x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Tiger Woods gives Rory McIlroy heartfelt message after Masters win
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
News

Tiger Woods gives Rory McIlroy heartfelt message after Masters win

By: Josh Schrock
April 13, 2025
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Rory McIlroy poses with the Masters trophy after winning the 2025 Masters.

Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph earned him a heartfelt message from Tiger Woods.

Getty Images

Rory McIlroy had been dreaming about what unfolded Sunday at the Masters for as long as he can remember.

Navigating a turbulent final round at Augusta National — which included two double bogeys — to beat Justin Rose on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff likely wasn’t what danced in McIlroy’s head from the age of 8 until Saturday night.

But the end result, a green jacket draped over his shoulders, is an image he has long pictured, ever since he watched his boyhood idol, Tiger Woods, capture his first Masters title in historic fashion.

“Look, it’s a dream come true,” McIlroy said Sunday after winning the 2025 Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. “I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember. I mentioned it out in the prize ceremony, but watching Tiger here in 1997 do what he did, and then winning his first green jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did.

“You know, there were points in my career where I didn’t know if I would have this nice garment over my shoulders, but I didn’t make it easy today. I certainly didn’t make it easy. I was nervous. It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on the golf course.”

When McIlroy’s four-foot birdie putt dropped on the first playoff hole, he became just the sixth golfer in history to win the career Grand Slam. Only McIlroy and Woods have achieved the feat since Jack Nicklaus won the 1966 Open Championship.

Woods wasn’t at Augusta National this week as he continues to recover from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, but he congratulated McIlroy for his momentous achievement on X.

Welcome to the club @McIlroyRory. Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 14, 2025

On Tuesday, before the tournament started, McIlroy talked about being patient, resilient and willing to have his heart broken to achieve his dreams.

“I think it’s a self-preservation mechanism,” McIlroy said. “It’s just more of a thing where you’re trying to not put 100 percent of yourself out there because of that. It happens in all walks of life. At a certain point in someone’s life, someone doesn’t want to fall in love because they don’t want to get their heart broken. People, I think, instinctually as human beings, we hold back sometimes because of the fear of getting hurt, whether that’s a conscious decision or subconscious decision, and I think I was doing that on the golf course a little bit for a few years.

“But I think once you go through that, once you go through those heartbreaks, as I call them, or disappointments, you get to a place where you remember how it feels and you wake up the next day and you’re like, yeah, life goes on, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And I think it’s going through those times, especially in recent memory, where the last few years I’ve had chances to win some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, and it hasn’t quite happened. But life moves on. You dust yourself off and you go again.”

McIlroy stumbled multiple times during the last four days but refused to crumple.

He made two double bogeys during Thursday’s fist round but responded with back-to-back 66s on Friday and Saturday to take a two-shot lead into Friday.

News
Justin Rose congratulates Rory McIlroy after the 2025 Masters.
Justin Rose’s message to Rory McIlroy after epic 2025 Masters spoke volumes about both players
By: Josh Schrock

He opened with a double bogey on the first Sunday and lost the lead to Bryson DeChambeau on the second hole. He regained the lead on the third and held it until he made another catastrophic double bogey at the par-5 13th. McIroy dusted himself off again and made birdies at 15 and 17 to retake the lead by one over Rose. He needed par at No. 18 to win in regulation, but he missed his par putt to the left and wound up facing Rose in a sudden-death playoff.

Any one of those moments could have broken McIlroy. They have in the past. But his determination, as Woods pointed out, kept him in the fight and ultimately delivered him a prize he had coveted for his entire life.

“Look, you have to be the eternal optimist in this game,” McIlroy said. “You know, I’ve been saying it until I’m blue in the face. I truly believe I’m a better player now than I was 10 years ago. It’s so hard to stay patient. It’s so hard to keep coming back every year and trying your best and not being able to get it done.

“There was points on the back nine today, I thought, you know, have I let this slip again? But you know, again, I responded with some clutch shots when I needed to, and really proud of myself for that. It’s been an emotionally draining week for a lot of reasons, a lot of just roller coaster rounds and late finishes. And so just, you know, absolutely thrilled to be sitting here at the end of the week as the last man standing.”

He was last man standing at Augusta National and now has a place in a pantheon of golfing greats that only includes six names: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Rory McIlroy.

Latest In News

41 minutes ago

In 6 silent minutes, CBS delivered a Masters broadcast masterpiece

56 minutes ago

Zurich Classic Subpar picks: 2 teams to watch in New Orleans

3 hours ago

A year ago, she was panicked. Now, Lilia Vu is major threat again

7 hours ago

USGA, Oakmont investing $1 million into public golf, communities

Josh Schrock

Golf.com Editor

Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it).

Related Articles

News
rory mcilroy hugs daughter poppy off the 18th green at augusta national

In 6 silent minutes, CBS delivered a Masters broadcast masterpiece

By: James Colgan
Balls
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry with their golf balls.

What golf ball will teams use at the Zurich? The defending champs have a loophole

By: Jack Hirsh
News
Nick Faldo shakes hands with Bryson DeChambeau prior to the 2019 Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush.

'It's bulls--t': Nick Faldo defends Bryson DeChambeau criticism

By: Kevin Cunningham
Food
Rory McIlroy eating a protein bar during final round of 2025 Masters

This protein bar helped fuel Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters win

By: Maddi MacClurg
News
Justin Thomas and fill-in caddie Joe Greiner post-win.

Dahmen's heartbreak, JT's surprising advice, caddie intrigue | Monday Finish

By: Dylan Dethier
Putting
PGA Tour pro Justin Rose lines up putt on No. 6 at the Masters

Make more putts using this tour-trusted alignment hack

By: Maddi MacClurg
News
Rory McIlroy

Tour Confidential: Where does Rory McIlroy's Masters win rank among the best ever?

By: Zephyr Melton , Josh Schrock , Nick Piastowski
News
Justin Thomas celebrates his winning putt at the RBC Heritage.

Justin Thomas' winless drought wasn't easy. Neither was finally ending it

By: Josh Schrock
News
Zach Johnson

‘Walked out of there not very comfortable’: Masters Dinner wowed 1 winner

By: Nick Piastowski
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version