In Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph, 1 close call told the story

Rory McIlroy begged his ball to stop at No. 15 on Sunday. Getty Images AUGUSTA, Ga.

— As the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, improving the lighting on a cinematic Masters finish, two turtles crawled out of the pond guarding Augusta National’s 15th green. They settled on the bank and that’s where they stayed, unmoving and unmoved, as the final pairings of the world’s greatest golf tournament played past. They seemed unimpressed by Scottie Scheffler’s birdie and its accompanying roar.

Unaffected by the final birdie in Justin Rose’s valiant, heartbreaking charge. Unbothered by Sam Burns’ second shot, which rolled back into the pond, or his fourth, which sailed over their shells and set up an impressive up-and-down par. But as Rory McIlroy crested the hill and looked over the pond and stepped up to an awkward, high-stakes wedge-shot approach in the final twosome of the day, I couldn’t help but think that the turtles were the only ones unaware of what was at stake.

THIS WEEK WAS SUPPOSED TO BE a victory lap for McIlroy. A year ago, same time and place, he slayed the dragon, climbed the mountain, lifted the weight of the world from his shoulders. This week he returned as a career Grand Slam winner, which meant for the first time in a decade and a half he could show up expectation-free.