Rory McIlroy revealed the text he received from Tiger Woods after winning his first Masters Tournament and joining him in the exclusive Grand Slam major championship club during an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Thursday (May 1) night.
“He just said, ‘welcome to the club, kid,’” McIlroy said.
McIlroy's win at Augusta secured his fifth career major, having previously won the U.S. Open in 2011, PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and the Open Championship in 2014. The Northern Ireland native joined Woods, who completed the career Grand Slam in 2000, as well as Gene Sarazen (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965) and Jack Nicklaus (1966).
Woods and McIlroy are both TaylorMade sponsored players and partnered together for the launch of TGL, an offseason golf league featuring themselves and other top PGA athletes that uses a combination of traditional golf and simulated indoor golf. McIlroy defeated Justin Rose, who led through the first two rounds of the four-day tournament, in a sudden death playoff at Augusta National Golf Course last month.
The 35-year-old missed a par putt, concluding regulation tied with Rose at 11-under par, before on the 18th hole before defeating Rose in a sudden death playoff by finishing at one over. McIlroy finished with a 73 through 18 holes, which included six birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey, finishing the round at +1 for the day and and 11-under for the tournament.