Rory McIlroy will never forget the moment he won the 2025 Masters Tournament.ย
โIโve never felt a release like that. Obviously I cried at my wedding, I cried at the birth of our daughter, but it was something I didnโt realize I was holding onto for so long,โ he said during a visit to TODAY on Friday, May 2.ย
The Northern Irish golfer, 35, recently became the sixth male golfer in history to achieve a career Grand Slam, winning all of golfโs four major tournaments throughout his career.
He won the 89th Masters Tournament in a tense playoff against English golfer Justin Rose at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 13.
After his victory, McIlroy fell to the ground in tears, and he went viral for his raw display of feeling as he celebrated with the crowd.
โJust that release and that emotion,โ he said on TODAY. โMy headโs on the floor there and Iโm screaming at the top of my lungs at that point.โ
McIlroyโs career Grand Slam was years in the making. He won his last major tournament, the PGA Championship, in 2014, and he admitted on TODAY there were โpoints over the last 10 yearsโ when he thought, โIs this ever going to happen for me again?โ
โYou know, Iโm not getting any younger,โ he said. โI knew that my window was closing a bit, so that was a huge moment, and being able to do it and to have my family there, that was incredible.โ
He shared a sweet moment with his family after his win, embracing his wife, Erica Stoll, and their 4-year-old daughter, Poppy โ who sank an impressive putt of her own leading up to the Masters last month.
McIlroy said he had often contemplated what his message to fans and his family would be if he ever did win the Masters.ย
โIn the prize ceremony, my daughter was on the green and I talked about never giving up on your dreams,โ he said. โI think just never giving up and being resilient, and if you get knocked down five times, you have to get up six times. Just keep going, keep trying.โ
McIlroy joins five other male golf legends who have achieved a career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.ย
Woods, 49, congratulated McIlroy after his historic win with a five-word phrase that said it all.
โHe said, โWelcome to the club, kid,โโ McIlroy recalled on โThe Tonight Showโ this week. โWhich was just so cool.โ
