By Daniel Noble
McIlroy became just the sixth player in history to complete the grand slam last year, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in adding the green jacket to his PGA Championship, US Open and The Open victories.
He could now become a member of another exclusive club, as he aims to follow in the footsteps of Nickalus, Woods and Nick Faldo and win consecutive Masters titles.
Nicklaus achieved the feat way back in 1966, followed by Faldo in 1990, with Woods the most recent back-to-back winner in 2001 and 2002.
Entering the tournament as world number two, behind American Scottie Scheffler, if success is to come McIlroy’s way once more, he will hope it happens in smoother fashion than last year.
Throughout the final round, the 36-year-old let both a two-shot and a four-shot lead slip from his grasp, and it looked like being a repeat of his 2011 Masters heartbreak, when he let a gap of four escape him and conceded victory to South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.
With a clutch performance on holes 16 and 17, a pair of mind-bending shots saw him produce two birdies and take a one-shot lead with one hole to play.
That was not quite enough for Northern Ireland’s finest however, as a wayward shot, into the bunker and a missed five-foot putt forced him into a playoff with Justin Rose.
Staring another grand collapse in the face, McIlroy came up trumps with some of his best golf of the week, planting a wedge shot within three feet of the hole.
Rose missed a putt from 15 feet and with glory his to lose, Holywood’s favourite son cleaned up, dropping to his knees and sobbing with the relief of putting past demons behind him and reaching the upper echelons of a sport he has dedicated his life to.
Chasing back-to-back success at Augusta, perhaps golf’s most famous course, the reigning champion can now play with the freedom of having already won ‘the big one’.
“I know I can do it now, so that should make it easier for me to go out and play the game I want to play,” he said.
“I climbed my Everest last April and after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down and look for another mountain to climb.
He added: “The nice thing now is, instead of people saying ‘Come on Rory, you can do it’, it’s about back-to-back. There’s a real positive connotation.
“It is so nice to walk around the property, or be out on the golf course, and not have that hanging over me. It’s a big weight off my shoulders.”
Receiving golf’s most coveted prize from 2024 champion Scheffler, the green jacket looked like it was made for McIlroy, just waiting for the day when it would be placed upon his back, and he can now serve as inspiration for fellow Holywood Golf Club alumni McKibbin.
One of just eight dual LIV Golf and DP World Tour players, McKibbin earned a spot at the Masters when he won the Link Hong Kong Open back in November.
The 23-year-old has long dreamt of playing in the sport’s most prestigious competition and admits making his debut in the same year McIlroy defends his title makes it all the more special.
“These are the moments you dream. The fact Rory’s defending and having the champions dinner makes it a really unique year,” he explained.
“I’ve watched the Masters on TV for 15 or so years and to finally get to play and experience it is going to be something that’s really special.
“It’s the first tournament that comes to mind when I think of golf and to be a part of that is going to be great.”
The Masters begins at 12.40pm today, with the pairing of John Keefer and Haotong Li getting the action underway.
All eyes will turn to the start of McIlroy’s much-anticipated defence at 3.31pm, before McKibbin takes to the tee at 4.15pm.
