While Rory McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam of Masters, Open Championship, US Open and US PGA Championship by winning the Augusta Masters with a play-off win against Justin Rose, the Northern Ireland golfer has received praise from the golfing world for the feat. While Tiger Woods had become the last player to achieve the feat before McIlroy did the same on Sunday night, four other players before Woods had achieved the rare feat with Gene Sarazan, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to have won all the majors once in their career.
“Welcome to the club. Completing the Grand Slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you.” Five-time Masters winner Woods wrote on X.
While Woods had achieved the feat by winning the Open Championship in 2000, Gary Player is the oldest living member of the career grand slam winners. The nine-time major winner Player, who had won the Masters three times in his career, had earlier kicked off the Masters this week by doing the ceremonial tee-off along with 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus and eight-time major winner Tom Watson. Player showered his praise on McIlroy, who won a major after a gap of 11 years to complete the career grand slam. “I’ve always said he is the most talented player in the world today. He has the best swing by a mile. He is a hard worker and he deserves everything he gets. There were two shots in there that I will never forget for as long as I live. I’ve never seen such enthusiasm by the crowd. They followed Rory and they wanted him to win. The country can be very proud of him. He is a wonderful, well-mannered man who is doing an awful lot of good for golf.” Player told BBC Radio 5.
Nicklaus, who had won the Masters six times in his career, too rated McIlroy’s title win on Sunday as something that will take ‘World off his shoulders’. “I’m so happy for him. It will take the world off his shoulders and you’re now going to see a lot more of really good golf out of Rory McIlroy.” Nicklaus told CBS America.
McIlroy won his first Masters title with a play-off win against Justin rose. The 35-year-old needed to make par on the 18th hole as he led Arose by one stroke but missed a 5-foot par putt to force a play-off against Rose. Earlier in the day, McIlroy had a two-shot lead at the start of the day but then had a below average round on Sunday before forcing his way on the last six holes before forcing the first Masters playoff in eight years. “There were two shots in there that I will never forget for as long as I live. The first was when he was on number seven and he was in the trees, there was one little gap and he took a massive swing on to a tiny green and it ended up four feet from the hole. And then at the end, after it looked like he was blowing it at 13 and 14, he hit a high, high hook which ended up about six feet from the hole [on the 15th]. And to finish on 18, after making a mess the first time around, he knocked it stone cold,” Player added on BBC Radio 5.
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