Winning the 2025 Masters Tournament was probably one of the biggest goals Rory McIlroy has accomplished this year. The Green Jacket had been out of his reach for over a decade now. To finally wear it at Augusta National must have lifted a lot of weight off his shoulders. But at the end of the year, that was not his fondest memory.

The Irishman joined the latest Fried Egg Golf podcast to review his season. During a segment, Brendan Porath asked him to share his best moment from 2025 that others might view as underrated.

McIlroy told the hosts, “I would say, the one thing you’re probably not gonna touch on, because this is the PGA Tour year review, is the Irish Open for me was probably like a high point for myself. I felt like that was such an amazing reception.”

The first time Rory McIlroy won the Irish Open was also at the K Club in 2016. To return to the same venue in 2025 and win the tournament again was quite special for him. And it wasn’t just about winning on the other side of Ireland that made it special. But the fact that he won the tournament in such a dramatic fashion.

“I’m never going to hole that putt on the last to get into the playoff. The noise, the scenes… A bit like what Augusta does so well. I didn’t see a lot of people on their phones. People were really into what they were watching.”

McIlroy’s approach shot on the 18th hole on Championship Sunday landed 28 feet away from the cup. He needed an eagle to make it square with Joakim Lagergren and push for the playoffs. The crowd was completely quiet as they intently watched McIlroy set up his putt before striking the ball. As soon as the ball started rolling, they started reacting. And as it got closer to the hole before dropping, the cheers got louder before everyone went wild.

The atmosphere at the K Club was absolutely electrifying, one that was worth experiencing. McIlroy and Lagergren played three more playoff holes before the Irishman finally underscored his adversary. Everyone was overjoyed, including Shane Lowry. He also shared a special Instagram post for Rors acknowledging his incredible performance at the K Club.

This was towards the end of the year for Rory McIlroy. But he also kick-started the season with brilliant strokeplay. That’s probably what set him up for the rest of the year.

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The secret to Rory McIlroy’s success in 2025 was a great start to the season

Rory McIlroy looked like he was ready to own 2025 long before he entered Augusta National. It may have been during the 2024 DP World Tour Championship. However, he really unleashed himself during the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

That was the first tournament he played this year. In the windy conditions at Pebble Beach, he faced a tough battle against Shane Lowry & Justin Rose. But McIlroy was in a different zone when playing the event.

He showcased that in the first round itself. He started the round on the back 9, and within the first six holes, he hit a laser-accurate stroke. Playing the par-3 15th hole, McIlroy scored an ace. And that was enough to give him the confidence to keep pushing for more.

He had flawless first and third rounds. By the fourth round, when everyone was trying to chase him down, McIlroy was aiming for eagles. He was hitting extremely good approach shots and finding the hole often. That helped him comfortably win the tournament by 2 strokes. Rory McIlroy continued his good run of form to win every other event this season after that.