Rory McIlroy steps into league of his own with magical Masters triumph | Ewan Murray
Nick Faldo has more majors and Seve Ballesteros was a majestic shotmaker but the career grand slam is priceless
In Northern Ireland, debate is already raging as to whether Rory McIlroy has presented himself as the country’s greatest ever sportsperson. The answer is surely obvious. Step aside, George Best. McIlroy’s Masters triumph may even force Sports Personality of the Year to afford due recognition to golf. It is only April but it feels highly unlikely the scene immediately after McIlroy claimed the Masters on Sunday will be matched. His pounding of the turf; his tears absorbed more than a decade of such deep frustration. The moment reverberated beyond sport; Rory had done it. Grown men, lots of them, shed tears on his behalf as he broke his Augusta hoodoo.
Nick Faldo six, Rory McIlroy five. Were this a football match, Faldo would be the winner. Yet in golf there is nuance. McIlroy might trail Faldo’s overall majors haul – for now – but the completion of the career grand slam pressed home new status for McIlroy. No European had secured the set before. He is the finest golfer this continent has produced.