Can Rory find happiness after Mastering the ultimate golf comeback?

IN THE end, it was a gentle putt that finally won him a Green Jacket after years of trying. Mcllroy's Masters Moment, as it's been dubbed, came at the end of a nail-biting four-day competition and sudden death play-off in which the Northern Irishman defeated England's Justin Rose.

- Josh White

Besides the joy, there was another emotion etched across Rory McIlroy's face as he fell to his knees, sobbing into the green: the lifting of years of crushing pressure, repeated spells of underachievement, and the final vanquishing of the chorus of naysayers who predicted he would never complete the Grand Slam.

Welcomed into the firmament of true golfing greats, world leaders were off the mark quickly to hail a man whose refusal to give up must now surely define his legacy as much as his other tournament wins. King Charles, Sir Keir, President Trump and the Taoiseach were just a few of those queuing up to hail McIlroy's superb victory - and yes, he is probably in line for a knighthood, too, joining fellow great Sir Nick Faldo.

Not only that, but his wife and daughter were there to take it all in and savour the occasion. Poppy, four, sank an "incredible" putt during the pre-competition fun in an omen of things to come.

How far the County Down man must have felt he had travelled: from a wonder kid who showed off his skills by chipping balls into a washing machine, to a young pro with the world at his feet... followed by years of frustration and personal travails, then becoming just the sixth golfer in history to complete a career grand slam.

Mad celebrations in his hometown at the Holywood Golf Club also followed, but even the club's lady captain Ruth Watt gave voice to what many other fans had feared.

"We thought he had thrown it away", she told the BBC about his last-minute jitters, "but it was an unbelievable finish".

Back in 2020, McIlroy sounded like someone ready to walk away from the game entirely, confessing he was "going through the motions" as his years-long slump worsened. "I want to get an intensity and some sort of fire, but I just haven't been able to," he said glumly.