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An Instagram post from respected golf instructor Michael Breed has brought fresh attention to Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters triumph. Though it was not about the playoff putt or the Northern Irishman crying on his knees. This time, it was about a personal gesture.

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“So there are times, as sort of a golf memorabilia guy, where you see a significant event happen in the sport, and you just have to have something that’s going to represent that significant event. We were all very, very fortunate to see Rory McIlroy win a career Grand Slam back at the Masters, what, maybe 10 months ago. And it took me about that long to get to this point right here,” Breed shared.

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“But if you zoom in on that, you can see Rory was kind enough to sign that for me to Michael. Let’s do this, Rory McIlroy. This is honestly, this Masters flag is probably at the same level as a 2001 Masters flag that I have signed by Tiger Woods, and now Madness one to the collection,” continued Michael Breed in the Instagram video.

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Rory McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters Tournament in a dramatic playoff against Justin Rose. Not only McIlroy, but his fans too got emotional after the win, which came after a long wait.

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He finished at 11-under par after a final-round 73. What’s dramatic is that he had a chance to win the event in the regulation rounds.

But he missed a par putt on 18 in regulation before sinking a short birdie on the first playoff hole.

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The 5x major champion entered the final round with a lead but faced pressure.

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This included a double bogey early and squandering a four-shot advantage late. However, he finally won the event after 17 attempts. With the win, he joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to achieve the career Grand Slam.

Michael Breed is a Golf Digest Top 100 Teacher and the 2012 PGA Teacher of the Year. He likes to collect memories of some of the best title wins in golf.

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Besides Rory McIlroy’s signed Masters flag, he also has a flag signed by Tiger Woods after his 2001 win at Augusta National.

Now, as Breed shared the Instagram post, fans started praising the overall story.

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Fans flooded the post with emotion and praise for Rory McIlroy

The comment section quickly turned into a running tribute. Fans used Breed’s video to relive the 29x PGA Tour winner’s Masters moment and what it meant to them personally. One summed up the shared feeling of the tournament’s finale. “I almost cried watching The Masters this year with my boys. It was special for Rory to win.” The comment reflects how the victory resonated beyond scorecards and leaderboards.

It was indeed special for the Northern Irishman. After the win, he threw his club in the air, went on his knees, and cried his heart out. In fact, he admitted that long after the event, he still can’t hold back tears when he remembers or watches the highlights.

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While some were relieved at the moment, others focused on the significance of Breed receiving the signed flag. They applauded both the gesture and his standing in the game. “So cool and you are so deserving! 🙌,” one commented.

Echoing similar emotions, another added, “What a great piece, with what I’m sure is an even better story behind it.” This comment hints that the memorabilia carries a deeper narrative than what is visible on camera.

The tone wasn’t all reverent. A lighter note came through in a playful suggestion, “Have @grahamrahal signed checked flag next???” Graham Rahal is an IndyCar Series driver and the son of three-time champion Bobby Rahal. He is known for high-profile wins like his dramatic 2016 Texas Motor Speedway victory, where he seized the checkered flag on the final lap. The fan is proposing Breed seek a signed checkered racing flag from Rahal to parallel his golf Masters flags.

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Then, one fan didn’t need to use words to show how awesome the entire story was. “👏👏👏👏” reflected their emotions about Breed getting the signed flag after so long.

These comments reinforce a sense of collective approval that extended to both Rory McIlroy’s kindness and Michael Breed’s role in preserving a piece of recent golf history.

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Written by

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Kailash Bhimji Vaviya

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Kailash Vaviya is a Golf Journalist at EssentiallySports, covering both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. His reporting spans major championship contention, player performance, and the ongoing tensions between the two circuits, from the financial pressures LIV players face to the tour politics shaping where careers go. He has followed golf closely since his college years, and that long-running familiarity informs how he covers the game, placing week-to-week results within the bigger structural stories around them. Before joining EssentiallySports, Kailash wrote for Comic Book Resources (CBR) and Forbes, where he developed a research-driven approach to sports and media reporting. He brings that same attention to accuracy and structure to his golf work, with particular depth on the business and political side of the professional game alongside the competitive storylines that define each tournament week.

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Ahana Chatterjee

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