World No. 2 Rory McIlroy won the Laureus ‘Comeback of the Year’ Award on Monday. In his winning speech, he mentioned his eight-year-old dream that recently became a reality.

McIlroy created history this month by winning back-to-back Masters titles. However, this award was for his performance at Augusta last April.

"I’ve had my fair share of near-misses at the Masters over the years, and those moments are tough at the time, but they’re also the ones that push you on, make you work harder, and remind you not to give up. Thankfully, it all came together for me in Augusta last year. I said when I was eight years old I wanted to win all the majors, and to finally achieve that was an incredible feeling," McIlroy said.

Rory McIlroy snapped an eleven-year major drought with last year’s Green Jacket, defeating Justin Rose in a playoff to finally complete his career Grand Slam after years of close calls.

Rory McIlroy became the sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam, the first to defend the Masters title since Tiger Woods in 2001-02, and fourth back-to-back champion in tournament history after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Woods.

"Completing the career Grand Slam was incredibly emotional. It's something I've been chasing for a long time, and it probably means more because of everything that came before it - the near misses, the setbacks, and the questions along the way. That's a big part of the journey, and I'm grateful that this award recognises that," McIlroy added.

In 2012, McIlroy also won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after his 2011 U.S. Open victory, where he led by eight strokes.

McIlroy Near Misses At Majors

Back in 2011, 21-year-old McIlroy held a four-stroke lead entering the final round at Augusta. He then shot an 8-over-par 80 in the final round, dropping from the top to T15.

Despite a bogey-free 64 in the final round of the 2022 Masters, Rory McIlroy couldn’t make up enough ground. Scottie Scheffler remained ahead, forcing him to settle for second.

With the Masters behind him, McIlroy moves ahead in the season, his attention shifting to how many more majors he can add this year.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav