Was Rory McIlroy's Epic Masters Win The Greatest Major Of All Time?

After a gruelling 11-year wait, Rory McIlroy finally ended his lengthy Major drought and completed the Career Grand Slam by winning The Masters.

Just let that sink in for a moment. For years we have talked about McIlroy's inability to convert strong PGA Tour form to into Major wins, with some doubting whether he would ever get over the line at Augusta National.

I fancied him from the moment he won The Players a few weeks back, which is why I picked him as my top betting pick before the tournament, but I couldn't have predicted just how enthralling the victory would be.

Despite being fed up with The Masters TV coverage earlier in the week, something I firmly believe needs addressing in the future, I was still engaged by the compelling storylines that each round provided.

With McIlroy in the final group on Sunday, it was almost inevitable that we would witness more drama - as things are rarely straightforward when the former World No.1 is in contention at a Major.

I enjoyed the 89th edition more than I can remember enjoying any other Masters Tournament, but what made it so captivating? I have some ideas, but I'm keen to hear what you think too. Let me know your view in the comments below...

Was The 89th Masters The Most Dramatic Tournament Ever?

There are plenty of memorable Masters Tournaments that come to mind when considering whether this particular edition was the most dramatic, with flashbacks of Nicklaus in 1986, Arnold Palmer in 1964, Seve in 1980 and Tiger's win in 2019 (or pretty much any of his five, actually).

While each of those were special for their own reason, I can't remember a time where we saw such a volatile, dynamic leaderboard across 72-holes.p

After a few years of predictability at Augusta National, it was great to feel the buzz of anticipation down the stretch once again, but I believe it was these four aspects that awarded this particular tournament its legendary status...

1. The Playoff

The last playoff at The Masters was contested back in 2017, interestingly also featuring Justin Rose, as Sergio Garcia battled past the Englishman to win his Green Jacket.

The stomach-sinking, gut-wrenching jeopardy of a playoff in the biggest tournament in golf provides a feeling so rare that it's hard to replicate.

I can recall a similar sensation when watching England in World Cup or European Championship penalty shoot outs, but the addictively horrendous state is something that can only be found when you are emotionally invested in a storied journey.

After watching Rory miss his short putt in regulation time, I couldn't help but fear that history was repeating itself for the Northern Irishman. Everyone could see the nerves he was experiencing, but the strength of mind and body to overcome that and emerge victorious truly made it the best possible way to win The Masters.

2. Double-Bogeys Galore

Have you ever wondered, how often do golfers win Majors with a double-bogey on their scorecard? The answer is not many - in fact, it's just 38% of the 100 Major winners since the turn of the millennium.

Well, Rory McIlroy not only carded one double-bogey... he actually recorded four of them! Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele even threw one in for good measure.

With the volatility in scoring, the leaderboard changed with exciting regularity. Nobody had the chance to run away with proceedings, although Rory tried a few times, and that kept us interested all the way through the event.

In the final round, it looked as though any one of about six players could realistically win the Green Jacket, with two-shot swings galore keeping patrons and expectant golf fans around the world glued to the action.

3. A Mesmeric Highlights Reel

Some of the shots on display at Augusta National this week were outrageously good.

Just in the final round we saw Rose hole a clutch putt on 18 to pile the pressure on Rory who was yet to reach the final hole, McIlroy himself stuff one in fairly close on 15, 16 and 17 under immense pressure and even Patrick Reed clambering his way up the leaderboard with a hole-out eagle on the penultimate hole.

Earlier in the round we also saw Rory recover from a horrific start with birdies on holes three and four, breaking tradition with his score on the latter.

No champion in the past ten years has played the par-3 fourth hole at Augusta National under par, but Rory McIlroy wasn't having any of that.

His tee shot on four required a precise strike, taking on the bunker that had admirably guarded the flag to that point. The ball landed softly just to the left of the pin, leaving a difficult but makeable putt that Rory would convert.

Justin Rose also birdied six of his last nine holes to force the playoff, carding incredible twos on both the difficult par-3 holes at 12 and 16.

Only one other player in the top-5 birdied the 16th, but it came after the tournament had already escaped DeChambeau's grasp.

After a lack of Bryson DeChambeau coverage earlier in the week it appeared we missed the best of his performances at The Masters due to frustrating TV restrictions on Friday.

4. Toe Curling Blunders

It can't all be sunshine and rainbows, because real drama requires a little adversity.

The resilience shown by Rory to pick himself up after more than a few mistakes was inspiring, and not something we have seen much from McIlroy in the past.

My heart sank when he hit the ball in the creek on 13 from a great birdie-making position, as it did when he made a double-bogey on the first to blow his two shot overnight lead, and I thought that we could be about to witness history repeat itself.

As Rory hit his second shot towards the 18th green on Sunday, it felt as though time stood still. The deafening silence was shattered by the thud of golf ball on sand and the eruption of anguish from the onlooking patrons.

Bryson DeChambeau also threw in his fair share as his tournament unravelled, which only adds weight to the achievement of McIlroy to steady the ship and ultimately prevail.

Without any one of these four aspects the 89th Masters would not have been as magnificent as it turned out to be, and while I would never want to diminish the achievement of past champions at Augusta National, I honestly believe that the 2025 Masters could be the best ever edition of the first Major of the season.