Irish Goodbyes
‘I’ve gotta go get a green jacket!’: Rory McIlroy drops all-time Irish Goodbye after clinching first Masters victory
Photo by Stephen Denton
After a glass-case-of-emotion-strapped-to-the-front-of-a-rollercoaster type of afternoon at Augusta National, we can FINALLY say it with certainty:
Rory McIlroy is a Masters champion.
It wasn’t easy. It felt like McIlroy won and lost the tournament at least five times throughout the day—pulling away on the front nine, splashing one in the creek on 13, sticking ridiculous approaches on 15 and 17 and missing the potential clinching putt on 18—but in the end he emerged tearful but victorious.
Of course, at Augusta National a victory is always followed by a green jacket, and while Rory made pit stops with his family and friends (shoutout to ride-or-die Shane Lowry) on his way to sign the scorecards, he didn’t linger too long. In fact, as the celebrations drew on, McIlroy almost had to remind himself to pull away from the throng, delivering a simple, but classic Masters soundbite in the process. Take it away, champ.
As Irish goodbyes go, they don’t get better than “I’ve gotta go get a green jacket.” After 17 attempts, the second most of any player before winning their first Masters behind Sergio Garcia, it makes sense that McIlroy was in a state of disbelief. In this tiny-but-significant moment, however, you can almost see him snap out it. This was the first moment of reality for McIlroy after his winning putt dropped. The moment when the tunnel vision zoomed out and he suddenly felt his legs again. As if waking from a very serene dream, he remembered why the thousands of screaming, sobbing fans were chanting his name, the reason why he’d choked down the countless hours of hard work and heartbreak:
For a green jacket.
Go get that thing, Rory. You’ve earned it.
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