Star’s incredible reply to ludicrous bunker shot
In a weekend full of great moments – and the pair of Rory McIlroy and Colin Morikawa made their fair share of them – matching birdies from the bunker to round out their tournaments may have taken the cake.
The pair brought good vibes all throughout their final round together, including matching eagles on 13, but saved the best for last as they both holed out from the sand on 18.
“I’ve got goosebumps, I’m shaking … this is impossible,” Nick Faldo said on commentary as McIlroy’s bunker shot found its way into the hole.
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Chants of “Rory, Rory, Rory!” surrounded the final hole as he produced a 64, the equal-best final round in Masters history, catapulting him into second place and an outside shot of victory.
Then the sublime turned ridiculous as not two minutes later, from the same bunker, Morikawa matched it while McIlroy cheered in the background!
“That is just awesome,” Jim Nantz said on commentary.
“They matched eagles at 13, shot-for-shot … and now they both finish with matching threes out of the bunker at the 72nd.
“You can’t make it up. A dream sequence at the 18th.”
McIlroy was asked about the moment afterwards.
“It’s what you dream about, right? You dream about getting yourself in position – I wasn’t quite close enough to the lead, I don’t think, Scottie’s playing really, really, well,” he said.
“But to play as well as I did today and then to finish to finish like this – it’s absolutely incredible.
“This tournament never ceases to amaze. That’s as happy as I’ve ever been on a golf course, right there.”
He was full of praise for his playing partner as the pair shot a combined 13-under par for the round.
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In the end McIlroy was three shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler in second, while Morikawa finished fifth on 4-under, one shot behind Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Australia’s Cameron Smith, who tied for third.
“We both played so well all day and for both of us to finish like this, I was just so happy for him too. I’ve never heard roars like it on an 18th green, it was really cool,” McIlroy said.
“That’s what makes golf so cool – we’re competitors out there but at the same time we’re friends and we travel around with each other every week. Colin’s a great guy, it was a great pairing for me today. I’m happy that we both played well.”
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