Rory finally released from the weight of history

Studying in school rarely, if ever, grabs the imagination, but one line from our Leaving Cert English course always stood out to me.

Derek Mahon's 'Antarctica' was part of the collection of poems we covered and in it, there's a standout line. Reacting to the decision of a captain who decided to give of his own life to help his comrades survive out in the ice and snow, Mahon used the line 'at the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime' to describe such a selfless gesture. It's a line that, in a different way, neatly captures the drama we witnessed at Augusta National on Sunday night. At the heart of such a dramatic, topsy turvy day, Rory McIlroy's class finally won out.

Has there ever been sporting theatre like it?

Rory McIlroy’s triumph at The Masters is a colossal achievement, one which completes the career Grand Slam. Yet, aside from all of that, it was a display of sporting resilience that has rarely, if ever, been matched. Not only had he to wait eleven years to win a Green Jacket and complete the set of four majors – and so join just five other players in winning all of the game’s major championships – he also had to, in that time, endure some horrendous disappointments.

In 2011, a young McIlroy collapsed on the back nine at Augusta and the manner of that performance appeared to have a lasting impact. You'd understand if every single time he drives down Magnolia Lane, those memories suddenly flood back into his consciousness.

Beyond the Masters, McIlroy has also had to endure close calls on several occasions. He probably should have won The Open at St Andrews in 2022; he was in charge of the championship on the final day, but his cautious approach allowed Cameron Smith nip in to win the Claret Jug.

The same caution was evident at the US Open in 2023, where McIlroy missed out by a shot, while the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst was the worst of the lot: two missed three footers in the final three holes saw Bryson DeChambeau claim the title at McIlroy’s expense. It was an excruciating way to lose – and it was beginning to look like it may never happen again for the affable county Down native.

Players lose form – even the best – but McIlroy’s powerful haul of four majors in four seasons between 2011 and 2014 suggested he was capable of challenging Tiger Woods’ collection of fourteen (which later became fifteen) or even Jack Nicklaus’ record of eighteen. Blessed with incredible talent and still exceptionally young, McIlroy was the next big thing. Yet, he has done everything but add to that major tally in the interim.

He tried everything. And plenty of it worked in other tournaments but, when it came to the big four each and every year, nothing seemed to crack the code. This time around, though, there was a freedom about McIlroy.

Over the last decade, there is no way McIlroy would have bounced back from the two double bogeys that turned his first round into such a disappointing round of level par 72. More to the point, the golf he produced after such a shaky start on Sunday was the best of his career.

His pitch to the 13th was one of the worst shots of his life, but his ability to bounce back from that was truly remarkable. His approaches to 15 and 17 epitomised that and, even when he missed a putt to win on the 18th, he wasn’t fazed and hit three close-to-perfect shots in the play-off. The enormous pressure he was under came to the boil once he holed that winning putt and his journey to the game's summit was finally complete.

No one but he can understand the weight of emotion on his shoulders over all these years – and that makes his achievement all the more impressive.

There’s little doubt that the influence of Bob Rotella has been significant in McIlroy’s return to the winners enclosure at a major championship. The world-renowned sports psychologist has clearly helped release McIlroy from some of the baggage he has been carrying over the years, and this success may just provide the spark for a successful second-half of his career.

There has always been a lens on McIlroy since his he burst onto the scene as a teenager and, over all that time, he is someone who has always been searingly honest. He has never tried to shy away from his shortcomings, especially over the course of the last decade when his major drought, stretching back to 2014, was starting to become barely believable. A player with his talent, at the peak of his career, should not be going that long without winning one of the big ones. To bring it to an end in such dramatic fashion at the most iconic venue in the world is fitting for a career that has always promised greatness.

On a wider point, McIlroy is someone who has taken his fair share of flak over the years but this success is something for us, as Irish sports fans, to savour. This is someone who played at the West of Ireland at Rosses Point once upon a time, winning the tournament twice in the noughties. He has represented Ireland at amateur level and, in recent years, at the Olympic Games. And now, he’s the first Masters winner from the island of Ireland, only the sixth ever player to complete the career Grand Slam. He is now guaranteed to be part of golfing history alongside icons like Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Nicklaus and Woods. His status in the game will never be questioned – he is one of the greatest. And he's from these shores. That truly is something to celebrate.

At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.