Rory McIlroy’s Masters lost moments: Losing action, Bryson’s frustration

Last year, Rory McIlroy took everyone on a dizzying ride around the Augusta National nine when he tried to fulfill his Masters dream and join the Grand Slam career club.

McIlroy’s winning putt and his 7-iron on the 15th green will be replayed as long as the Masters lasts. So did his shocking line on the 13th green which he blocked right and threw into Rae’s Creek, turning the putt into a battle to avoid a fall that was almost impossible to pass.

But while there are a few moments of McIlroy’s winning day that are burned into our memories, there are several events that were washed away during McIlroy’s fall and fight with the wrath of holding the green jacket.

With the Masters coming up next week, we’ve gone back and watched every minute of last year’s final round to catch the moments that were lost as the chaos unfolded that Sunday at Augusta National.

Bryson’s WWE entrance

Bryson DeChambeau finished his third round with a long birdie putt to set up Sunday’s highly anticipated showdown with McIlroy.

McIlroy will start with a two-shot lead over DeChambeau and a four-shot cushion over Corey Conners, who was in third place. Justin Rose, who would be the final hurdle in McIlroy’s quest, started the day at 5 under, seven shots behind McIlroy.

Masters Sunday was billed as a heated boxing match between McIlroy and DeChambeau, with Rory seeking revenge following Bryson’s 2024 US Open win at Pinehurst No. 2.

“It’s going to be the best stage we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it,” DeChambeau said Saturday before his final match with McIlroy. “We both want to win really, really bad. … It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”

McIlory vowed to stay in his “little bubble,” while DeChambeau looked to feed the crowd and embrace the high energy that enveloped Augusta National to begin that Sunday.

As they reached the first two, their separate doors told a story.

First came McIlroy, who briefly acknowledged the fans but kept his eyes on the job at hand, trying to wash away everything but himself, caddy Harry Diamond and the course.

As McIlroy waited on the tee, DeChambeau took his time to sign autographs on the putting green before making his way to the first tee with his arms outstretched to high-five fans on either side.

Rory flips through the documents, much to Bryson’s frustration

Even with eventual rivals Ludvig Åberg and Justin Rose sneaking onto the leaderboard a little past nine, Sunday was supposed to be Rory vs. Bryson.

DeChambeau drew first blood when McIlroy started a shocking match. He hit his first two tee shots into the fairway bunker, missing his yardage each time.

After two holes, McIlroy dropped from two up to one down against DeChambeau. But everything changed on the third hole. DeChambeau chose to lie back in the iron to give himself a full club on the green while McIlroy blasted driver to the front of it. McIlroy got up for birdie while DeChambeau made three bogeys. McIlroy was back in the lead and would pick up two more shots on the fourth hole to go up by three.

Then came the ninth green, where McIlroy and DeChambeau faced par-length birdie putts. After a dispute over who was out, McIlroy went first and holed his birdie putt. DeChambeau missed, putting his Masters hopes on life support and leading to a frustrating layup a few holes later.

After doubling 11 and 12 out of the tournament, DeChambeau hit his drive on 13 and gave commentary to his caddy Greg Bodine.

“I’m playing really bad,” DeChambeau said.

After pulling his second shot left at 13, the conversation continued.

“I’m done drawing it,” DeChambeau said. “I’m trying to hold it, I can’t hold it.

And with that, DeChambeau’s role in the trial was over.

But McIlroy was about to bring others back into the picture.

Ludwig’s missed opportunity

After finishing second in his first Masters appearance in 2024, Ludvig Åberg began his final round of 2025 at 6-under par, six shots behind McIlroy.

He birdied the first and sixth to move to 8 under, but then birdied the seventh hole. He followed that up with a birdie miss on the par-5 8th to stay five back of McIlroy, who was then 13 under. Aberg shot 10 and 13 before bogey at 12. By the time McIlroy doubled the 13th, Åberg had just doubled. When he bogeyed 15 and McIlroy and Rose both bogeyed 14 and 17, respectively, Åberg was tied for the lead standing on the 16th tee.

Åberg made the ho-hum par-3 16th and then hit a laser on the 17th green, giving him a shot at birdie. But Åberg’s Masters opportunities came after that. As McIlroy birdied the 15th to retake the lead, Åberg ran his birdie putt on 17 past the hole and missed a long par to drop two shots back into play.

Needing to bogey 18 to have a chance, the Swede holed out from the fairway bunker and ended up making a triple-bogey to end his tournament. He finished in seventh place, but Ludvig Åberg was a few times down in closing to steal the Masters from McIlroy.

Rose’s gesture

It’s hard to overstate Justin Rose’s performance in the back nine on Sunday. He bogeyed the tenth hole and made six birdies and two bogeys to come home, including a 20-foot birdie putt at the last to send him 11 under and send McIlroy roaring back to 16th.

When Rose’s closing bell fell, he tipped his cap to the crowd, gave a fist pump and looked to the sky in honor of his late father.

Everyone knows how the story ends.

Both McIlroy and Rose hit their shots in the playoff and Rose almost blocked his way, but missed the hole and stopped on the ledge. McIlroy focuses his approach to four feet. When Rose’s putt slips past the hole, McIlroy, who had seen the same putt last week while watching the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, rolls it over and crumples to the ground in celebration.

A kneeling McIlroy is the lasting image from the 2025 Masters, but it’s easy to forget what happened next.

There was Rose, standing behind the green smiling and waiting for a tearful McIlroy. He kissed and gave a message to the new member of the career Grand Slam club.

“I just said, listen, this is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it, a career Grand Slam winner,” Rose said after the loss. “I just said it was great to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously, I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s an important moment in the game of golf.”

Rory McIlroy then made his way to the clubhouse, where he was cheered on by many, including Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose’s wife, Kate.

And with that, Rory McIlroy officially put on the green jacket and put the finishing touches on one of the most unforgettable Sundays in history.

“>