like a 30-stroke lead. Rahm, meanwhile, had strung together a series of decent-but-unspectacular rounds — 70, 70, 67 — to start the day five back of Scheffler. It's a statistical truism that Scheffler is one of the best in the game at the bounce-back — erasing a bogey with a birdie on the very next hole. So when he bogeyed the first hole, it didn't surprise anyone that he birdied the second; on the eight holes he bogeyed this week, he birdied the subsequent hole five times. After an opening bogey, Scottie Scheffler bounces back with a birdie on the second. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2025 Still, Scheffler wobbled a bit on the front nine, He bogeyed the par-3 No. 6 when his 9-foot par putt slid just past. And he bogeyed the massive 539-yard par-4 No. 9 when he couldn't get up and down from 61 yards out. Meanwhile, Rahm stayed in the hunt with pars on his first seven holes, and then took advantage with birdies on the 8th, 10th and 11th holes. Combined with Scheffler's bogey on 9, that run vaulted Rahm into a tie for the lead … for a moment, anyway. Jon Rahm began the day five shots behind Scottie now tied him for the lead. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2025 Scheffler reached the green on the par-5 10th in 3 and had 9 feet for birdie. At the same time, on the nearby 12th green, Rahm lined up for a 13-foot birdie putt of his own. As Rahm steadied himself, a roar arose from the 10th green as Scheffler birdied. Rahm wasn't able to convert the birdie attempt, and Scheffler reclaimed the solo lead. Rahm struggled on the next three greens, missing three potential birdie putts that, by all reasonable measure, should have dropped. Rahm was SO CLOSE to a birdie on 13 to tie the lead. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2025 That left him a stroke behind Scheffler heading into the Green Mile. Scheffler, meanwhile, rolled in a birdie putt on the 14th to take a two-stroke lead with four holes to play. Then things went sideways for Rahm. A bogey at 16, a water ball at 17 and a Scheffler birdie behind him turned a potential photo finish into a Sunday stroll for the World No. 1. When he walked to the 18th tee, Scheffler had a six-shot lead — the engraver already at work on the Wanamker Trophy. It would be Scheffler's, finally a major winner outside of Augusta National.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PGA Championship: Into the water, off a rock, onto the green, eagle for Tommy Fleetwood
We've seen some crazy bounces in this week's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Jhonattan Vegas got a bounce off a rake on Friday that led to a birdie putt (that he unfortunately missed). That's just classic Vegas luck 🍀#PGAChamp — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 16, 2025 Jon Rahm got a bounce off a spectator's head on Saturday (that led to a bogey). Jon Rahm's approach took a big bounce after hitting a fan. Thankfully, the fan appeared alright and Rahm gifted him an autographed glove. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 17, 2025 But maybe the best bit of luck came Sunday, when Tommy Fleetwood dumped his approach on the par-5 seventh into the water, only to watch this happen: Off the rocks ⛰️ On the green 🟢 With a putt for eagle 🦅A stroke of luck for Tommy Fleetwood 🎯#PGAChamp — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2025 And then he capitalized on the lucky bounce: Fleetwood cashes in the luck with class. ⛳🦅#PGAChamp — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2025 Unfortunately for Fleetwood, a 5-over 76 on Saturday took him out of contention, so the eagle is part of him playing out the string Sunday.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
RBC Heritage purse, payouts: How much did Justin Thomas earn for his win at Harbour Town?
