“I’ve never felt a release like that. Obviously, I cried at my wedding, I cried at the birth of our daughter, but it was something I didn’t realize I was holding onto for so long,” said Rory McIlroy to TODAY back in May 2025. Well, that was when he won the 89th Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club. With this win, the Northern Irish golfer became only the sixth male golfer in history to achieve a Career Grand Slam. 

Ever since McIlroy won the Masters in 2025, people have been going gaga over the moment. A lot of fans and critics touted the moment as one of the greatest Masters moment of all time. A few even went ahead and stated that this might have overtaken Jack Nicklaus’ 1986 triumph. Notably, speaking on the topic in a recent episode of 5 Clubs, the likes of Brendon De Jonge and Gary Williams had quite a debate. 

The host, Williams, clearly wasn’t sure if he was ready to rank McIlroy’s moment ahead of Nicklaus’. He said, “For sure. I know. I heard Rich Learner on with Taylor Zarzer on his show last week and he thinks that even as if we keep getting further away from it, it may pass Nicklaus. I don’t know. I l need I need a little bit more time on that. That’s okay.” Immediately, De Jonge responded, pointing out that the notion might be going around due to the recency bias. De Jonge stated, “Little recency bias maybe on that one. I think yeah, give it a little bit of time there to breathe a little bit and we’ll see. But I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Well, both of them might have a point here. Looking back at Nicklaus’ iconic 1986 Masters win, historically, it does look a bit more special. At the age of 46, Nicklaus came back miraculously. He shot a back nine-30, along with a pivotal birdie putt on the 17th hole, to win his sixth Green jacket. This victory is also immortalized by the iconic ‘Yes Sir’ comment from Verne Lundquist. Meanwhile, as the debate continues to rage, the likes of Tiger Woods, Gary Player, and Nicklaus himself had a lot to say about McIlroy’s victory. 

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Tiger Woods welcomes Rory McIlroy into exclusive career Grand Slam club

Right after Rory McIlroy clinched the elusive Masters win against Justin Rose, Tiger Woods acknowledged his magnificent performance and warmly welcomed him to the exclusive ‘club’. Woods, who has himself secured five consecutive Masters wins, was among the only five golfers across the globe to have secured a career Grand Slam. McIlroy, with the 2025 Masters victory, made it to that historic list.

Just moments after Rory’s triumphant run on the greens of the Augusta National Golf Club, Tiger Woods took to his X account and shared, “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!” And who would understand the joy and pride of securing a grand Slam at Augusta better than the man who has achieved that feat thrice himself.

Gary Player also congratulated the Northern Irish PGA Tour star and stated, “I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Rory McIlroy on his historic win at the Masters and completion of the career Grand Slam. This is one of the rarest and most difficult achievements in all of sport, something only now six golfers in history have ever accomplished. We are proud to add Rory to our exclusive club and no doubt he has set the standard for his era.” 

Meanwhile, Nicklaus, who boasts three grand slams in his resume, added, “I’m so happy for him. It will take the world off his shoulders and you’re now going to see a lot more of really good golf out of Rory McIlroy.” Indeed, McIlroy etched his name in the history of the sport with the Masters win against Justin Rose as he became the first one to achieve a Career Grand Slam after Woods.