Rory McIlroy wins the Masters and completes golf's grand slam on chaotic day at Augusta

At last. finally banished his demons, ended his long wait for victory in surviving a rollercoaster final round and play-off against to come through the Augusta chaos with the Green jacket.

On the face of it, it didn't need to be so difficult. As his playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau melted away in Georgia, McIlroy, when all was said and done, ultimately just needed to hit even par for the day to finally become he sixth man to complete golf's grand slam. But after over a decade without a major championship to his name, that was never going to be the way for the 35-year-old Northern Irishman.

McIlroy hadn't won a major since 2014, and the years since have seen a number of near misses for the No.2. So at the moment he found himself level with both Rose and Ludvig Aberg after 14 thrilling final day holes, having lost the lead, got it back, lost it again, got it back and lost it again, you could forgive him if he was starting to believe that it wasn't meant to be. When he missed a par putt from four feet to win it on the 18th, he looked a beaten man.

But he is nothing if not resilient.

And with no little grit and no little skill, he dug deep and produced a splendid approach shot, a shot of genius in the first playoff hole against Rose to dig himself out of the hole he had made for himself to become the first Brit to complete golf's grand slam, the first man to do so since

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"My 17th time here," said McIlroy. "I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.

"The last 10 years coming with the burden of Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that. I wonder what we are all going to talk about coming into next year. I am so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.

"All week I responded to setbacks and that's what I'll remember. I'm so proud of that and being able to bounce back. I would say it was 14 years in the making. Going out with a four-shot lead in 2011 and feeling like I could have got it done there. A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green.

"A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it. I want to say hello to mum and dad back in Northern Ireland. I can't wait to see them next week and can't wait to celebrate with them."

"You could just see the demons leaving Rory when that putt went in," commented captain on social media. "What an unbelievable rollercoaster of emotions - pure sport at its best."

chairman Fred Ridley perhaps summed it up best as he prepared to hand McIlroy his green jacket: "Our patrons at Augusta National and around the world were treated to an unforgettable Masters. One of the best in our history."

Something that feels like a lifetime ago now, McIlroy took a two-shot lead into the final round in pursuit of the win he needed to complete the career grand slam - but he could hardly have got off to a worse start. After driving into a fairway bunker and pitching out on to the fairway, McIlroy hit his third shot to 18 feet and three-putted for a double-bogey six.

That immediately dropped him back into a tie for the lead with DeChambeau, who pipped McIlroy to at Pinehurst 10 months ago.

McIlroy found more sand off the tee on the second and could only make par on a hole he had played in three under over the last two days. DeChambeau meanwhile had no such issues and two-putted from long range for birdie to take the lead on 11 under.

McIlroy looked understandably downhearted as he walked to the third tee but hit his driver on the short par-four and pitched to 10 feet to set up his first birdie of the day, before DeChambeau three-putted for the second two-shot swing in the space of three holes. The breathless start continued as DeChambeau also three-putted the fourth before McIlroy holed from nine feet for birdie, another two-shot swing and a three-shot lead.

McIlroy somehow left a downhill birdie putt on the seventh short of the hole after a stunning recovery shot from the trees, but picked up a shot on the ninth to extend his lead to four.

DeChambeau could not follow McIlroy in from closer on the ninth and had company in second place in the shape of Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose, who had played 10 and 12 holes respectively.

Rose dropped to his knees in despair after narrowly missing a curling eagle putt on the 13th, but tapped in for a third straight birdie to close the gap. McIlroy also let his club drop to the ground after seemingly thinking he had mishit his approach to the 10th, only to see the ball land 15 feet from the pin to set up another birdie.

McIlroy enjoyed a massive slice of luck as his approach to the 11th, hooked around a tree, stopped inches short of the lake to the left of the green. DeChambeau was not so fortunate as he found the water to run up a ruinous double bogey, and although McIlroy dropped a shot his lead remained in tact as Rose bogeyed the 14th up ahead.

Rose closed the gap once more with a birdie on the 15th and hit a superb tee shot on the next before McIlroy amazingly found Rae’s Creek with his approach to the 13th having laid up short of the green. The resulting double bogey coupled with Rose’s birdie from five feet meant the Ryder Cup team-mates were suddenly tied for the lead on 11 under.

McIlroy’s bogey on the 14th briefly left Rose out in front, only for the former US Open champion to also drop a shot on the 17th. And with Aberg having made a birdie on the 15th, that meant there was suddenly a three-way tie between the Ryder Cup team-mates on 10 under par.

McIlroy produced a stunning hooked approach to the par-five 15th to seemingly set up a decisive eagle, but missed the putt from six feet and had to settle for a birdie to reclaim the lead. That lead only lasted a few minutes however, Rose remarkably carding his 10th birdie of the day on the 18th to complete a brilliant 66.

McIlroy edged back in front with a tap-in birdie on the 17th, only to push his approach to the last into a greenside bunker.

After splashing out to around four feet, McIlroy dragged his par putt wide to set up the first Masters play-off since Rose lost out to Sergio Garcia in 2017.

Unfortunately for Rose, he would fall short again, as, after missing his birdie attempt from 15 feet, McIlroy holed from three feet to complete a remarkable win, his brilliance shining through at the very last to hand him victory, and finally banish 11 years of hurt.