The Punter's US Masters De-brief: Rory makes history after rollercoaster ride at Augusta

• Read the full story of Rory's Masters win

• All the odds moves as Rory goes odds-on but so nearly stumbles

• Next major is at one of McIlroy's favourite venues

• Read my Volvo China Open preview here

• Read my Corales Puntacana Championship preview here

• Read my RBC Heritage preview here

The world number two, Rory McIlroy, drove down Magnolia Lane last week in search of his first major win in 11 years and his first victory at Augusta.

With two US PGA Championship wins and victories in the 2011 US Open and the Open Championship in 2014 already chalked up, he was also attempting to become just the sixth man ever to win the Grand Slam.

The first five - Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods - had all achieved the feat quite swiftly.

Tiger won all four in the space of three years, completing the set in 2000 at St Andrews by eight strokes, and the longest wait any of the five had endured between winning the third of the four and fourth was three years.

So, history was very much against the 35-year-old Northern Irishman but following victories in the AT&T Pebble Beach and the Players Championship, and with the best players in the world all just slightly off their games, Rory was trading at around 8.615/2 before the off.

The in-play betting story of McIlroy's Masters win

Rory started the week superbly and having raced to four-under-par through 13 holes on Thursday afternoon, he was matched at as low as 3.211/5 as he stood over a six foot birdie putt on 14 to get to -5.

Were we about to witness a serene and impressive procession to the Butler's Cabin on Sunday night?

He won his first major, the 2011 US Open, by an incredible eight strokes so it wasn't totally inconceivable and had the 15^th green not been so rock hard that may well have been how the week panned out.

Storms last year had felled trees and damaged four greens that needed replacing, one of which was the 15^th, and as it was new, it wasn't as receptive as Rory had expected.

His chip from behind the green, rolled into the water, leading to a double-bogey seven, and no doubt completely unnerved, he then made a mess of the 17^th, missing the green from the right side of the fairway, chunking his chip and three-putting the green to card another double.

Rory McIlroy was 4-under (T2) in the middle of the fairway on No. 15.

He ends the day at even par (T26) following two double bogeys in a three-hole stretch. pic.twitter.com/HgiZSWUltZ

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 10, 2025

Day one stumble sees Rory seven behind Rose

Dazed and confused, Rory ended the day on level par and seven behind the leader, Justin Rose.

And to put that into context, Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2005, were the only men to win the US Masters having trailed by seven strokes after round one. No winner had trailed by eight or more.

Trading at around 14/115.00, and with 26 men ahead of him, Rory was firmly behind the eight ball, and he was matched at as high as 26.025/1 after a slow start on Friday morning but back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 turned his day around.

An eagle at 13 and a birdie at 15 followed and he went into the weekend trailing Rose by two and Bryson DeChambeau by one. Back at the front of the market, he was trading at 4.67/2.

Saturday sees Rory go odds-on favourite

Rory started round three faster than anyone had ever began a round at Augusta, with six threes in-a-row, and he was matched at as short as 1.412/5 to finally don the famous Green Jacket but a bumpy patch in the middle of his round, before another fine finish, saw him end the day two in front of DeChambeau, four in front of Corey Connors, and six ahead of the rest.

With his two-shot advantage, Rory was a 1.635/8 chance on Sunday morning but after a rollercoaster ride through days one, two and three, it was about to get even bumpier!

Wild odds swings on Sunday at Augusta

A double-bogey at the first saw the top two tied and after DeChambeau had birdied the par five second and Rory had only parred it, the American hit the front and just 2.1411/10.

Having been the man to edge out Rory at Pinehurst at the US Open in June last year, it looked like DeChambeau was going to be the man to deny him again but two holes later he was trailing by three!

A Rory birdie to a Bryson bogey at the short par four third saw the pair swap places at the top of the leaderboard before the same thing happened at the par three fourth.

Rory rolled his birdie in from nine feet after DeChambeau had missed for par from 12.

Fast forward an hour or so and Rory was matched at just 1.051/20 when he led by four over the resurgent Rose after a birdie at the 10^th.

He caught an incredible break at the 11^th when his second shot stopped inches away from the water, where he went on to record an acceptable bogey five, and it looked a done deal after a par at the par three 12^th and a lay-up at the par five 13^th.

We looked all all set for a stress-free stroll to the house but Rory then hit an unbelievably bad wedge shot from just 86 yards into Rae's Creek and we off again.

Moments after Rory had tapped in for his seven at 13 and his fourth double-bogey of the week, Rose rolled in his fifth birdie in six holes at the par three 16^th and we had a tie at the top.

Ludvig Aberg, who had finished second to Scottie Scheffler 12 months ago on debut, had trailed Rory by six when he'd bogeyed the par three 12^th but all of a sudden, he was just one back and it was very much game on!

Rose led by a stroke when Rory dropped another shot at 14 but the lead didn't last for long as he bogeyed 17 shortly after before Rory hit what looked like being the decisive blow at the par five 15^th. An imperious seven iron for the ages.

"I can't imagine a more important shot he's ever hit." - Jim Nantz

Rory leads by 1 with 3 to play.

pic.twitter.com/XephwaUhRi

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 13, 2025

Rory would miss the eagle putt but after tapping in for his birdie four and having hit a great tee-shot on the par three 16^th to nine feet, surely we could all start to relax but the drama was from over.

A matter of moments before Rory had missed his birdie attempt at 16, Rose had drained a 15 footer for birdie at the 18^th (his tenth of the day!) and the two were tied again!

Having been matched at as low as 3.5551/20, Aberg finished poorly with a bogey at 17 and a double at 18 and it looked highly likely that Rose was going to fall short when Rory hit yet another mind-blowing approach on the tough par four 17^th.

Coming up clutch when it matters

Rory taps in for birdie and is one shot ahead with one to play.#themasters pic.twitter.com/piTtoYfDfj

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 13, 2025

Back in front with one hole to play, Rory hit a magnificent drive and the 1.21/5 he was trading at didn't look too short but yet again he hit a deplorable wedge shot, this time into the greenside bunker.

To his credit, he hit a decent shot from the sand to around five feet but with so much on the line, his par save drifted left of the cup and we were into extra time. 

Rory denies Rose in playoff

Both men hit fine drives up the 18^th fairway and having been matched at as high as 400.0399/1 in-running, Rose hit even money when he hit his approach into around 15 feet but Rory wasn't going to be denied.

From somewhere, he pulled out yet another incredible approach shot and after Rosey's birdie attempt had refused to turn into the cup, Rory stepped up to finally finish it off.

McIlroy's moment. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ii5NCjvLmA

-- The Masters (@TheMasters) April 13, 2025

Four days after seemingly losing the tournament at 15 and 17, Rory had produced two of the best shots in the history of the game at those very same holes and we'd all been treated to what may go down as the best ever finish to a major.

It's going to take some time for everything to sink in but it might not be long before Rory wins another major.

Next major is at one of Rory's favourite courses

Next months US PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow, the venue at which Rory won his first PGA Tour title in 2010.

He's subsequently won there three more times, including by four strokes last year, and having followed his fourth major with his fifth a month later in 2014, he's been well-supported to win his seventh soon after his sixth and he still looks a fair price at above 5/16.00.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

Now read more golf previews and tips here