Justin Thomas, after going more than 1,000 days between wins, beat Andrew Novak in a playoff at Harbour Town on Sunday afternoon He went more than 1,000 days between wins, but Justin Thomas is finally back on top. Thomas sank a deep birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Andrew Novak and win the RBC Heritage on Sunday afternoon. He fired a bogey-free 68, and then erupted into a massive celebration on the green after what was his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship. WHAT A WAY TO WIN IT! 🤯 Justin Thomas with the putt to claim victory at the @RBC_Heritage 🔥🏆 — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 20, 2025 With that win came a $3.6 million check, too. As the RBC Heritage is a Signature Event on the PGA Tour, it offered a $20 million purse. That's just shy of what the Masters offered last week, and on par with some of the biggest prizes on Tour this season. Thomas has come painfully close to winning in recent years. He had six top-10 finishes on Tour last season, including a runner-up finish at the Zozo Championship, and he entered this week with a pair of runner-up finishes this season, too. Thomas finished in second at The American Express in January and then again at the Valspar Championship in March. He's not missed a single cut in 10 starts this season, and he's coming off a T36 finish at Augusta National last week. But Thomas was great this week from the jump. He matched the course record on Thursday with a 61, and held his first 36-hole lead in nearly four years after Friday's round. He then held on late and, after Novak missed an 8-footer for the win in regulation, handled the playoff perfectly to finally grab his win. Here's a look at how much Thomas and the rest of the field earned this week in Hilton Head, South Carolina. RBC Heritage payouts 1. Justin Thomas — $3.6 million 2. Andrew Novak — $2.16 million T3. Daniel Berger, Mackenzie Hughes, Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy — $960,000 7. Tommy Fleetwood — $670,000 T8. Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley, Si Woo Kim — $580,000 T11. J.T. Poston, Sungjae Im — $480,000 T13. Sam Burns, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Cam Davis, Patrick Cantlay — $260,000 T18. Xander Schauffele, Sami Valimaki, Chris Kirk, Eric Cole, Jordan Spieth, Ryo Hisatsune, Tom Hoge, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley — $223,000 26. $159,000 T27. Davis Thompson, Ryan Gerard, Billy Horschel, Max Greyserman, Wyndham Clark, — $140,000 T32. Bud Cauley, Austin Eckroat, Matt Kuchar, Thoams Detry, Stephan Jaeger, Brian Campbell — $109,084 T38. Tony Finau, Aaron Rai, Ben An, Matt Fizpatrick — $86,250 T42. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Patrick Rodgers, Matthieu Pavon, J.J. Spaun, Taylor Pendrith, Akshay Bhatia, Justin Rose — $64,000 T49. Corey Conners, Denny McCarthy, Nick Taylor, Jason Day, Adam Scott $48,000 T54. Collin Morikawa, Michael Kim, Ludvig Åberg, Sam Stevens, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young, Karl Vilips — $44,500 T61. Min Woo Lee, Adam Hadwin, Gary Woodland, Lucas Glover, Jacob Bridgeman — $41,500 T66. Robert MacIntyre, Harris English — $39,750 68. Rickie Fowler — $39,000 69. Sahith Theegala — $38,000 70. Max Homa — $37,500 71. Nick Dunlap — $37,000 72. Joe Highsmith — $36,500
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Masters 2025: Rory McIlroy at last claims green jacket, career grand slam
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Nothing ever comes easy for Rory McIlroy in a major. Nothing. Three different times he appeared to have locked up the 2025 Masters, and three different times, he fumbled it or had it snatched from his grasp. But finally, McIlroy has claimed his green jacket. It took him 72 holes plus a one-hole playoff against Justin Rose, it took him multiple collapses and resuscitations, but at last, McIlroy is a Masters champion, once again a major winner, and now one of the six men with a career grand slam, the first since Tiger Woods in 2000. McIlroy appeared to have the tournament locked up, leading by a stroke standing on the 18th green. But his short putt slid past the hole, dropping him into a playoff. On the first hole of sudden death, McIlroy and Rose both journeyed back to the 18th tee, and both hammered their drives into the fairway. Rose's approach settled about 15 feet from the pin. But McIlroy met the moment, placing his approach inside Rose's and just 4 feet from the pin … again. Rose's birdie attempt slipped just past the hole, and that once again left McIlroy with a 4-foot putt to win the Masters. This time, he didn't miss. "The long journey is over! McIlroy has his masterpiece." — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 13, 2025 "I started to wonder if this would ever be my time," McIlroy told CBS at Butler Cabin in an emotional post-tournament interview in which he fought back tears and also thanked his parents in Northern Ireland, adding, "I can't wait to celebrate with them." Long one of the finest players of his generation, McIlroy has flourished on every stage but the biggest one for the past 11 years, winning everywhere but in the tournaments that matter most. On Sunday, however, he emphatically hurled all his demons and skeletons into Rae's Creek, battling back from near-constant self-inflicted adversity, an early challenge from Bryson DeChambeau, and a late threat from Justin Rose. For so long, it appeared McIlroy would never don a green jacket, never shake off the ghosts that have haunted him here since 2011. It wasn't easy. It probably wasn't a whole lot of fun for him, either. But a win is a win, and this career-defining moment is one he'll cherish forever. The world waited all year for the Masters, and on Monday, the skies forced everyone to wait