Golf star Ludvig Aberg's dream of winning the Masters was left in tatters as his woeful final two holes cost him over half a million pounds. The Swedish sensation was in the running for a play-off spot with the chance to go head-to-head with Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose for the £3.17m ($4.2m) prize money and the iconic Green Jacket. However, Aberg's hopes were dashed on the 17th and 18th holes. After a birdie on the 15th, he needed just one more to secure a place in the play-off and a significant cash prize. But a bogey on the 17th severely dented his chances. The 25-year-old's woes didn't stop there as he drove the ball into a fairway bunker on the 18th. And his unsuccessful attempt to recover made for a tough watch. His shot hit the lip of the bunker, causing the ball to roll back to his feet. His second attempt landed in the greenside bunker. Aberg then overshot his next stroke past the green and had to knock it back in before putting for a triple bogey, with the disastrous sequence seeing the talented golfer fall dramatically down the leaderboard. He slipped from what would have been solo third with two pars in the final two holes, which would have earned him £1.08m ($1.43m), to solo seventh and a significantly smaller pay-day after finishing six under. The Masters weekend therefore concluded on a hugely disappointing note for Aberg, who made his Augusta debut in 2024 and finished as runner-up to Scottie Scheffler. In the end, McIlroy emerged victorious and ended his 11-year major drought, completing his Grand Slam and winning £3.17m in the process. The Northern Irish golfer narrowly defeated Rose in a gripping playoff to secure his first green jacket. Having been overcome with emotion and burst into tears of joy, he embraced his family who had been watching on. He said: "You have to be the eternal optimist in this game. I have been saying it until I am blue in the face but I truly believe I am a better player now than 10 years ago. "It is so hard to stay patient, keep coming back and not being able to get it done. There were points on the back nine where I thought, 'have I let this slip again?' but I responded and am really proud of myself. It has been an emotional week so I am thrilled to be last man standing." Reflecting on his journey, he added: "It's my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. I'm just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion." McIlroy's victory places him among the exclusive group of golfers who have achieved the legendary Grand Slam, joining the ranks of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.