Rory McIlroy Wondered If He Let Masters Win 'Slip Again' During Back Nine Play

Rory McIlroy revealed that he had thoughts about his first Masters win potentially slipping away down the stretch of the fourth round at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.

"There were points on the back nine today when I thought, 'Have I let it slip again?'" McIlroy said, per ESPN's Paolo Uggetti. "My battle today was with myself. It wasn't with anyone else."

Instead, the 35-year-old bounced back from a bogey on hole No. 18 and defeated Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff in order to secure his first green jacket and complete a career Grand Slam.

"This is my 17th time here, and I [had] started to wonder if it would ever be my time," McIlroy said, via Uggetti. "What came out of me on the last green there in the playoff was at least 11 years, if not 14 years, of pent-up emotion."

He entered Sunday with a two-shot lead over the rest of the Masters field, but immediately needed to climb back in front after recording a double bogey on his first hole.

McIlroy steadily looked more comfortable before running into some trouble on the back nine, carding three bogeys and another double bogey to go along with three birdies.

This included a missed putt on No. 18 that would have resulted in an earlier tournament victory.

McIlroy has dealt with his fair share of heartbreaks at the Masters, including a 2011 finish in which he was unable to capitalize on a four-shot lead heading into the final round. He ended up shooting an eight-over 80, which included a 43 on the back nine.

In 2018, McIlroy also found himself in the final pairing with Patrick Reed at Augusta in Round 4 before dealing with inconsistent play and finishing six shots back.

While he wondered if he was in store for a similar tough finish on Sunday, that ultimately wasn't the case.