Rory McIlroy may have lost the 2025 Masters at the 15th hole last year rather than struck “the shot of his life,” had it not been for a helpful hand from Bryson DeChambeau.
As McIlroy’s putting coach since 2018, Brad Faxon is a trusted member of Team McIlroy, and in November he was entrusted with conducting a fireside chat of sorts at the Ohoopee Club in Georgia, where McIlroy is a founding member, at a gathering that included the likes of Brian Rolapp, Jay Monahan, Fred Ridley and other bigwigs in the golf industry.
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McIlroy had squandered the lead by the time he reached the 15th hole of the final round at Augusta National Golf Club – only it wasn’t his rival DeChambeau, who nipped him for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and was playing alongside him in the final group on Sunday. It was Justin Rose, who stormed from behind with a 10-birdie, 6-under 66.
McIlroy’s tee shot at the par 5 known as Firethorn was tugged slightly and while it ended up in the fairway, he faced tree trouble.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a thrilling, 7-iron from 207 yards on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
In an interview with Faxon, he recounted to Golfweek how McIlroy shared one of the best nuggets Faxon hadn’t heard before during their fireside chat when they reviewed McIlroy’s approach to 15. For the first time all day, McIlroy had outdriven DeChambeau, which meant he would play second into the green. DeChambeau’s last-ditch effort to mount a charge flew at the flag but the wind picked up as the ball reached its apex and it landed short on the bank and rolled back into the water. McIlroy took notice and switched from 8-iron to 7-iron and that made all the difference.
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In the Amazon Prime documentary “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait,” McIlroy detailed how he conjured up a daring, slinging 7-iron from 207 yards that hooked some 20 yards around limbs and pine needles and stopped 6 feet from the hole.
“When you’re amped up and under pressure, for me anyway, those have been the toughest shots for me to hit,” he said. “I stood up and made the most trusting and committed swing. I knew it as soon as I hit it and that’s when I started to walk after it.”
Rory McIlroy reacts to his second shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2025 Masters. He curved a 7-iron from 207 yards around pine trees to set up a critical birdie en route to victory.
“Is that enough?” CBS’s Jim Nantz wondered. “It is. The shot of a lifetime.”
The ball landed on the first few steps of the green and while he missed the eagle putt, the birdie tied him at the top with Rose.
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“I don’t know if I’ll ever hit a better shot under that much pressure in my career again,” McIlroy said of the 7-iron at 15.
He owes a debt of gratitude to DeChambeau, and McIlroy knows it. Can you imagine if he had rinsed an 8-iron there instead? He would’ve been done and dusted, no career Grand Slam, another Masters meltdown and in the running with Greg Norman as one of the all-time sad figures in Masters history. Instead, he pulled off a shot that forever will be etched in tournament lore.
“If I hadn’t seen Bryson hit first,” McIlroy told Faxon and the attendees at the Ohoopee gathering, “I definitely would have hit my second shot in the water.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy reveals Bryson DeChambeau’s Masters assist on 15th hole
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