just a little longer. A deluge washed out all but about three hours of the day, soaking patrons and leaving players indoors plotting how to prepare for Thursday. (The patrons who lost out on their bucket-list day will get the chance to buy badges next year.) McIlroy met the media in his customary early morning start Tuesday, and — as he has for more than a decade now — tried to make sense of his long major drought. Coming into Augusta, McIlroy had failed to win in any major since 2014, and his heartbreaks had become legend — falling apart in the final pairing at Augusta in 2018, watching helplessly as challengers posted the Sunday rounds of their lives at the British Open in 2022 and the U.S. Open in 2023, and — most devastating of all — a loss after leading for 70 holes and missing two short putts at Pinehurst last year. Any one of those would be devastating; all four combined, and another 30-plus besides, are apocalyptic. But McIlroy has chosen to spin those heartbreaks into motivation. 'Over the course of my career, I think I've showed quite a lot of resilience from setbacks,' McIlroy said. 'Look, you have setbacks and you have disappointments, but as long as you can learn from them, and move forward and try to put those learnings into practice, I feel like is very, very important.' A few hours later, McIlroy had a tiny bit of fun — perhaps the only real 'fun' he would have all week on the course — when he skipped a ball across No. 16 and right over the shell of a local resident: Best seat in the house to watch Rory McIlroy's skip shot on No. 16. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2025 The tournament proper began Thursday morning with the traditional ceremonial tee shots from Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson. Afterward, all three legends picked McIlroy to win this weekend. Player, on another tangent, held forth on Arby's, marriage and death … in one answer. Gary Player is just loving life. 😂 — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 10, 2025 McIlroy opened the tournament at +650 to win, the second-highest player in the field behind Scottie Scheffler (+450). DeChambeau went off at +1600, likely the highest odds he'll start a tournament with for some time. The early leader at the 2025 Masters: Rose, 44, who leaped out of the gate with eight birdies to post an opening-round 65 and a three-stroke lead on the field. Another one! Justin Rose records his eighth birdie of the day and moves to eight under par. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2025 The Masters always welcomes back its past champions, and sometimes, those champions enjoy a bit of champions' luck. Consider, for instance, 65-year-old Fred Couples, who carded a 191-yard eagle on Thursday: Into the hole from 191 yards. Fred Couples eagles No. 14! #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2025 McIlroy appeared to be rolling through Thursday, carding a 4-under round right up until he got to the 15th. Two double bogeys over three holes blew a hole in his card, leaving him at even and destroying the momentum he'd carefully built up over 14 holes. The highlight/lowlight of Thursday, depending on your perspective: amateur Jose Luis Ballester deciding to relieve himself in Rae's Creek during his round. It was a significant breach of Augusta National etiquette, one he apologized for the following day. DeChambeau surged into second place, just one stroke behind Rose, with a five-birdie Friday punctuated with brilliance like this: Bryson DeChambeau sparks a roar from the bunker on No. 4. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2025 McIlroy, meanwhile, managed to salvage both his dignity and his tournament with a round that started slow and finished with a 5-under run on the back nine: Quite the recovery on No. 14. Rory McIlroy hits an exacting approach from the woods to pin high. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2025 The most touching moment of Friday afternoon came when two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer walked up the 18th fairway for the final time as a player. Langer needed to get up and down to make the cut, but wasn't able to do so, missing by just inches. Four decades of memories. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2025 The most bizarre moment of Friday afternoon came when Scheffler, who never really seemed to get comfortable this week, found himself deep in the woods alongside No. 18: The Hermit (Il solitario), by John Singer Sargent, 1908, 📸 via lots of you — ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) April 11, 2025 An average round for Scheffler is an exceptional round for anyone else on Earth, which is why Scheffler remained in the top 10 throughout the tournament. McIlroy seized control of the tournament Saturday with a spectacular opening — six straight 3s — that vaulted him past DeChambeau and the rest of the field. Rose, meanwhile, carded a 3-over 75 that left him seven strokes back of McIlroy and, apparently, out of the tournament. Apparently. McIlroy's signature moment on the day came at No. 15, the hole that had victimized him Thursday. But on Saturday, he knew the shot was good the moment he struck it, and began walking with the confident strut he hasn't shown much in recent years. Eagle on No. 15 launches Rory McIlroy into a four-shot lead. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025 DeChambeau, as many as four strokes back, finished with a flourish, birdieing three of the last four holes and draining a 47-foot putt on No. 18 to pull within two strokes of McIlroy: An emphatic finish. Bryson DeChambeau birdies No. 18 ahead of the final round. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025 That set up a magnificent Sunday, McIlroy (-12) vs. DeChambeau (-10). The rest of the field lurked two strokes behind DeChambeau, but Sunday loomed as the perfect golf heavyweight fight. 