Rory McIlroy won the Masters at Augusta on Sunday to complete the career Grand Slam – but he admits it has been a tough weight to carry for 11 years

Rory McIlroy has spoken out against four legendary golf figures, including Tiger Woods, claiming they piled on the pressure with their previous remarks. McIlroy sealed his place among golf’s elite on when he triumphed over Justin Rose in a nail-biting play-off to snatch the Masters title at Augusta National.

Ever since he squandered a four-stroke lead during the final round of the 2011 Masters, McIlroy has been chasing redemption on the greens. Despite narrowly missing a putt for victory on the 18th, he clinched the win on the first sudden death hole and was visibly moved, sinking to his knees amidst a whirlwind of emotions.

With this victory, McIlroy has not only captured the career Grand Slam but also exorcised his Augusta ghosts; a win forecasted by notables like Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson, whose well-intended predictions nonetheless weighed heavily on him.

“It’s tough. You know, you’ve had Jack, Gary, Tom, Tiger, you name it, come through here, and all say that I’ll win the Masters one day. That’s a hard load to carry, especially – it is. It really is.

“You know, these are idols of mine, and it’s, look, it’s very flattering that they all come up here and they believe in me and they believe in my abilities to be able to win this tournament and, you know, achieve the Grand Slam and all that. But it doesn’t help, you know. I wish they didn’t say it.

“But, you know, I think as well, as the years have went on, I’ve just become more accustomed to the noise that sort of surrounds my whole Masters week and I’ve become a little more comfortable with it.”

McIlroy had secured the other three major golf titles by the close of 2014, yet it was an 11-year quest to clinch his first Masters victory. Now, he’s etched his name in the annals of golf, becoming the sixth individual and the first European to achieve the Grand Slam.

Rory McIlroy became the first European to complete the career Grand Slam ( Image: Simon Bruty/Augusta National/Getty Images)
Reflecting on his notorious meltdown 14 years prior, the 35 year old conceded that nerves plagued him during his latest final round at Augusta. “It’s very difficult. I think I’ve carried that burden since August 2014. It’s nearly 11 years,” he confessed

“Yeah, it’s been difficult, and I’ve tried to approach this tournament with the most positive attitude each and every time that I’ve shown up, and I think just the sort of cumulative experience that I’ve gained coming back here each and every year, I just I feel like I get a little more comfortable with the shot needed. I talked about it at the start of the week, but you know, there’s talking about it and actually doing it.

“And yeah, today was difficult. I was unbelievably nervous this morning. Really nervous on the first hole, as you witnessed with the double [bogey], but as I said, that sort of calmed me down and I was able to bounce back and show that resilience that I’ve talked about a lot.

“Yeah, look, it was a heavy weight to carry, and thankfully now I don’t have to carry it and it frees me up and I know I’m coming back here every year, which is lovely.”