Rory McIlroy Wins Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award Following His Historic Masters Triumph in 2025

Rory McIlroy broke an 11-year major championship drought after winning the 2025 Masters Tournament.

Rory McIlroy Wins Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award Following His Historic Masters Triumph in 2025

Rory McIlroy (Image via X/@NUCLRGOLF)

The awards just keep on coming for Rory McIlroy. On Monday, the Northern Irish golfer was named the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award following his historic triumph at The Masters Tournament in April 2025.

Up until last year, McIlroy had suffered several heartbreaks in this major event. In 2011, a then-21-year-old McIlroy suffered a huge collapse in the final round at the Augusta National. He had a 4-shot lead going into the final round.

However, a triple bogey on the 10th hole and a double bogey on the 12th hole derailed him. He went on to finish with an 8-over par score and missed out on the green jacket.

While he did go on to enjoy success in the other three majors, he kept on coming up short at the Masters. In 2018 and 2022, he finished as the runner-up.

With wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship in 2025, he became one of the favorites to win the Masters. He did not have the best of starts, but bounced back with scores of 66 on Friday and Saturday.

In the final round on Sunday, there were several twists and turns. McIlroy was in the final pairing alongside Bryson DeChambeau. Though he slipped up a bit, he managed to come back once again. On the final hole, he missed a close-range putt, which forced a playoff round with Justin Rose.

He eventually was able to keep his nerves in check and carded a birdie in the playoff round. This saw him capture his maiden Masters Tournament title.

This victory saw McIlroy break an 11-year drought for a major championship. Before this win, his last major success came at the PGA Championship in 2014. He also became the 6th golfer in men’s professional history to win all 4 majors and complete the career grand slam.

This major win and huge comeback to the top of the golfing world saw him earn the World Comeback of the Year award. He edged out Amanda Anisimova (tennis), Egan Bernal (cycling), Yulimar Rojas (athletics), Leah Williamson (soccer), and Simon Yates (cycling) to win this honor.

While McIlroy was not in attendance in Madrid to claim this honor, he had a message for this win. In his address, the World No.2 expressed that completing the career grand slam was “incredibly emotional” for him.

Completing the career Grand Slam was incredibly emotional. It’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time, and it probably means more because of everything that came before it, the near misses, the setbacks, and the questions along the way. That’s a big part of the journey, and I’m grateful that this award recognises that.

Rory McIlroy said

A few days back, McIlroy then did something which had not been done since 2002. He went to win the Masters Tournament again, as he finished 1-stroke ahead of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

Before McIlroy, the last person to do this was Tiger Woods. The American international had gone back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.

The only other players to win the Masters Tournament two years in a row are Sir Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Jack Nicklaus (1965, 1966). So after all the heartbreaks and struggles, McIlroy just went back-to-back and joined a rare company.

Rory McIlroy shared a heartfelt note following his back-to-back Masters Tournament triumph

After chasing the green jacket of the Masters Tournament for so long, Rory McIlroy got his hands on 2 of them within 2 years. Following his 2026 triumph, the golfer shared a heartfelt note on his social media accounts.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via Golf)

In a post on X, he shared a video about his performance during the 2026 Masters. At the halfway stage, the golfer had opened up a 6-shot lead.

However, a 1-over par showing in the third round, along with an impressive push from the chasing pack, saw his lead vanish in thin air. He entered the final round level with Cameron Young at the top of the leaderboard.

Despite hitting the tree on the 18th hole and finding the bunker with his second shot, he kept his composure. His chip shot would find the greens and leave him with 2 putts to win. While he missed the birdie putt, he tapped in from close range to repeat as champion at Augusta National.

In a post on X, the 36-year-old thanked the people who supported him on this journey.

Winning a second Masters is incredibly special and would not have been possible without the people who have supported me along the way.

Rory McIlroy on X

McIlroy, now a 6-time major champion, was not in the field at the RBC Heritage this past week. He was expected to take a break before teeing up at the PGA Championship next month in Pennsylvania.

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