Rory McIlroy escapes playoff-round scare for first Masters win

It took sudden death playoffs, but Rory McIlroy finally earned his green jacket.

With his Masters Tournament win on Sunday, McIlroy, 35, joined the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gene Sarazen as the sixth Career Grand Slam champion in golfing history.

The feat was 11 years in the making, and in the course of Sunday afternoon, almost blown entirely away.

With the championship on his club, just five feet away from the hole on 18, McIlroy missed his putt — inviting Ryder Cup Teammate Justin Rose, 44, in for a sudden death playoff.

But the botched putt — not to mention the four-stroke lead McIlroy lost on the back nine — are all but forgotten now.