Rory McIlroy transformed from a struggling four-time major winner to a legendary golfer by winning the Masters for the second consecutive year. His victory came after overcoming significant personal challenges and doubts.
From letdown to legend. Rory McIlroy only needed 12 months to make the leap.
It goes to show how razor thin the margin between the two actually is.
Ahead of the 2025 Masters, McIlroy was the snakebitten four-time major winner who couldn't seem to get out of his own way to complete the career grand slam. One year later, we might as well name Amen Corner to McIlroy Way after he birdied 12 and 13 to gain enough distance on the field to win the Masters a second straight year.
SLEEPY SEQUEL: Jim Nantz's call of McIlroy's win fell flat
But damn if McIlroy didn't try his hardest to choke that history away... both times.
Last year, he bogeyed the par-4 18th to fall into a tie and playoff with Justin Rose, where he eventually prevailed. This year, he did it again. Only avoiding a playoff because Scottie Scheffler's putt for birdie on 17 came up this short:
That's how close we were to an epic playoff between McIlroy and Scheffler. And after Scheffler became the first player since 1942 to play a bogey-free weekend at the Masters, I'm not sure McIlroy would've survived this time.
Give the champ credit, though. He didn't need to survive a playoff because he did enough through 72 -- against his worst impulses. He established that historic six-stroke lead through 36, which gave him the cushion for a third-round implosion. And a -2 through the first 17 holes Sunday gave him just enough cushion to survive that tee shank on No. 18 and become the fourth golfer ever to win the Masters in back-to-back years.
PHOTO FINISH: 8 pics of McIlroy celebrating with family
Now, he's forever a made man... at 36 years old, with a lot more time to add to his legacy. Even with a few more choke jobs scattered in.
Sergio Garcia threw a big tantrum.
Sergio Garcia lost his cool Sunday, tearing up a tee box and breaking the head off his driver by hitting it on a water cooler after a disappointing shot at No. 2.
The ugly tantrum has people like ESPN's Mike Greenberg calling for Augusta to pull the 2017 champion's lifetime exemption. However, as FTW's Charles Curtis points out, that type of ban for Garcia would be a slippery slope, as several other past Masters champions have done worse.
With an anti-climatic end to the NBA regular season Sunday, where $2.5 billion in combined salary sat out games, the play-in tournament field is set. The action gets underway with the seventh-place games on Tuesday and Wednesday and the eighth-place games on Friday.
Thankfully, the end of the season also means an end to those ugly tank jobs. Here's a look at lottery odds for the draft.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Rory McIlroy became a legend against his worst impulses
Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second consecutive year, solidifying his status as a legendary golfer.
In just one year, McIlroy went from struggling to complete the career grand slam to winning the Masters again, showcasing significant improvement.
Before his victory, McIlroy dealt with personal doubts and a history of near misses in major tournaments.
Amen Corner refers to the iconic holes 11, 12, and 13 at Augusta National, where McIlroy birdied to secure his win at the Masters.
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