Rory McIlroy Cries While Hugging His Daughter After Emotional 2025 Masters Victory ArticlePure

• Rory McIlroy shared a sweet moment with his 4-year-old daughter just moments after he won the 2025 Masters and completed the career Grand Slam on Sunday, April 13
• The Northern Irish golfer, 35, was photographed picking up his daughter Poppy for a tight hug as he cried
• McIlroy became only the sixth golfer to clinch the career Grand Slam

Rory McIlroy has finally clinched the career Grand Slam — and his 4-year-old daughter is helping him celebrate.

On Sunday, April 13, the Northern Irish golf star, 35, emerged victorious at Augusta National as the winner of the 89th Masters tournament after a close game with English player Justin Rose.

In videos and photos taken just moments after he won the competition in Georgia, McIlroy could be seen dropping to his knees while sobbing, before making his way toward the cheering crowds. He first gave his wife Erica Stoll a hug and kiss, and then picked up his daughter Poppy for a tight hug as he began to cry again.

The official PGA Tour Instagram account shared photos of the heartwarming father-daughter moment along with the caption: “Rory and Poppy McIlroy ??. How sweet it is.”

According to USA Today, McIlroy was in a tight competition with Rose all day on Sunday, as they were both tied at 11-under par, and only needed one playoff hole to win. McIlroy finished with a final score of 1-over 73 before it went to the playoff.

He then finally beat Rose with a winning birdie, making him only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam — and the first person to achieve the feat in 25 years (after Tiger Woods in 2000).

“It feels incredible,” McIlroy told CBS soon after his win, per USA Today. “This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. The last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that.”

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“I’m sort of wondering what we are going to talk about going into next year’s Masters,” he added. “I’m honored and thrilled and so proud to call myself a Masters champion.”

Poppy has been a frequent attendee of her dad’s games over the past few years, and she even got the chance to play some golf herself when McIlroy brought her onto the course on Wednesday, April 9.

A viral video showed the 4-year-old hit the golf ball — and it slowly made its way into the hole, earning her a loud cheer from the crowd and a big hug from her dad.

The official ESPN X account posted the footage of the impressive putt, adding the caption, “Perfect speed on the putt from Rory McIlroy’s daughter Poppy ? #themasters.”

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McIlroy has always been candid about his loving relationship with his daughter, even telling reporters at a press conference for the Masters on Thursday the story of the moment his daughter realized she didn’t have the average dad.

McIlroy shared that while it’s “really cool” he can now share this with his daughter, it’s also “a little scary” at the same time.

“The day after the Players, she went into school, and there’s a couple of kids that had said some stuff to her, and she came home to me that day and said, ‘Daddy, are you famous?’ And, I said ‘It depends who you talk to,’ ” he said. “So, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. You have to temper the expectations sometimes, but she’s … an amazing addition to life and it’s great that she’s here this week.”