Rory Gives Us A Lesson In Perseverance

On a day where Rory McIlroy could make his way into the history books, there were many moments where it seemed he would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

It started immediately when he double bogeyed on the first hole of the day and his two shot lead evaporated.

He was then able to regain the lead and during the rest of the front 9 it seemed almost inevitable that he would go on to win.

At one point Rory held a six stroke lead, but one could tell the weight he was carrying with each shot that he took.

McIlroy bogeyed on the 11th hole and then two holes later he inexplicably hit the ball in the water after laying up which lead to a double bogey.

At this point, his lead had shrank to one and everyone began to wonder if Rory of old would come out yet again to lose another chance at a Master’s win.

Over the next several holes, Rory made several good shots. On the 18th hole, all he had to do was make a par to win the tournament.

Of course, he missed the putt after hitting it into the bunker a few shots earlier which sent him and his friend Justin Rose into a playoff.

Rose’s second shot on the 19th hole was really good, landing for a birdie opportunity. Rory’s second shot was even better, landing a few feet from the hole.

When Rose missed the birdie putt, all McIlroy had to do was take it home. As the ball went in, Rory collapsed to the green, releasing years of pent up emotion.

This wasn’t just a tournament win at the Masters. This was the completion of a quest that had been ten to fifteen years in the making.

McIlroy even admitted that he had started to wonder if he would ever be able to win the Masters. He had come so close so many times.

Through the ups and downs on Sunday, Rory was able to fight through it all to make his way to history.

With this win, McIlroy is the sixth golfer to ever complete the career grand slam and the first to do so since Tiger Woods in 2000.

This was more than a good golf story, this is a great life story. It shows what you can accomplish if you never give up. What a win for Rory - and golf in general.