Rory McIlroy already challenged the field, and he had every chance to follow what he said. There was momentum, and with Jacob Bridgeman’s lead almost slipping, McIlroy had a chance to capitalize. However, when the tournament reached the 18th hole, he knifed a miraculous 29-foot putt that almost refused to drop into the cup, leaving him tied for second place. Irrespective, McIlroy is happy about it as it earned him $600,000 more than the third-place finisher.

When the Northern Irishman was asked, “Was it almost cruel to see the one on 18 go in after so many slipped by earlier?” his response was simple:

“No, not really. It probably earned me an extra 400, 500 grand, so it’s fine.”

By making that final birdie at Riviera, Rory McIlroy moved from a possible third-place finish (worth approximately $1.2 million) into a tie for second with Kurt Kitayama, worth $1.8 million.

Although Rory said everything was okay, his body language told a much deeper story. Just when the ball dropped into the cup after a dramatic pause at the last minute, the 36-year-old leaned over in an exhausted pose, clearly amused and relieved that the putt had finally fallen into place on the very last hole of the tournament. Tiger Woods was seen looking at the finish with a knowing grin and clearly enjoying the dramatic showmanship and the ‘it happens sometimes, mate!’ nature of the finish.

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For McIlroy, the moment carried extra weight. After his third round, he expressed that it was a career dream to receive a trophy from Tiger’s hands. It’s something he had missed when winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational shortly after Palmer’s passing.

Further, he opened with a birdie but couldn’t keep the early pace. On the other hand, Jacob Bridgeman slipped back to even par with bogeys on holes four and seven after making two birdies in the first three holes. Bridgeman couldn’t get that early momentum back and later dropped again on the 16th. But McIlroy could not capitalize on his chances.

The Northern Irishman slipped seven shots behind before Bridgeman stopped scoring. And a bogey on the 6th and missed birdie chances on eight and nine, and 14th only worsened the situation for him.

And while Rory and Bridgeman struggled, Kurt Kitayama surged into the clubhouse lead with a 64. Kitayama got into contention with 8 birdies combined on the front and back nine.

But at the end, two back-to-back birdies on the last two holes saved Rory’s day, and he ended up with a second-place finish and a $1.8 million paycheck. Most importantly, McIlroy is happy with his performance on the last hole of the final round.

Still, the paycheck isn’t the only reason Rory left the course happy.

Rory McIlroy is already looking at a much bigger prize in 2026

McIlroy has another reason to be very happy about his performance this week. His primary focus for 2026 was already known. And it is defending his historic Masters title at Augusta National. After completing the career Grand Slam in 2025, he wants to join the elite club that has only three names: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.

McIlroy recently visited the club for a special filming trip in December. He described the visit as nostalgic because he finally saw his nameplate in the Champions Locker Room alongside legends of the game such as Ben Hogan and Ray Floyd.

“It was cool to get up to the champions’ locker room and see my nameplate,” McIlroy said.

He also noted that seeing his name inside made him ‘very excited’ to defend his title.

Now, to prepare for his defense, Rory is making big changes to his usual schedule. He has confirmed that he will skip the Cognizant Classic in Florida next week. He also plans to miss the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio later this spring. By skipping these events, he can focus entirely on his game and rest.

Instead of playing in Florida, Rory is traveling directly to Augusta for private practice. He will walk around the course and watch the final round of the ANWA. He also plans to play a special round with his father, Gerry McIlroy, and join Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley for these important practice rounds.