Watch: Rory McIlroy in TEARS as he completes career grand slam at 2025 Masters

Rory McIlroy was reduced to tears after he triumphed in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose to win his first Masters title and achieve the career grand slam. 

McIlroy, 35, began final round at Augusta National on Sunday with a two-stroke advantage over his U.S. Open nemesis Bryson DeChambeau. 

The Northern Irishman got off to the worst possible start by making a double bogey right out of the gate. 

But he soon settled his nerves with birdies at the third and fourth to regain his advantage. 

It looked as though McIlroy was going to canter to victory as DeChambeau faltered and he added two more birdies to his card at the ninth and 10th holes. 

But McIlroy came unstuck in the most dramatic way possible with sloppy errors on the 11th and 13th. 

He pushed his tee shot right at the 11th and was fortunate to avoid the water with his second and trudged off the hole with a bogey. 

At the iconic par-5 13th, McIlroy played cautiously by laying up but inexplicably managed to find the water with his third from 78 yards. 

It led to a devastating double bogey and allowed the aforementioned Rose, Ludvig Aberg and former champions Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Reed straight back into contention after his four-shot advantage evaporated. 

DeChambeau - who eventually finished in a tie for fifth - started well with an early birdie at the par-5 second but never recovered from back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth. 

Any hopes of DeChambeau clinching his maiden Masters evaporated when he made a double at the 11th after finding the water with his second. 

Aberg, who contended here 12 months ago, had a glorious chance to join Rose on 11-under but played his final two holes in four-over par. 

McIlroy made a clutch birdie at the par-4 17th moments after Rose put a circle on his scorecard at the 18th to post the target. 

The Ulsterman found the fairway with his tee shot but somehow found the bunker with his second. 

He had a putt to win in regulation but pulled his six-foot putt left to force extra holes. 

McIlroy and Rose both found the fairway at the first playoff hole but it was the 35-year-old who was closer with the approach. 

Rose studied his 18-footer down the hill but it his effort burned the edge. McIlroy wasted no time in rolling in his three-footer to win the 2025 Masters and achieve the career grand slam. 

He is now the sixth golfer in history - and first European - to clinch the slam, joining Americans Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods and South Africa's Gary Player.

"I started to wonder if it would ever be my time," McIlroy said in the immediate aftermath of victory. "I'm sort of wondering what we're going to be talking about heading into next year's Masters." 

Before he was presented with the green jacket, McIlroy said: "I would say it was 14 years in the making.

"Going out with a four-shot lead in 2011 and feeling like I could have got it done there.

"A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it."

He added: "I want to say hello to mum and dad back in Northern Ireland. I can't wait to see them next week and can't wait to celebrate with them."

For Rose, this is his second gut-wrenching Masters defeat. He lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017.