The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland began the day with a four-stroke lead at 12 under. After nine holes, he was at 11 under, with his lead down to one. A triple-bogey 7 on No. 10 started his collapse en route to an 8-over 80 final round and a tie for 15th at 4 under.
"For 63 holes in this golf tournament, I was leading and just a couple of bad holes on the back nine just sort of derailed me," McIlroy said in the players' locker room at Augusta National.
As McIlroy left the course, fans greeted him with warm applause as he walked under the big oak behind the clubhouse. It turned to rhythmic clapping and cheers. He had heard the same while walking on his final holes.
In the locker room, McIlroy kicked off his golf shoes, slipped on a pair of white sneakers and looked every bit the 21-year-old. He managed a smile and said he was grateful for the fan support.
"I don't know if people were just feeling sorry for me or what," he said with a hint of a smile. "But I'm incredibly grateful for it. I really appreciate it. It was a very tough day for me. … It makes it a lot easier to take."
McIlroy had three bogeys during the first three rounds. Sunday, he had four, plus the triple and a double.
Such collapses happen in golf, often in majors. Including McIlroy's 80 on Sunday, the 54-hole leader in three of the last four majors has crashed and burned in the final round. Dustin Johnson took a three-shot lead into the final day of the U.S. Open and shot 82; Nick Watney led by three at the PGA Championship before a final-round 81.
It has happened to McIlroy before. Last year at the British Open, he followed an opening 63 with an 80. He rallied in the final two rounds to end up tied for third.
The triple-bogey on No. 10 Sunday took McIlroy from 11 under to 8 under. His tee shot landed between two cabins well off the fairway. It took him five shots to reach the green, including one that hit a tree branch.
"I have played with Rory a lot," fellow pro Lee Westwood of England said. "When he gets under a bit of pressure, he's got a pull hook in his bag, and he hit it on 10. … So that's something he'll learn to cope with (as he gains) experience, but that's why they go on so much about experience at the Masters, the value of it."
McIlroy said he still kept his "focus and calm OK" after No. 10. But he four-putted from 20 feet for double-bogey on the par-3 12th. "Just lost a little bit of confidence on the greens around the turn," he said.
He said he tried not to do any scoreboard watching. But while his game unraveled, he knew others were making moves.
"When you're hearing roars, you knew pretty much what was going on," he said with a shrug.
What did he learn Sunday?
"I think it's a Sunday at a major, what it can do," he said. "This is my first experience at it, and hopefully the next time I'm in this position, I'll be able to handle it a little better. I didn't handle it particularly well today, obviously, but it was a character-building day. Put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it."
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