Rory McIlroy called it “incredible” after converting a record-breaking 36-hole advantage into a successful defence of his Masters title at Augusta National.
McIlroy became only the fourth player to win consecutive Masters — joining Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods — holding off Scottie Scheffler by a single stroke to claim his sixth major. The world number two opened the weekend with a six-shot lead, the largest 36-hole margin in Masters history, but briefly slipped back after a costly sequence early in the final round.
A birdie at the third was followed by a three-putt double-bogey at the par-three fourth and another dropped shot at the fifth, which left McIlroy two behind playing partner Cameron Young. He steadied himself, however, responding with birdies at six and back-to-back gains starting at the 12th. A final-hole bogey left him with a one-under 71 for the day, but it was enough to deny Scheffler and secure the Green Jacket.
“I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday,” McIlroy said. “I just had to hang in there. Having a six-shot lead going into the weekend, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I wasn’t able to get myself over the finish line.” He admitted the pressure of defending a major never gets easy: “I don’t make it easy. It’s hard to win golf tournaments, especially around here.”
McIlroy’s win ends a long run of near-misses at Augusta. After completing the third leg of a career Grand Slam in 2014, he endured a stretch of unsuccessful attempts at the Masters, but now backs up last year’s victory with a second straight Green Jacket in his 17th and 18th appearances at Augusta National. He called the turnaround a reward for years of persistence at the tournament.
The PGA Tour now heads to Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. The next major on the calendar is the PGA Championship, which runs May 14–17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.