Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off against Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
Image: McIlroy after winning the Masters. Pic: AP
Image: McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
Image: Overcome with emotion, McIlroy drops to his knees after beating Justin Rose in the sudden-death play-off. Pic: AP
‘So hard to stay patient’
Speaking at a press conference after his victory, McIlroy said: “You have to be the eternal optimist in this game.
“I have been saying it until I am blue in the face but I truly believe I am a better player now than 10 year ago.
“It is so hard to stay patient, keep coming back and not being able to get it done.
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“There were points on the back nine where I thought, ‘have I let this slip again?’ but I responded and am really proud of myself.
“It has been an emotional week so I am thrilled to be last man standing.”
Image: McIlroy holds the Masters trophy. Pic: AP
Image: Rory McIlroy after winning the play-off against Justin Rose. Pic: AP
Just before slipping on a coveted green jacket during the presentation ceremony, the Northern Irishman said: “It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic playoff between the two.
Image: Rory McIlroy holds the trophy while embracing his caddie Harry Diamond. Pic: Reuters
Image: McIlroy shakes hands with England’s Justin Rose after winning the Masters. Pic: AP
Image: Pic: Reuters
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam – Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won the Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy clinch victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world number two bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a playoff.
Image: Members of McIlroy’s Holywood Golf Club in County Down, Belfast, watch on as he competes in the Masters. Pic: PA
The players returned to the 18th for the playoff, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for the win.
After the winning putt dropped, McIlroy raised his arms towards the sky and let his putter fall behind him as he dropped to his knees overcome with emotion.
He then embraced his wife Erica and daughter Poppy as chants of “Rory! Rory!” rang out around the green.
Image: Members of Rory McIlroy’s Holywood Golf Club in County Down, Belfast, watch him play during the Masters. Pic: PA
‘Great athletes under tremendous pressure’
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said the country should have “the biggest party possible” to welcome home McIlroy.
Ms O’Neill added that people are “bursting with pride” at his achievement and it should be celebrated “in the best possible style”.
It came as Northern Ireland’s sports minister, Gordon Lyons, said he is looking forward to “formally marking” McIlroy’s success in the coming weeks.
Ms O’Neill had earlier praised McIlroy for “making history as the first ever from our island to win the prestigious Green Jacket!
“A phenomenal achievement that completes a career Grand Slam, placing him amongst the greatest ever golf players.
“This is a huge moment in sporting history, and one that has filled everyone back home with great pride and that will undoubtedly inspire future generations to chase their dreams,” she said on X.
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Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she was “absolutely delighted” for McIlroy.
“This is an incredible achievement and he truly has made Northern Ireland proud of the international stage,” she posted on X.
“The way he held his nerve to win it and finally get the green jacket, and to complete the career Grand Slam is remarkable.”
Ms Little-Pengelly added that she was already looking forward to seeing McIlroy on home fairways in the summer when the Open Championship returns to Northern Ireland.
“The reception when he steps onto the first tee at Royal Portrush in July will be incredible,” she said.
“Hopefully he can give the home fans plenty to cheer as he bids to win a second Open Championship.”
Image: Members of Rory McIlroy’s golf club in Belfast watch him play during the Masters. Pic: PA
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Irish premier Micheal Martin described the win as “epic”.
“The Green Jacket is yours Rory McIlroy,” the Taoiseach posted on X.
“A finish for the ages at Augusta to win The Masters and complete a richly-deserved career Grand Slam. Epic achievement by one of golf’s greatest talents.”
Deputy Irish premier Simon Harris also posted his congratulations.
“A first Masters and a career Grand Slam means he joins some of the very greatest to have ever played the game,” he said.
“A proud day for him, his family and for Ireland.”
Meanwhile, Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins posed on X: “Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on winning The Masters and completing the career Grand Slam. A truly outstanding achievement.”
It comes as Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has called for McIlroy to be knighted.
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Legendary golfer Tiger Woods was also among those to congratulate McIlroy, writing on X: “Welcome to the club @McIlroyRory.
“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!”
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US President Donald Trump, who is passionate about golf,has alsopraised McIlroy saying: “Well I have to congratulate Rory, that showed tremendous courage.
“He was having a hard time. But it showed great guts and stamina and courage. People have no idea how tough that is.
“It’s better for him that it happened that way because it showed real courage to have come back from what could have been a tragedy was amazing.”
He added: “Justin Rose was great, they’re great athletes under tremendous pressure.”
‘Hard to put into words’
Tony Denver, who was among those watching McIlroy from his home club in Holywood, County Down, told Sky News it was “hard to put into words” how he was feeling following the play-off, as crowds in the background cheered and applauded the world’s number two golf player.
Image: Tony Denver
Mr Denver went on to say the feeling was “absolutely fantastic”, adding he remembers McIlroy “from a young lad growing up and he’s now one of the six players to win the Grand Slam which is just unbelievable”.
Ruth Watt, lady captain of Holywood golf club, said: “We are all immensely proud, absolutely delighted to be welcoming Rory back home in that green jacket.
“He has put us through the wringer tonight but what an outcome.”
Image: Ruth Watt
She added: “There was always something very special about the golf that he played but he is such a gentleman and such a lovely, lovely person.”
For the club, McIlroy’s victory is just “phenomenal”, she said.
In a stark and direct intervention, Martin Griffiths, the former UN humanitarian chief, has described the situation in Gaza as genocide.
