CaddyBytes

2025 Masters Tournament Highlights

CaddyBytes Recap: Rory McIlroy’s final five holes at Augusta National were a rollercoaster of nerves, genius, and pure survival — and when it was all over, the long wait was finally done. The closing stretch started with Rory threading a ridiculous approach shot underneath tree limbs — a low, rising seven iron that climbed perfectly and turned over just enough to hold the green. It was the kind of shot that screams Masters champion… if he could just hang on. And for a moment, it looked like he was about to slam the door. McIlroy poured in another huge putt, then watched one bend perfectly into the cup to make eagle for the second straight day, seizing control again as Augusta started to shake. But then the Masters reminded him — and everyone watching — that nothing comes easy on Sunday. With the finish line in sight, Rory’s wedge betrayed him again. A gap wedge flared right, echoing earlier mistakes and instantly reopening the door. Suddenly, the weight of the moment was back on his shoulders, and Augusta had one more twist left. McIlroy had a putt for the win… but it didn’t fall. After all the history, all the heartbreak, and all the years of “will he ever?”, it was going to a playoff — fittingly against Justin Rose, the same man tied to Rory’s past Augusta pain. And then Rory did what champions do. He reset. He ripped a playoff drive up the hill — a carbon copy of his best swings all day — and this time, when he faced that same gap wedge again, he answered with one of the shots of his career. The ball landed high, fed down the slope, and settled close enough to send a message: this time was different. Moments later, it was over. Rory McIlroy had his masterpiece. The long journey was finally finished. And at last, in the shadows of Augusta’s Sunday evening light, Rory slipped on the Green Jacket — completing golf’s greatest puzzle and cementing his legacy forever. Rory McIlroy is the 2025 Masters Champion..

Video courtesy of the Masters Tournament / YouTube.