Isn’t it fun when the storylines fulfill themselves — while tugging at your heart strings, too?
A roller coaster Sunday at the Masters did all that. And ended just the way it should’ve.
Quick links: Rory rules Augusta | Braves woes continue | Hawks play-in game set
GUSHING IN GREEN
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
It’s hard not to be romantic about sports.
It’s really hard not to be romantic about the Masters.
And Rory McIlroy?
I’ll be honest. I got more than a mite misty.
⛳ Our guy burst on the scene more than a decade ago, rattling off major wins in rapid succession: the 2011 U.S. Open. The PGA Championship in both 2012 and 2014. The Open Championship in 2014, too.
Since then? Crickets.
Well … crickets and heartbreak at Augusta National.
“That was all relief,” McIlroy said of his fall to the knees, sob and scream celebration. “There wasn’t much joy in that reaction. It was all relief.”
Understandably so.
The man from Northern Ireland entered the final round with a two-shot lead — and almost immediately gave it away. He continually flirted with disaster, even before missing the 18th-hole putt that necessitated a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose.
“This is my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said.
⛳ But he soldiered on, again. And this time he won.
A week that began with his young daughter delighting crowds at the Par 3 contest ended with an embrace of his caddie, a friend he’s known since he was 7 years old.
He finally, mercifully, owns a green jacket. And a career grand slam, too, joining Tiger Woods and four other men’s legends.
As AJC columnist Ken Sugiura put it: If Rory can win at Augusta, then there’s hope for all of us.
Just keep going.
Relive the 2025 Masters with more AJC coverage:
⛳ Photos: McIlroy gets his green jacket
⛳ LIV players see success at Augusta
⛳ How patrons kill downtime at the Masters
PLAY-IN TO WIN
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
The Hawks beat the Magic on Sunday, finishing the regular season at 40-42 (which, not for nothing, is a few games better than their 2023-24 record).
Now the real fun starts.
Atlanta and Orlando square off again Tuesday — this time for a shot at the NBA playoffs. Their play-in tournament game tips off at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.
🤔 If the Hawks win, they’ll get a full playoff series against the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
🤔 If the Hawks lose, they’ll play the winner of Wednesday’s Heat-Bulls play-in game Friday. Win that, and it’s a series with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
STACKING UP THE LOSSES
Credit: Jason Behnken/AP
Credit: Jason Behnken/AP
Braves status report: Still struggling and still frustrated, especially reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale.
“I just hate sucking, and I’m just bad,” he said after another rough outing Sunday.
The 8-3 loss gave Tampa Bay the series win and put Atlanta at just 4-11 on the season. Only the Rockies have fewer wins.
⚾ On deck: A three-game set in Toronto, starting at 7:07 tonight on FanDuel Sports. Grant Holmes gets the ball for Atlanta.
⚾ Strider watch: The Braves sent AJ Smith-Shawver back to the minors — and it sure looks like ace Spencer Strider will make his 2025 debut Wednesday.
UNITED DOWN BAD
Atlanta United’s not fairing much better than the Bravos, unfortunately.
After Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to a bad New England squad, the Five Stripes now sit at 2-3-3 — the worst start in franchise history. Even more jarring? Six of those eight matches have been at the Benz.
Players say they believe in manager Ronny Deila’s approach to things. They just have to, you know … actually score.
🗣️ The plea from Deila: “We need to stick together now — the whole club, all the players, the staff, fans, everybody. Everybody is in this situation together, and we want to turn it around. So to start blaming each other now, or trying to find one person that is the cause of the problem, is just stupid.”
WEEKEND WONDERPERSON
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
In a weekend when the biggest college football news was Tennessee cutting ties with its star quarterback over NIL demands, it feels right to pay tribute to players who’ve stayed put and waited for their shot.
And there were plenty of those showing out during spring games in Atlanta and Athens on Saturday.
As columnist Michael Cunningham highlighted, Georgia Tech receiver Zion Taylor bided his time and looks ready to reel in a bigger role. To say nothing of Yellow Jackets quarterbacks Haynes King and Aaron Philo sticking around the Flats.
At Georgia, quarterback Gunner Stockton appears poised to lock down the starting role, three seasons after he became a Bulldog.
Many more examples exist. And while I think NIL and the transfer portal are, ultimately, good and fair things, loyalty still counts for something too — right?
More spring game coverage:
T-MINUS 10 DAYS …
… until the NFL Draft. Get up to date with the latest position-by-position breakdowns from our Hall of Fame friend, D. Orlando Ledbetter.
🏈 The top 10 pass rushers in a draft full of them.
🏈 The top 10 safeties in the draft — and a look at where ex-Georgia Bulldog Malaki Starks could land.
CAPTION THIS
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Remember this photo? The one I asked y’all to submit captions for Friday?
A lot of you did — and a lot of you were not family friendly, as requested. Which is OK (and funny!), but not particularly helpful.
So I gotta give the honors to reader Matt T., who submitted the caption below.
THE WINNER
Torpedo bat is a state of mind. Torpedo bat is a state of mind.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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