Rory McIlroy wins Masters months after confronting gay slur

Rory McIlroy has won The Masters for the second year in a row, taking a huge leap forward for his legacy months after he faced a hostile, homophobic crowd right here in the U.S.

McIlroy won The Masters on Sunday with a score of -12, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler and two shots ahead of four other players.

It comes months after hecklers tried to get in McIlroy’s head at the Ryder Cup, held a few hundred miles up the coast from The Masters in New York.

McIlroy was leading the Europeans to a Ryder Cup win against the Americans when some (totally sober) American fans heckled him over and over.

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Video footage recorded at the Ryder Cup shows Europe’s Rory McIlroy reacting to a homophobic slur shouted from the crowd.

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When one idiot fan called McIlroy a “f***ot” to his face as the golfer walk past the gallery, McIlroy stopped and immediately told officials to “throw him out,” pointing to the fan who had yelled the gay slur.

When the fan played dumb, McIlroy confirmed he heard the slur. The fan was tossed from the golf course.

It was reportedly one of many times the PGA golfer from Northern Ireland was the target of homophobic slurs.

It was a great move by McIlroy. Some athletes would brush off being called a gay slur, making sure people didn’t think something like that could get to them. For McIlroy to handle it with professionalism, make sure the fan was thrown out of the tournament, and go on to score 3.5 points in five matches was spot-on.

It was the eighth consecutive appearance in the Ryder Cup for McIlroy.

McIlroy and the golf team representing Europe beat the Americans for the Ryder Cup, he beat three Americans at The Masters, and it was two Americans who landed third and fourth at last year’s Masters.

It’s the second year in a row McIlroy has won The Masters. He’s now won six Major Championships — adding two PGA Championships and one each of the U.S. Open and British Open. That’s tied for 12th-most ever, joining golf legends Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson, now cementing his place as one of the best golfers of all time with many productive years ahead for his career.

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