After Rory McIlroy finally won the Masters and completed golf’s career Grand Slam, he received a short but powerful message from someone who knows the moment better than almost anyone: Tiger Woods.
Woods congratulated McIlroy after the victory with five words:
“Welcome to the club, kid.”
A Grand Occassion
McIlroy, 35, joins a small and elite group of players—Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Woods—to win all four major championships in their career.
“Only four of us are living–Gary Player is 90 years old, Jack [Nicklaus] is 85 or 86, then Tiger and myself. So it’s really cool to be a part of,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy had previously won the U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), and The Open (2014), but the green jacket had eluded him—until now. After 17 appearances at the Masters (11 of which he was playing for a Grand Slam), his victory puts to rest one of the biggest narrative arcs in modern golf.
Reflecting on his journey, McIlroy shared his thoughts during an appearance on The Tonight Show:
“You start to think, ‘Is it ever going to be your time? Did I miss it? Have I lost my opportunity?’ And I think there’s a good message in there about never giving up and keep coming back and be strong, be resilient. And that patience paid off.”
Woods and McIlroy Friendship
Woods, who completed his own Grand Slam at the 2000 Open Championship at just 24 years old, has long mentored McIlroy. The two have shared a close friendship on and off the course, and Woods has often praised McIlroy’s game.
“Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special,” Woods said. “Your [Mcllroy] determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!”
McIlroy and Woods are more than just friends and competitors–they’re also business partners. The two golf icons co-founded a technology-infused indoor golf league called Tomorrow’s Golf League.
“The demographic that watches TGL is way different than the demographic that watches regular PGA Tour golf,” McIlroy said. “I mean, the, you know, the audience is skewing way younger, which is a great thing for the game because, you know, the criticism of golf is it’s an old person’s sport.”
According to Front Office Sports, the ratings were “4x better than expected” during TGL’s debut season. There was “an average of 513,000 viewers per match on ESPN platforms.”
A Congratulatory Surprise
Adding to the memorable occasion, McIlroy received congratulatory messages from numerous people in the sports and entertainment industry. But one that was the most surprising? Music legend Sir Elton John.
“I was sort of overwhelmed with the people that reached out…,” McIlroy said. “But the one that got me was Sir Elton John. So I haven’t actually been able to connect with him. His assistant left me a voicemail and said, ‘Sir Elton would love to congratulate you in person, the only problem is, he doesn’t have a cell phone…’”
“We haven’t been able to connect. So, I’d love to reach out. It’s Elton John. It’s so cool.”
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