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Tiger Woods was among the first to congratulate Rory McIlroy on winning the Masters, welcoming him to an exclusive club of men's players to have won golf's Grand Slam.
The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland has became only the sixth man and the first European to win the career Grand Slam of Masters, Open Championship, US Open and US PGA Championship titles.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, had been the last player to win the Grand Slam in 2000, joining Americans Jack Nicklaus (1966) Ben Hogan (1953), Gene Sarazan (1935) and South Africa's Gary Player (1965).
"Welcome to the club," five-time Masters winner Woods wrote on X.
" Completing the Grand Slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you're a part of history. Proud of you."
McIlroy regrouped from missing a putt which would have secured victory on the 18th to beat England's Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off on Sunday.
The long-awaited triumph at Augusta National came almost 11 years after he won the fourth major of his career at the 2014 US PGA.
Nicklaus, 85, the winner of a record 18 majors and six Masters titles, said on America's CBS: "I'm so happy for him. It will take the world off his shoulders and you're now going to see a lot more of really good golf out of Rory McIlroy."
Player, at 89 the oldest living member of the now six-strong Grand Slam club, wrote on X: "We are proud to add Rory to our exclusive club and no doubt he has set the standard for his era.
"It was 11 years ago when Rory first started the final leg of his career Grand Slam journey. And throughout this time, he's carried himself with class, led with principle, and played with passion. For him to finally don the Green Jacket is a moment to be celebrated by fans around the world."
"I started to wonder if it would ever be my time," said McIlroy, who shot a one-over 73 on the final day to tie with Rose on 11 under.
"The past 10 years [I've been] coming with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that.
"I am so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.
"It's been very difficult. And not just about winning my next major, but the career Grand Slam."
McIlroy's travails have been an annual talking point coming into the iconic tournament which takes place every April and is the first of the year's majors.
"What are we all going to talk about next year?" McIlroy, with a beaming smile on his face, asked the media after his victory.
"It's a dream come true. I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember.
"Watching Tiger Woods in 1997, and then winning his first Green Jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did."
English veteran Rose, who was also aiming for his Masters victory, courageously fought back to force the play-off with a final-round 66.
He had some nice words for his long-time friend McIlroy, before revealing what he told the new Masters champion on the 18th green.
"I just said, listen, this is a historic moment in golf, isn't it, someone who achieves the career Grand Slam," said Rose.
"I said it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him.
"Obviously I wanted to be the bad guy, but still, it's a momentous occasion for the game of golf."
McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry, who faded out of contention on Sunday with an 81, told BBC NI Sport: "It's huge for Irish golf. It's huge for everyone. I've had a really bad day but I'm delighted for him.
"He might not have wanted to say this but it's genuinely been everything for him over the past 10 years."
Lowry also commented on X, where Ireland's 2019 Open champion wrote: "He always said to me he'd retire a happy man if he won the Green Jacket."
England's Tommy Fleetwood said it was "a very Rory McIlroy way of doing it" and nobody could "have written a better script", adding: "I couldn't be happier for him. He's at the top of his game and he's achieved something incredible."
McIlroy was quick to praise the role his caddie and friend Harry Diamond played in the victory, given the criticism he often faces.
Diamond, who became McIlroy’s caddie after JP Fitzgerald was let go in 2017, has been regularly condemned by fans and golf professionals for being too quiet at key times.
But McIlroy said: “I’ve known Harry since I was seven years old.
"I met him on the putting green at Holywood Golf Club. We've had so many good times together. He's been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life.
"To be able to share this with him after all the close calls that we've had, all the [nonsense] that he's had to take from people that don't know anything about the game, yeah, this one is just as much his as it is mine.
"He's a massive part of what I do, and I couldn't think of anyone better to share it with than him.”
McIlroy pointed out the crucial role Diamond played in steadying his nerves before the play-off.
"Harry and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee, and he said to me, 'Well pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning,'" said McIlroy.
"I'm like, 'Yeah, absolutely we would have.' That was an easy reset.
"I just kept telling myself, just make the same swing you made in regulation. I hit a great drive up there, and the rest is history."