'It will be the grandest stage that we've had in a long time,' DeChambeau said, 'and I'm excited for it.' To call Sunday's front nine a 'roller coaster' would be incorrect; a roller coaster that whipped like the opening few holes of the final round of the 2025 Masters did would severely maim its riders. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, McIlroy and DeChambeau finally reached the first tee at 2:30 p.m. And McIlroy, who teed off first, promptly put his first shot of the day into the fairway bunker. McIlroy then proceeded to three-putt from 26 feet, and just like that, the match was even at 10-under. A double-bogey on the first hole qualified as a nightmarish start for McIlroy, and he followed that by putting his tee shot on the par-5 No. 2 into another fairway bunker. DeChambeau took advantage, birdieing the hole and snatching the lead from McIlroy in just two holes. Matters looked grim indeed for McIlroy. Only one player in history — Craig Stadler in 1982 — won with three double-bogeys in a tournament. McIlroy hung his head on the second as DeChambeau drained his putt, and the momentum was in DeChambeau's favor through the first two holes. Then came the third, where McIlroy fired a spectacular drive off the tee and birdied the hole, while DeChambeau yet again struggled with his approach. The result: another two-shot reversal, giving McIlroy a one-stroke lead at 11-under. The par-3 fourth hole brought more of the same; DeChambeau's tee shot flew wide left, and he wasn't able to convert his par putt even as McIlroy drained another birdie. That extended the lead to three shots after just four holes, and McIlroy strutted once again. Over the next two holes, DeChambeau struggled with his short irons and approaches, while McIlroy couldn't quite close the deal with his putter. Then came the seventh, and the defining shot of the front nine. McIlroy, behind two massive pines with no apparent line on the green, unleashed a moon shot that went over both trees and settled within 8 feet of the cup. Rory's reaction says it all. — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 13, 2025 Just before McIlroy and DeChambeau made the turn, two other players suddenly entered the discussion: Rose birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 13, and Ludvig Åberg birdied 10. Behind them, McIlroy birdied 9, which sent him to the back nine with a four-shot lead. Back in 2011, when McIlroy led the tournament, his round fell apart on the 10th tee, when he jacked a drive deep into the cabins running along the left side of the fairway. On Sunday, his drive was nowhere near any cabins, exorcising the first of his demons. Then he proceeded to roll in a birdie putt on the same hole he'd double-bogeyed in 2011, climbing to 14-under. Ahead of him, Rose missed an eagle on the 13th by three dimples of the golf ball, tapping in for birdie to get to 10-under and one stroke ahead of DeChambeau and Åberg. But Rose gave it right back on the 14th, allowing McIlroy (briefly) the luxury of a five-stroke lead. And then came one of those signs that maybe the Golf Gods were favoring McIlroy. On a skidding approach to 11, his ball stopped perhaps a foot short of rolling into Rae's Creek. He bogeyed the hole, falling back to -13 and four strokes ahead of Rose, but that was far preferable to sending his ball to a watery grave. DeChambeau, meanwhile, wasn't quite so fortunate; his aggressive approach at 11 ended in the water, and he would go on to double-bogey the hole, falling to -7 and effectively ejecting himself from the tournament. McIlroy wrapped up Amen Corner with a sensible play, laying up on No. 13 to seemingly take Rae's Creek out of the equation. Rose, meanwhile, hung tough, birdieing the 15th to draw back within three of McIlroy. He dropped his approach on 16 to within five feet of the cup, setting up yet another birdie putt. And then, because nothing ever comes easy for McIlroy, self-inflicted disaster struck. He weak-chipped his approach on 13 right into the creek after all, and then missed a short bogey putt to drop to -11. Seconds later, Rose rolled in his five-footer on 16 to reach -11 and tie the lead. Åberg kept pace, birdieing the 15th to close to -10, one stroke off the lead. And then McIlroy joined him there, bogeying the 14th by one rotation of the ball on his par putt. Moments later, Rose bogeyed 17 to fall back to -10. So with four holes remaining in the Masters, Rose, Åberg and McIlroy all stood tied at -10. Then McIlroy, tucked on the left side of 15 beneath and behind a stand of pines, unleashed one of the greatest shot in Masters history, a high, curling draw that settled just six feet from the pin. Naturally, he missed the eagle putt — nothing is ever easy with McIlroy — but he rolled in the birdie putt to retake a one-stroke lead. It wouldn't last. Up ahead on the 18th, Rose rolled in a 20-foot birdie to match McIlroy at -11 and set the clubhouse lead at -11. That was enough to make Rose the favorite to win at 58 percent to McIlroy's 42 percent, per DataGolf. And then McIlroy once again climbed up off the deck, firing an iron from 197 yards on 17 to within 2 feet for a birdie. He rolled in the putt — which surely must have been the most terrifying 2-footer of his career — to take a one-shot lead at -12 with one hole to play. Leading by one stroke standing on the terrifying 18th tee, McIlroy calmly striped his drive 317 yards into the middle of the fairway, 124 yards from the pin. Naturally, his approach shot ended up in the greenside bunker. He punched out of the sand to within 5 feet, and had that distance to win the Masters and the career grand slam ... and he slid it just left of the hole, setting up the playoff with Rose.