The statement, made during an interview I conducted with Griffiths on The World, marks one of the most pointed accusations yet from a figure known to be deeply embedded in the world of international politics and diplomacy.
“I think now we’ve got to the point this is unequivocal. Of course it is genocide. Just as it is weaponising aid.
“We don’t need to look behind ourselves to see that’s the case. That should encourage us even more because we, of course, all doubted whether it would come to that level of definition.
“We all doubted whether famine is actually there. I think starvation is killing people. That’s bad enough. We don’t have to worry about famine, which is obviously there lurking in the shadows.
“Also, genocide… of course that’s what has happened. We only need to look at the statements made. Prime Minister Netanyahuhas the virtue of being very clear about his objectives.”
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Ex-Israeli aide dismisses genocide claims
His choice of words is extraordinary – not just for its gravity, but because it’s Griffiths who is saying it.
A veteran diplomat with decades of experience navigating complex international crises, Griffiths is known for his calm and thoughtful demeanour – not for inflammatory language.
For him to use the term “genocide” in a television interview signals a significant shift in how some within the international system are now interpreting events on the ground in Gaza – 20 months since Israel launched its war.
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Just weeks earlier, Tom Fletcher, another respected former British ambassador and current UN humanitarian chief, came close to using the phrase during a UN Security Council session.
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He said: “What more evidence do you need now? Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead: ‘we did all we could?'”
Whilst he stopped short, his tone showed a clear change in how leading international figures now view the direction of Israeli military operations in Gaza; staggering civilian deaths, and the statements made by Israeli officials prosecuting this war.
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Lawyers representing Israel against accusations brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice last year – accusing its actions in Gaza of amounting to genocide – called the claims “unfounded”, “absurd” and amounting to “libel”.
They went on to say Israel respected international law and had a right to defend itself.
Now 41.2% of Europe finds itself in some form of drought, according to the latest update from the EU’s European Drought Observatory, which covers 11 to 20 May.
It is most acute in pockets of south-eastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania, where the strongest “alert” category has been issued, as well as parts of Poland and Ukraine.
But broad stretches of northern and eastern Europe through France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine also drying up, sowing concerns about crop yields.
On Thursday, the UK’s Environment Agency officially declared a drought in North West England after river and reservoir levels were licked away by a dry spring.
Image: More than 40% of Europe was in drought as of 11-20 May 2025. Pic: CEMS / EDO
Image: Heat was record high in March in Europe. The image on the right shows the south of the continent was much wetter than average and the north much drier. Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service
Greece tourism is ‘unsustainable’
In Greece, “overtourism” from millions flocking to its beaches adds further pressure to water supplies, said Nikitas Mylopoulos, professor of water resource management at Thessaly University.
“The tourist sector is unsustainable and there is no planning… leading to a tremendous rise in water demand in summer,” he told Sky News.
“The islands have an intense problem of drought and water scarcity.”
Islands like Santorini and Mykonos are now forced to ship in water from Athens or desalination plants to provide for showers and swimming pools. In the past, many residents could make do with local methods like rainwater harvesting.
But agriculture is a far bigger drain on the country’s water, with waste rife and policies lacking, said Prof Mylopoulos.
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‘Tropical nights’ soar in European hotspots
Wildfire season could be ‘particularly difficult’
This year’s hot and dry conditions are also fuelling the risk of yet another fierce wildfire season in Greece.
Last week civil protection minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis warned of a “particularly difficult” summer.
He said a record 18,000 firefighters have been deployed and the drone fleet almost doubled in a bid to combat fires being fuelled by a hotter climate.
Droughts and their causes are more complicated, but scientists at World Weather Attribution say global warming is exacerbating drought in some parts of the world, including around the Mediterranean.
Image: A drought was declared in northwest England on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
The International Hydropower Association said drought and intense rain in Europe are pushing power plants to “operate at the limits of their existing equipment”.
Extreme weather costs the EU about €28.3bn (£23.8bn) in lost crops and livestock per year, according to insurance firm Howden.
Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University, said: “With global warming, we expect more prolonged and intense droughts and heatwaves punctuated by more intense rainfall, possibly causing flash floods.
“In recent years, we have experienced more of these atmospheric blocks, causing record heat and persistent drought, as well as severe flooding in other locations in Europe.
“Recent months have been no different, with prolonged dry conditions and heatwaves in northern Europe and floods in southern Europe.”
At least 117 people have died and others are still missing after heavy flooding in Nigeria, an emergency official said.
Authorities initially said 21 people had died but this figure has today risen significantly.
Media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse has worsened the situation.
Ibrahim Hussaini, head of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said some 3,000 houses were underwater in two communities.
Videos posted on social media show floodwater sweeping through neighbourhoods, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. One clip shows a tanker floating through a town.
Image: A tanker is swept away by floodwaters
The chairman of the Mokwa local government area suggested poor infrastructure has worsened the impact of the flooding.
Jibril Muregi has appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in the area under a climate resilience project.
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Image: Water appears to be flowing over a dam behind the town
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In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions.
Nigeriais prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April – and flooding is becoming more common and extreme as the climate warms.
Hotter air is thirstier and can hold more moisture – about 7% more for every 1C warmer – meaning it unleashes heavier flooding when it rains.
Violent rain, which killed hundreds of people in Nigeria during 2022, was made at least 80 times more likely and 20% more intense by climate change, analysis by World Weather Attribution found.