Rory McIlroy has captured the Masters for a second consecutive year, this time without the tearful collapse on the 18th green but no less dramatic. After surrendering a six-shot advantage in the third round and falling two behind early on Sunday as Cameron Young and Justin Rose mounted threats, McIlroy answered with key birdies around Amen Corner to secure a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy joined an exclusive group of champions who have defended their green jacket, becoming the fourth player to win the Masters in back-to-back years alongside Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus. He reflected afterward on how tough the tournament is, saying that winning Augusta is simply “really difficult” despite last year’s extra pressure from a Grand Slam bid.
The finish was tense. On the par-5 15th his wedge just cleared the false front; a long putt from behind the 16th green threaded down the slope to inches to save par; a chip-in on 17 preserved momentum. With a two-shot lead on the 18th, his drive found a position closer to the 10th fairway, and an 8-iron over trees landed in a bunker. He blasted out to about 12 feet and, after two-putting for bogey, carded a 1-under 71 to close at 12-under 276. He raised his arms in celebration as the win was sealed.
At the trophy presentation, Augusta National’s chairman Fred Ridley placed the jacket on McIlroy, the first time the chairman performed the honor since Woods’ consecutive wins in 2001-02. McIlroy joked that it “still fits.” The victory brings McIlroy’s major count to six, tying him with Nick Faldo, Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson.
McIlroy seized control with bold ball-striking at critical moments, notably a daring shot over Rae’s Creek on the par-3 12th that stopped about 7 feet away for birdie, and a 350-yard drive on the par-5 13th that set up another birdie to open a three-shot lead.
Public congratulations poured in, including a social media post from President Donald Trump calling McIlroy “more and more a LEGEND!” McIlroy is expected to tee up next at the Cadillac Championship in two weeks at Trump Doral outside Miami.
For others it was near-miss heartbreak. Justin Rose, 45, surged into contention with an unlikely birdie after a shot out of the trees on the seventh and strung together three straight birdies, but bogeys around Amen Corner and a missed chance on the 13th left him short. “I was right in position,” Rose said, noting how momentum shifted at the most crucial stretch.
Cameron Young’s weekend challenge evaporated after a long three-putt on the par-3 sixth and a bogey when a fairway wedge found a bunker; he closed with nine straight pars and lamented a string of birdie chances that didn’t fall.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler mounted an impressive run. Twelve shots back entering the weekend, he climbed to within two shots as he approached the turn and then posted a bogey-free 65-68 on the weekend—the first player since 1942 to go bogey-free over the weekend at Augusta. Still, Scheffler had to settle for second place, his third runner-up finish in a major alongside his four major victories.
McIlroy said a bit of advice from Tom Watson during a 2009 practice round at Augusta stuck with him: wait for the right wind and hit the shot. His three-quarter 9-iron at the 12th was a perfect example, drifting slightly right but finishing closer than any other ball that day. And while McIlroy has now defended the green jacket, no one has ever won three straight Masters.