Amanda Balionis drops a 2-word message after Rory McIlroy claims his maiden Masters title

Modified Apr 14, 2025 04:13 GMT

PGA: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Final Round - Source: Imagn — Amanda Balionis and Rory McIlroy (Image Source: Imagn)

CBS Sports journalist Amanda Balionis cheered for Rory McIlroy as the Northern Irishman clinched his maiden Masters win. McIlroy finally broke his over-a-decade winless streak in majors on Sunday, April 13, at the Augusta National. He defeated Justin Rose in a playoff to seize a victory at the first major of the year, and with that he also completed his career grand slam.

Amanda Balionis took to her Instagram story and congratulated Rory McIlroy. She reshared a post from CBS Sports about McIlroy's victory putt along with a two-word caption that says

"History made"

Still from Amanda Balionis's Instagram story/@balionis

Rory McIlroy's last major win came in 2014, and he had been seeking another major victory until now. He came close to the title at the US Open in 2024 but struggled in the last few holes and lost the title.

At the 2025 Masters, the wait finally came to an end, and McIlroy became the sixth golfer in history to complete his career grand slam. Justin Rose settled in solo second place at the Augusta National event, followed by Patrick Reed in third place. Meanwhile, defending champion Scottie Scheffler settled in fourth place.

Rory McIlroy reflects on his win at the Masters 2025

Rory McIlroy got emotional after making the winning birdie in the sudden-death playoff of the Masters. Later, while talking to the media in the press conference, he reflected on winning his maiden Masters. He said (via ASAP Sports):

"Look, it's a dream come true. I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember. I mentioned it out in the prize ceremony, but watching Tiger here in 1997 do what he did, and then winning his first green jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did.

"You know, there were points in my career where I didn't know if I would have this nice garment over my shoulders, but I didn't make it easy today. I certainly didn't make it easy. I was nervous. It was one of the toughest days I've ever had on the golf course. In a funny way, I feel like the double bogey at the first sort of settled my nerves.

With that, Rory McIlroy has five major titles in his career, and in 2025, it was his third win of the year. The Holywood-born golfer has been impressive this season on the PGA Tour and started the season with a remarkable victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but then settled in T17 at The Genesis Invitational, followed by T15 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

McIlroy then won the Players Championship and then settled in a tie for fifth place at the Texas Children's Houston Open before winning the Masters 2025.

About the author

Ankita Yadav is an NFL and Golf writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in journalism (and counting). With a Master’s degree in Chemistry, she somehow swapped test tubes for touchdowns and tee shots—and hasn’t looked back since.

She’s previously covered the world of entertainment with OtakuKart and TV Season & Spoilers and worked as an editor at ComingSoon. Her stories have racked up nearly nine million reads, and she’s had the chance to interview top athletes like professional golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu.

Based in Bhopal, Ankita proudly supports the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, and is a fan of Nelly Korda. When she’s not writing, she’s probably at a live music show, watching a movie, out on a long drive, or in the kitchen cooking up something that tastes better than it looks.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua