Rory McIlroy dramatically ended his major drought in barely believable fashion before breaking down in tears after beating Justin Rose in a play-off to finally win the Masters and create history by completing the career grand slam.
McIlroy’s path to victory saw him complete an emotional final round at the first extra hole with birdie enough to hold off his Ryder Cup teammate after both players finished on 11 under par after the regulation 72 holes.
McIlroy has endured recent nightmares at St Andrews in 2022 at The Open, before last year’s near miss at the Pinehurst in the US Open, against Bryson DeChambeau, who he was paired with in the final round here, only for the American to fade quickly on the back nine.
But on his 11th attempt to join golf’s most exclusive club and 3,900 days after his last major victory in the 2014 US PGA, McIlroy almost threw away a five-shot lead before claiming a coveted green jacket at a pulsating Augusta National.
After inexplicably dumping his third shot to the 13th into Rae’s Creek to run up a second double bogey of the day, McIlroy also bogeyed the 14th before birdies on the 15th and 17th edged him a shot ahead of Rose.
Rose then set the clubhouse target on 11 under thanks to his 10th birdie of the day on the 18th in a remarkable closing 66, before McIlroy missed from five feet for par on the same hole to claim the title.
The players returned to the 18th for extra holes and after Rose missed his birdie attempt, McIlroy holed from three feet before sinking to his knees and sobbing in relief.
The win makes McIlroy the first player in a quarter of a century to complete the career grand slam and match the feats of Gene Sarazen (completed in 1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965), Jack Nicklaus (1966) and Tiger Woods (2000).
The prospects of McIlroy being presented with the green jacket by Scottie Scheffler were slim when he double bogeyed the 15th and 17th on Thursday to card an opening 72 to trail Rose by seven shots.
Only Nick Faldo in 1990 and Woods in 2005 had previously come from seven behind after 18 holes to win, but McIlroy launched his comeback with a back nine of 31 in a Friday 66 and exploded out of the blocks with a record six consecutive threes to start another 66 on Saturday.
McIlroy therefore started the final round with a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, lost it on the first hole and trailed by one on the next, but birdied the next two to extend his advantage.
After driving into a fairway bunker on the first and compounding the error with a three-putt from 18 feet, McIlroy could only par the second as DeChambeau two-putted for birdie to take the lead for the first time all week.
McIlroy looked understandably downhearted as he walked to the third tee but hit driver on the short par-four and pitched to 10 feet to set up his first birdie of the day before DeChambeau three-putted for the second two-shot swing in the space of three holes.
An absolutely breathless start continued as DeChambeau also three-putted the fourth from just off the green before McIlroy holed from nine feet for birdie, yet another two-shot swing and a three-shot lead.
McIlroy ended a run of four straight pars with a birdie from nine feet on the ninth to move four shots clear of DeChambeau, who by now had company in the shape of Ludvig Aberg and Rose.
Rose and McIlroy traded birdies on the 13th and 10th, before McIlroy enjoyed a massive slice of luck as his approach to the 11th, hooked around a tree, stopped inches short of the lake to the left of the green.
DeChambeau was not so fortunate as he found the water to run up a ruinous double bogey, and although McIlroy dropped a shot his lead remained intact as Rose bogeyed the 14th up ahead.
Rose closed the gap once more with a birdie on the 15th and hit a superb tee shot on the next before McIlroy amazingly found Rae’s Creek with his approach to the 13th having laid up short of the green.
“That’s horrendous. I can’t believe it,” Faldo said on Sky Sports. “There’s no reason to go anywhere near the flag.”
The resulting double bogey coupled with Rose’s birdie meant a tie for the lead and Aberg made it a three-way tie with a birdie on the 15th, only to drop four shots in the last two holes.
McIlroy produced a stunning hooked approach to the par-five 15th to seemingly set up a decisive eagle, but missed the putt from six feet and had to settle for a birdie to reclaim the lead until Rose holed from 20 feet on the last.
A brilliant approach to the 17th set up what looked a decisive birdie for McIlroy, only for the world number two to bogey the last after pushing his approach into a greenside bunker and missing from five feet for the title.
PA contributed to this report
