A disastrous start at the Masters may have been exactly what Rory McIlroy needed. His opening-hole double bogey on Sunday removed the pressure of protecting a lead.

McIlroy had gone into that final round carrying the memory of 2011, the last time he led Augusta after 54 holes. He made a 7 at No. 10 that Sunday and never recovered. To be honest, 14 years is a long time to sit with something like that.

The bunker at No. 1 caught his tee shot, the wind slightly against him compared to Saturday, and then He walked off with a 6.

"It wasn't the ideal start, but in a strange way, it settled me down," Rory McIlroy said. "I realized I no longer have to protect the lead. It's going to be a bit of a dogfight all day."

For over a decade, Rory McIlroy carried one lingering question: the Masters. Despite four major titles, Augusta remained the missing piece, with years of near-misses and Sunday heartbreak defining his legacy.

That changed on April 13, 2025, when McIlroy finally completed the career Grand Slam.

When you're protecting a lead at Augusta, it changes how you play, and you definitely get cautious. Players start defending what they have instead of attacking the course.

The double bogey flipped that, and two holes later, he chipped to nine feet at No. 3 and made a birdie. Then a 5-iron to nine feet at No. 4. Another birdie. He was right back in it.

Rory McIlroy Had Already Reset Once Before Rae's Creek Hit

However, the back nine presented its own challenges, as his wedge at No. 13 found Rae's Creek for a double bogey.

When three players are sharing the lead with four holes left, all that front-nine work is sitting in the creek alongside his ball.

He'd reset after the first hole, and he did it again here. Bryson DeChambeau's ball was in the water at No. 15 before Rory McIlroy played.

He switched from an 8-iron to a 7-iron and hit a shot that bent hard left toward the flag. Birdie.

"I made the right swing at the right time," Rory McIlroy said. "That shot will go down as one of the greatest shots of my career."

On hole 17, his shot stopped very close to the hole, about two feet away. He made par on 18, but that was not enough. So he had to play a playoff with Justin Rose.

On the playoff hole, McIlroy had seen Carla Bernat Escuder make a similar putt earlier. He remembered how the ball moved. He trusted it and played his shot at the time, and the ball went in.

What do you think was that first-hole double bogey the moment that changed Rory McIlroy's entire approach on that Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote