What a dramatic Sunday at the Masters this week, as Rory McIlroy embraced his life work, emotional rollercoasters and good golf shots with exceptional, and at the same time, awful shots as he cruised to the win, gave it back and finally staggered over the line.
He became the sixth winner of the 'Grand Slam' and the first European to achieve the feat. Bobby Jones won a similarly rare accolade when he won the US Amateur and US Open together with the Amateur and the Open in 1930. He then went on to design Augusta National and instigate the Masters, and the Green Jacket winners prize.
Having spent almost 5 hours watching events unfold, it got me thinking about other sporting occasions which got the National off their feet either live or in their iwn living rooms. Here is my list, I am sure you can think of others.
Football World Cup 1966 has to be up there near the top, Botham's Ashes and Stokes World Cup winning feats lead the cricketing memories, and Johnnie Wilkinson going to extra holes to win the Rugby World Cup is also a contender.
There are probably Olympic events which others will add to the list, mostly athletics based such as the Coe and Ovett duels, the Mobot, Daly Thompson, and the women decathletes but also rowers Pincent & Redgrave, swimmers like Duncan Goodhew and Winter Olympians Torvill & Dean.
Finally I have to add Andy Murray to the list, he is almost more like Rory than Rory, but his Wimbledon winning efforts had the whole Country united behind a Scotsman, no easy feat in itself!!
