Corey Conners was full of praise for Rory McIlroy’s stunning performance at Augusta, as the 2025 Masters winner put on a show during the third round. The pair headed into Saturday’s round at six-under-par, as Conners witnessed McIlroy’s incredible start putting for birdie, eagle, birdie on his first three holes.
McIlroy’s remarkable day ended with him sitting pretty at 12-under-par, a stone’s throw away from potentially securing his first-ever Green Jacket in Sunday’s finale. Conners, who had the privilege of accompanying McIlroy throughout the day, was awestruck by the display. Reflecting on the experience, he commended the Northern Irish golfer, saying: “Yeah, it was pretty electric.
“It was pretty amazing playing with Rory on Saturday and a lot of energy was spent on our group. I did a good job of staying patient. He was five-under through five.
“On the sixth tee I was telling myself I’m going to get my opportunities and try and capitalize on them, and was able to make a few birdies around the turn. But the atmosphere was crazy.
“It was a little more comfortable for me playing with Rory on Saturday and kind of having the energy on our group and sort of tried to feed off of that a little bit. Sunday was a little bit different. All the energy was kind of right behind us and a little more distracting, I would say.
“Yeah, it was pretty amazing to watch as a golf fan. Rory is an amazing player. Getting off to that start Saturday was pretty cool to be a part of.”
McIlroy was paired with LIV Golf notable Bryson DeChambeau for Sunday’s gripping final round; and despite faltering early, DeChambeau was resilient in his challenge against the 35-year-old. And while McIlroy was ultimately able to get the job done, his journey to his first Masters title wasn’t without its struggles.
His victory was threatened after missteps led to bogeys on holes 11 and 14, along with a costly double bogey on the 13th, allowing Justin Rose to claw back into contention. With tension peaking, McIlroy required a calm par putt on the 18th to clinch victory, but instead faced the stress of a playoff after notching another bogey.
In a tense 18th hole replay, both McIlroy and Rose reached the green in two strokes. McIlroy, impressively close to the flag, had a clear advantage, while Rose’s birdie attempt from 15 feet frustratingly skewed right.
Cool and composed, McIlroy stepped up to secure his victory with a three-foot birdie, dropping to his knees in a raw display of emotion for a triumph that had been 17 years in the making. With the win, McIlroy finally achieved a career Grand Slam, adding the highly coveted Green Jacket to his collection of US Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship titles.
In doing so, he joined an exclusive club consisting only of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. And while Conners will be straight back to it this weekend at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town on the PGA Tour, McIlroy has announced that he will not be in contention, instead taking a well-earned break after a whirlwind start to 2025.
