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When Rory McIlroy beat Justin Rose on the first playoff hole at The Masters, it ended years of agony peppered with multiple near misses at Majors, while also fulfilling his lifelong dream of winning the Augusta National event.
The victory was made even more significant for McIlroy by the fact that, the moment he holed his winning putt, he entered golf immortality by becoming just the sixth player to complete his career Grand Slam.
It came as no surprise that the significance of the win wasn’t lost on McIlroy, who is well-versed in the history of the game. Now, he has shown his appreciation for one of the people who helped him etch his name among the greats – the manufacturer of his marker for the tournament, with an incredible gift that acknowledges his achievement of winning all four Majors.
Rory McIlroy’s Masters win completed his career Grand Slam
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The man behind the marker, Jon Millman of Golf Life Metals, posted an image on X of the gift, which features miniature replicas of each of the four Major trophies in a high-quality transparent case. McIlroy also sent a 2025 Masters flag with the message “thanks for all the ball markers over the years,” and signed by the star.
I have won some trophies myself, but this takes the cake…My golf life is blessed, thank you very much @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/HyugFCWLSMMay 12, 2025
During the tournament, McIlroy had been using the marker in question. On one side was a tribute to the soccer club he supports, Manchester United, while on the other was a very personal message, “you already know how to play golf,” which had originally been put to McIlroy by his daughter, Poppy, with her name in the center. Following the win, Millman posted images of the marker along with the message: “This marker won @TheMasters and the Career Grand Slam.”
This marker won @TheMasters and the Career Grand Slam. That’s it, that’s the post. (Oh, I made it 😉 pic.twitter.com/e13EZd26EtApril 18, 2025
The phrase Poppy used came from a conversation McIlroy and Poppy had in 2024 when he was heading to seek help from legendary coach Butch Harmon. McIlroy had to take a flight to meet Harmon and he had told his daughter, who was four at the time, that he needed to go to the airport and would be back in a couple of days. Poppy responded with the phrase that was later included on the marker, and the rest is history.
Along with the image of the gift posted on X, Millman showed his appreciation for McIlroy’s gesture, writing: “I have won some trophies myself, but this takes the cake… My golf life is blessed, thank you very much @McIlroyRory.”
With his classy gift from McIlroy, it’s safe to assume that Millman will now be the envy of many golf fans, too.
