Augusta, Ga. — A sweaty body and long lens camera blend was deadlocked in the upper left corner of Augusta National's No. 15 grandstand as Lori McIlroy's 7-foot Eagle Putt under the cup slipped. At that point on the day, Phoneless Masters Tournament Patrons was unfamiliar with thousands of simultaneous moans. However, listening to them and participating in them repeatedly did not make it easy.
A green jacket rose from his plastic bleaching seat and frenzied.
“I can't take any more,” the gentleman replied. He lined up bees towards a steep downward staircase, his sons approaching the back, groping for buttons on the court that only selected groups can sport on this property.
Until that really happened, the end of McIlroy's career Grand Slam pursuit and the drought of his 11-year major championship drought felt like if he took the most nauseating roller coaster on the planet and increased its speed by 10 times. Or, I thrust into the blender and turned it into the best setting and rocked the table.
Opening double bogey, waterball to Ray's Creek with a wedge in hand, and the first sudden death playoff at the Masters since 2017 – McIlroy gave Augusta National a show it didn't want. The on-site patrons are not yet sure if that is what they would have signed up for. Sunday had a ticket-type heart attack.
“My battle today was against myself. It wasn't like the others,” McIlroy said on Sunday evening, with 38 regular green jackets hanging over his shoulders. “You know, in the end, it was with Justin (Rose), but my battle today remained in my heart and present.
“I want to say I did a better job than I did. It was a struggle, but I got it on the line.”
It could have been internal propaganda for McIlroy, but everything at Augusta National felt it with him. They leaned against the whimsical drive and usd to get a glimpse of their gravitational escape route, hoped each time the putter's face came into contact with the golf ball. This is just lolly.
Rotation by spinning, they held their breath.
Secondly, the final roaring only means one thing: sweet, sweet relief.
In the 1975 Masters For Sports Illustrated file, the great Dangenkins wrote: It was a master of 50. That's still true.
This 89th Master nine started with the appearance of something you could never trust in that place: comfort. It's almost always a mi-pirae.
14 years ago, as the 21-year-old who crushed McIlroy's Masters Dreams 14 years ago. On Sunday morning, McIlroy opened his locker and opened a note from 2009 champion Angel Cabrera.
The patrons surrounded Rory McIlroy all day. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Drive No. 10 was without the devil. A birdie putt that follows to take a 4-shot lead? Electricity. The patrons surrounded the depths of the 10th green and the 11th fairway 30, peering into the branches of the tree, shuffling aimlessly to find a gap where they could see something. Anything. The Amen Corner was hiding. The rug was about torn from beneath the Northern Irish, as they all knew.
It all happened blurry. No. 11 bogey – a number that could be much larger. Parr at No. 12. 3 wood from the tee on No. 13, McIlroy plays safely with a 4-shot lead.
The closer parts of the patron's property are not as close as the Amen Corner. Tens of thousands of people pushed them together and saw McIlroy's ball fly into the air once and twice. He stood with a wedge in his 82 yards. If he was going to ruin this all, it wouldn't have been here that everything in Georgia was on the green left. right?
McIlroy's ball rolled into the stream. He bent his spine in half and threw his hands to his knees. At that point on the day, there were many successful customer responses. Here, in the final chapter of Amen Corner, gasp returns. They didn't stop.
First, McIlroy's Red 13 came out of a nearby manual leaderboard and was replaced by a calm 11. He paused and waited for more moments before heading for the 14th tee. Rose suddenly switched 10 to 11.
Nectis Score.
The Masters Champion never won the Green Jacket with four double bogeys. Is that the history that McIlroy was planning to make?
Every time it seemed as if McIlroy had abandoned the golf tournament forever, he bouncing it off in a shot, in a moment, or even in the opposite stage. He appeared to be in cruise control until the emergency brake hit. The fist of the guest in the air was tied to the tanned face buried in his hands. Newer red numbers have been roaring. McIlroy threw another dart. Birdie Perbydi. victory? no. Close the bogie. It was there. It all comes down to this. A sudden death playoff with Ryder Cup teammate Rose.
McIlroy's caddy and best friend Harry Diamond saw his player as he headed for the golf cart, which would return the pair to the No. 18 tee box again.
“Well, Pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning,” he said.
The public audience in Augusta disagreed. The anguish was unbearable and the boundaries were exhausted, but he was also the best master of modern times. Either way, it had to be finished. McIlroy had to put himself and everyone else out of their misery.
Walk through the white and gold doors of Augusta National Clubhouse, climb winding stairs, and through the quaint yet decadent dining room, and you'll find yourself on the porch. A huge oak tree, an iconic row of green and white umbrellas, and in the distance, fully crane your neck and overlook Green No. 18.
But today, that view was clouded by the sea of ​​uneasy bodies. On the ground, some people suggested starting a “phone” game and telling them to play on the green.
The porch can rotate 180 degrees and faces a row of white windows. They lead to a 35-inch TV. This is the only modern technology with a 100 yard radius. A strange combination of green jacket wearers, off-air broadcasters and confused writers gathered to watch the playoffs. Patrick Reed was soaked to order an azalea cocktail. The next USGA president has appeared. Everyone was so nervous that they couldn't speak. No one did it.
This force cannot withstand the tape. All of Augusta National felt the release of McIlroy's energy after that 4-foot birdie putt fell. And he felt it – his appearance – falling on his lap, convulsing with sobs – too.
One of the most confusing final rounds in recent memory ended with pure emotion. This is a suitable release for the sixth man to complete a career grand slam, and McIlroy wondered if he would run away.
“It was all reassuring. There was not much joy in the reaction. It was all reassuring,” McIlroy laughed after the round. “And you know, joy came soon afterwards. But it's – I've been here for 17 years and it's been more than a decade of emotion that came out of it.”
We know, Rory. We know.
(Top photo: Harry Howie / Getty Images)
