The haunting Masters meltdown that changed Rory McIlroy’s career | CNN

Here is a summary of the article about Rory McIlroy's career and his struggles to win The Masters:

**The 2011 Masters: A Close Call**

Rory McIlroy had a promising start to his Masters career in 2011, but ultimately fell short. He led the tournament with nine holes to go but "unraveled," losing by seven strokes.

**A Silver Lining**

Despite the disappointment, McIlroy's collapse at Augusta National in 2011 has become an important part of his golfing journey. In an interview with the BBC in 2015, he described it as "the most important day" of his career, saying that if he hadn't lost by such a large margin, he might not have learned as much from the experience.

**The Quest for The Green Jacket**

McIlroy has appeared at Augusta National seven times since 2011, with only one top-10 finish. His best finish was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in 2022, but his overall record remains a source of frustration.

**Time is on His Side**

At 33 years old, McIlroy still has time to achieve his goal of winning The Masters. In fact, 2022 saw him play some of the best golf of his life since his golden season in 2014.

**Will He Finally Get It?**

Only time will tell if McIlroy will finally win The Masters, but one thing is certain: he won't give up on his dream anytime soon.
 
I dont think Rory's collapse at the 2011 Masters was that big of a deal for him lol 😂, I mean its not like it ruined his career or anything. And its pretty interesting how he kinda frames losing by 7 strokes as a silver lining, like its some kind of growth experience? 🤔 idk about that... still gotta watch him play to believe he's finally gonna get that Green Jacket 💚
 
😔 I can feel Rory's frustration and disappointment from reading this article... it's like you're standing right there with him on the golf course, feeling the pressure and the stress of not being able to close out a win 🏌️👊 But even in all that struggle, he finds a silver lining - that experience taught him so much and helped shape him into the golfer he is today 💡💪 What I love about this article is how it highlights the importance of perseverance and believing in yourself, even when things don't go as planned 🌟
 
I feel for this guy, Rory's been close so many times but can't seem to seal the deal at Augusta 🤕. Like, I know we've all had those moments where everything just falls apart and you're left wondering what went wrong. But seriously, 7 strokes is huge! 😳 You'd think it would be a blessing in disguise that he didn't win by that much, but from what I'm reading, it's actually helped him learn and grow as a golfer 🙌. And let's be real, at 33, you're still young to turn it around and make a deep run in the majors 💪. Can't wait to see how he stacks up next year!
 
🤔 I was thinking, if Rory's Masters struggles are all about him learning from his mistakes, then why hasn't he learned how to close it out yet? 🙄 Like, we get that he had a great season in 2014 and played some amazing golf since then, but still can't seem to bring home the green jacket. 🏆 Maybe he's being too hard on himself or something... 😕
 
He's come so close to that green jacket and yet it's still out of reach 😔. I mean, 7 strokes from winning is a huge margin, you can't just blame it on bad luck or one bad round. He needs to get his head back in the game and find that consistency 🔥. At 33, he's still young and has time to turn things around. I'm actually feeling pretty optimistic about his chances of finally getting that Masters title 💪. Maybe this year will be the one? 🤞
 
omg i feel like rory mcilroy is literally my golfing soulmate lol i mean we all know he's had a lot of ups and downs on the course but what im thinkin is how many times has he really been able to recover from those big collapses? for me it seems like he always bounces back stronger 🤔 but then again who knows what goes on in that head of his lol anyway i'm still rootin 4 him all the way and fingers crossed he finally gets that green jacket 💚
 
Imagine a graph with a hill 🏔️, that's Rory McIlroy's career so far. He had a great start in 2011, but then it's like the hill just got too steep 😬 and he started to lose his way. But here's the thing - every failure is like a pivot point ⚡️ on that graph. He learned from that mistake and has been working harder ever since.

It's like drawing a diagram of his progress... 🗺️ 2014 was like a major milestone 🎉, that's when he had one of the best seasons of his life! But after that, it's like there are some valleys ⛰️ to climb. Still, he's not giving up 💪, and who knows? Maybe this year will be the one 👀.

Let's see... a timeline would look like this: 2011 -> disappointment 😔 -> learn from mistake ⚡️ -> work harder 🏋️‍♂️ -> 2014 -> great season 🎉 -> valleys to climb ⛰️... and now, 2025! Maybe it's time for the green jacket 🎀?
 
omg i'm so rooting for rory 🤞! like seriously that 1st masters loss was such a big deal in his career and it's insane how much he's grown from it 💪. i know some people might say he's never gonna get the green jacket, but i truly believe he'll turn it around soon!!! 🌿💚 he's been on fire since '22 and that top-10 finish was a huge boost for his confidence 🙌! 33 is still pretty young in golfing years so i'm def keeping my fingers crossed he gets it next year 💕
 
OMG I FEEL FOR RORY MCILROY!!! HE'S BEEN SO CLOSE TO WINNING THE MASTERS SO MANY TIMES AND IT JUST HURTS HIM!!! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK IS AMAZING? HE'S STILL GOT IT GOING ON AT 33!!! HE'VE BEEN PLAYING SOME OF THE BEST GOLF OF HIS LIFE SINCE 2014, SO I'M KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED FOR HIM!!!
 
I feel bad for Rory McIlroy when he lost by so much in the 2011 Masters 🤕. He had that big lead and then just fell apart 😳. I think it's cool that he considers that experience as a turning point in his career 💡. Now, at 33, I'm sure he'll get another shot to win The Masters 👀. It's amazing how golfers can have ups and downs like that, but they always keep trying 🏌️‍♂️.
 
I think Rory's meltdown at the 2011 Masters was actually a blessing in disguise 🙏. If he'd won that year, who knows how much growth he would've experienced on and off the course? He's had some great seasons since then, but I still feel like we haven't seen his best golf yet ⛳️. That being said, 33 is still pretty young for a major win, so I wouldn't count him out just yet 😎.
 
awww man 😔 Rory's got this tough history with The Masters and it's heartbreaking to see him fall short so many times... like, he led the tournament by 7 strokes and just lost it 🤯 but you know what's awesome? He actually thinks that experience taught him everything he needed to learn to become an even better golfer 💪 and at 33, he still has plenty of time to make his Masters dream a reality 🌟
 
😒 I don't get why the article structure is all over the place... first a brief intro, then jumps to 2011, then back to 2015 without any clear connection 🤔. And what's with the inconsistent font sizes? Can't they just stick to a simple 2-column layout like the BBC website does? 📊 At least they're consistent in their use of bullet points though 🔄
 
omg i still cant believe rory mcilroy came so close at the masters in 2011 🤯🏆 like he was literally leading with just 9 holes to go and then...💔 it all fell apart 🌳 what if he didnt lose by that huge margin tho? maybe we wouldve seen a different side of him on the green 😅 but for now lets keep our fingers crossed that hes gonna finally take home that green jacket at augusta national in 2025 💚
 
Ugh, I mean come on... Rory's collapse at the 2011 Masters was actually a blessing in disguise? I get it, it might seem harsh now, but trust me, if that huge margin of defeat didn't push him to work harder, he'd probably be nowhere near the top of his game by now. Plus, 33 is not old for golfing - guys like Phil Mickelson are still crushing it at that age! 🙄
 
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