‘Now you're a part of history’: From Tiger Woods to Gary Player, Golf legends celebrate Rory McIlroy’s Masters win and historic Grand Slam

Rory McIlroy joins elite company after edging Justin Rose in a dramatic playoff cementing his place in golf history on Sunday with a long-awaited Masters victory, surviving a thrilling final round and a sudden-death playoff to become just the sixth player ever to complete the career Grand Slam.
With the win at Augusta National, McIlroy now owns titles at all four major championships:
The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open Championship. This elusive green jacket had evaded him for over a decade, with his last major coming at The Open in 2014.
In the immediate aftermath of his triumph, some of the sport’s biggest names and fellow Grand Slam winners reached out to congratulate him, including Tiger Woods, who was absent from this year’s tournament due to an Achilles injury last month that reportedly has him unable to walk properly yet.
"Welcome to the club," Woods said in a social media post. "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!"

Gary Player, another Grand Slam legend, shared an emotional message celebrating McIlroy’s achievement

"This is one of the rarest and most difficult achievements in all of sport, something only now six golfers in history have ever accomplished," Player wrote. "We are proud to add Rory to our exclusive club and no doubt he has set the standard for his era... Rory showed true grit today and also through the entire tournament."
"It was 11 years ago when Rory first started the final leg of his career Grand Slam journey," Player continued. "And throughout this time, he’s carried himself with class, led with principle, and played with passion. For him to finally don the Green Jacket in golf is a moment to be celebrated by fans around the world."
Others chimed in as well. 2024 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler handed McIlroy the green jacket and later offered his congratulations ,not without a bit of friendly banter.
"The green looks good on you bud, only took you 11 years to try it on," Scheffler joked in a post about how long it took.. "Jokes aside, proud of you."

Despite coming up short in the playoff, Justin Rose showed nothing but respect and grace in his message to McIlroy.
"Very cool sharing the green with you in that moment," Rose posted, while also thanking his team and noting he "gave it everything."
McIlroy’s win didn’t come easily. Over the course of the tournament, the 35-year-old endured four double-bogeys including two on Sunday which erased a commanding seven-shot lead and opened the door for Rose to force extra holes.
But in the playoff, McIlroy found his composure once again, sinking a birdie putt to seal the victory and his place in history.
He received his green jacket from Scheffler and the admiration of the golf world, completing a quest 11 years in the making.
Alongside McIlroy, the only other players to achieve the career Grand Slam are Tiger Woods (2000), Gary Player (1965), Jack Nicklaus (1966), Ben Hogan (1953), and Gene Sarazen (1935). Of those six, only Woods and McIlroy have accomplished the feat in the last half-century.