Tiger Woods' 5-Word Perfect Message to Rory McIlroy Revealed on Tonight Show
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Rory McIlroy has finally returned to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after more than a decade. The Northern Irishman's last visit to the show was in 2014, when he promised he would only return if he won the Masters Tournament. And he did.
Fallon, a hardcore golf fan, had the honor of hosting McIlroy's first public appearance donning his brand-new green jacket. No small feat, considering the overwhelming number of celebrities who contacted the newest member of the Grand Slam club after his victory at Augusta National.
It is almost a truism to say that among the first to congratulate McIlroy was one of his professed idols, the legendary Tiger Woods. As the Northern Irishman recounted during the show, Woods sent him a message that was as brief as it was eloquent:
"He said, 'Welcome to the club, kid,'" McIlroy recalled.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the Masters trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the Masters trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
Getty Images/Richard Heathcote
The club Woods is referring to is, of course, players to have won all four major championship. He joined Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only players to complete the feat.
The 35-year-old also recounted the phone call that he said impressed him the most:
"I was sort of overwhelmed with the people that reached out from all different walks of life, you know, culture, entertainment," he said. "But the one that got me was Sir Elton John. That was, like, incredible."
As is usually the case with the best stories, this one was not lacking in humor:
"I actually haven't been able to connect with him," McIlroy said. "His assistant left me a voicemail and said, 'Sir Elton would love to congratulate you in person. The only problem is, he doesn't have a cellphone [laughs]. So you might get a call from a number in Windsor, England, from a landline.'"
"I'm like, 'Sure'. But we haven't been able to connect. So I'd love to reach out. And I just think it's...You know, it's Elton John. That's so cool of him to do that. I didn't even know Elton John knew what golf was."
From millions of ordinary citizens to two presidents, the 5-time major winner received congratulations from virtually the entire world. A few days ago, McIlroy pointed precisely that as the biggest takeaway from his victory:
"I think the big thing for me is just how the whole journey sort of resonated with people and the people that have reached out to me," he said from the TPC Louisiana ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. "That's been absolutely amazing."
"I spoke to two presidents the day after, which was pretty cool," he added. "Just people reaching out from all walks of life, whether it be sports, entertainment, culture. Just all of it. People you would never even think would watch golf or would know what's going on; that was very, very humbling."
Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters Tournament in his 17th appearance at Augusta National Golf Club. It was also his 11th attempt to win golf's Grand Slam, a career achievement reserved for players who win each of the major championships at least once.
After winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship earlier this season, the 29-time PGA Tour winner was the odds-on favorite to win the Masters Tournament.
He justified those predictions, but not without a fight, as he had to go all the way to the playoff, where he defeated Justin Rose to finally claim the green jacket.
More Golf: Michael Block Party Clinches PGA Championship Return with Epic Performance
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