One of the greatest aspects of watching live sports is that you never know what is going to happen. Everyone loves an underdog story, and some of the most magical moments in sports happen when a team or individual pulls off an upset that no one was expecting. Below are five of the most impressive comeback performances in sports history.
5. Rory McIlroy’s First-Ever Masters Win
On Sunday, April 13, Rory McIlroy won his first-ever Masters Tournament and his first Major Championship since 2014. McIlroy joins some of the greatest names in golf history as one of only six players to complete a Grand Slam of all major tournaments. 2025 marked McIlroy’s 17th time playing in The Masters and all eyes were on him as he found himself in first place leading into Sunday’s final match.
McIlroy had a chance to seal his grand slam on the 18th hole with a putt for par, to defeat the second-place standing Justin Rose, but he missed sending the pair into a playoff. Given a second chance to seal the grand slam, McIlroy responded to 11 long years without a Major win by sinking his birdie putt to defeat Rose on the first playoff hole. McIlroy came back from ending his first round even par to first place and 11 under par for the weekend. More notably he came back from an 11-year drought, multiple chances at a Masters win and a missed putt on 18 to seal his name in PGA history. Rory McIlroy’s win seals a career comeback, and long-awaited win.
McIlroy’s Masters tournament win is an incredible feat; however, it does not top the most notable individual sports comeback performances. Four individual performances stand ahead of McIlroy’s Masters win.
4. McLaren and Oscar Piastri’s Rise to Success
One of Formula One’s longest-standing teams, McLaren, holds the second most wins by any team behind Ferrari. Some of the best Formula One drivers have raced for McLaren — Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton being two of their most notable past drivers.
Alongside great success, the team has experienced its fair share of slumps. At the beginning of the 2023 season, McLaren and their star rookie Oscar Piastri faced a difficult reality. The team finished fifth among the 10 total constructors in 2022 and it seemed that few improvements had been made entering 2023.
The first race of the season resulted in one DNF by the rookie and last place from their other driver, Lando Norris. A very slow start to the season gave way to late success, but only enough to improve to fourth place in the 2023 season. As a rookie, Piastri struggled to consistently compete with the top racers and placed ninth overall to end the season.
In the middle of the 2024 season, Piastri won his first-ever race and Norris took second place. This historic one-two finish for McLaren marked an imminent comeback and beginning of Piastri’s reign. Piastri won another grand prix in 2024 and Norris a total of four. Mclaren won the Constructors Championship to defeat reigning champion Red Bull. Early into the 2025 Formula One season, Piastri leads the drivers championship, closely followed by teammate Norris.
3. Lindsey Vonn’s 2024-25 Season
Alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn retired in 2019 following a long slew of serious injuries. After nine substantial surgeries throughout her career, it seemed that Vonn’s reign would come to an end.
Five years later, Vonn announced she would make her return to the alpine skiing world. However, her return was not possible until she underwent a full knee replacement. The age of 40, multiple injuries, and five years away from the sport would deter nearly every athlete — except Vonn.
Vonn capped the 2024-25 season with a second-place finish in the super-G. Her second-place podium not only proved that she could still race at the same level as she did in 2018, but also set the record for the oldest female alpine ski racer to podium by six years. The podium also marked her 408th World Cup start, just one away from the record. After over five years away from World Cup skiing, Vonn has proven she can still contend and succeed at the highest level.
2. Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters
For over a decade, Tiger Woods was the face of professional golf. He became the youngest golfer to ever win The Masters tournament at the age of 21. He went on to win that tournament four more times, and he racked up a total of 15 major wins. Woods won 82 total PGA Tour tournaments and set numerous records in his career. But the greatest name in modern golf began to slow amidst injury and controversy and Woods recorded his last major tournament win in 2008. Years of domination were over, and Woods struggled to compete consistently for years.
Woods’ fourth back surgery marked what many assumed would be his official retirement from golf. It wasn’t until he made it to the 2019 Masters tournament that his slow streak ended. After over a decade without a major win and numerous surgeries, questions about Woods’ ability to play a tournament lingered in the air. His appearance in the 2019 Masters Tournament sparked hope in many, but strong doubts surrounded his arrival.
The impossible became a reality as Woods ended the second-to-last day of the tournament two strokes behind the leader. The 44-year-old fought through the final day and slowly made his comeback, showing flashes of his old game as he sank his final putt on 18 to secure the victory. Woods won his first Major on the same hole in 1997 and capped off a decade of doubt with one of the most prestigious wins on the PGA Tour.
1. Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing
One of the greatest names in sports, Muhammad Ali, makes a strong case for the best individual comeback in sports history. In Ali’s first three years of professional boxing from 1960 to 1963, he held a 19-0 record. His early career was boosted by his 1960 gold medal and 1964 upset of the reigning world heavyweight champion. Ali went undefeated in his first 31 professional fights. The unstoppable Ali was world-renowned and became an important symbol to people across the globe.
In 1967, Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War but refused induction into the army. Ali not only symbolized resistance to the war but also connected the civil rights movement to peace efforts. Ali was subsequently convicted of evading the draft, and the greatest heavyweight boxer was banned from contention for three years. The state of Georgia finally allowed his return in 1970.
After over three years, Ali returned to professional boxing in a historic match against Jerry Quarry. The match symbolized much more than Ali’s return to the sport; it injected energy into the civil rights movements in America. Ali won his return match, proving he could still contend for the greatest heavyweight boxer and acting as a symbol for many social movements. The defeat of well-known Quarry propelled Ali back into the professional boxing world and cemented his name in history.
