The Irishman ends an 11-year drought and becomes the sixth man to complete the career grand slam.
McIlroy wins 2025 Masters after beating Rose in playoff
Rory McIlroy is the 2025 Masters champion after beating Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at Augusta National on Sunday.
The Irishman survived some nervy moments to get there, especially when he missed a short par putt on the 72nd hole to win it outright.
He also had a car crash on the par-five 13th, pushing his pitch shot into the water and then failing to get up and down from the drop zone.
That double bogey brought him back to the pack after leading by five shots at the turn.
Between those two blunders, however, McIlroy played some outstanding golf, including world-class approaches on the 15th and 17th that led to birdies.
But the bogey on 18 meant he had to settle for a share of the lead at 11-under with Rose, who had birdied his final hole to reach that mark.
With McIlroy’s record of repeated failures at the pointy end of majors, many golf betting experts would have had his English rival as favorite to win the playoff.
Both players held their nerve to find excellent positions off the tee, and Rose appeared to take the upper hand when he fired his approach right over the pin to leave around 10 feet for birdie.
Not to be outdone, McIlroy used the contours of the 18th green to perfection, razzing his iron shot back down the slope to give himself a short putt for three.
After Rose’s putt just drifted past the right edge of the hole, McIlroy sank his four-footer and finally put his demons to bed.
It ends an 11-year drought at the majors for the 35-year-old, who becomes the sixth man in history to complete the career grand slam.
For Rose, it is his second playoff defeat at Augusta, having also lost to Sergio Garcia in sudden death at the 2017 Masters.
Top bookmakers had McIlroy among the favorites heading into the tournament, but there was some value to be had if you got on him later in the piece.
After the man from County Down dropped four shots in as many holes to close out his opening round, Nags.bet wound him out to +1400 in outright betting.
Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to abide by gambling and sports betting laws in your jurisdiction. The information provided on BettingPlanet.com is accurate to the best of our knowledge but should be used as a guide only.
