Evin Priest
Updated ,first published
Augusta, Georgia: Masters champion Rory McIlroy addressed the thousands of fans gathered outside Augusta National’s roped-off practice putting green with three poignant words to open his second straight green jacket presentation ceremony.
“It still fits,” McIlroy joked.
Almost 15 years ago, and about 15 metres to his left, at the 10th tee, McIlroy hit a drive so ugly – a snap hook left into some cabins – it triggered an infamous final-round 80 that erased a four-shot, 54-hole lead. Fans wondered whether McIlroy would ever recover to win the Masters.
Let alone become just the fourth golfer in history to win successive Masters titles, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. Only three times in 89 years had the Augusta National chairman needed to slip the green jacket on a title defender instead of the previous champion.
Last year, the Northern Irishman delivered professional golf’s most emotional day when he added a long-awaited Masters to his 2011 US Open, 2014 British Open and two PGA Championships (2012, 2014). He became just the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam.
On Sunday, McIlroy emerged as the last man standing after one of the most helter-skelter Masters in history.
In his 18th Masters, McIlroy claimed his sixth major championship victory when he held off two-time Augusta winner Scottie Scheffler to win by one shot.
“I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and all of a sudden, I win two in a row,” McIlroy said in his winning press conference, in disbelief.
The 90th Masters was a nail-biter to the last minute. McIlroy flared his tee shot on the 18th right into the trees, but hooked his second around the pines into a greenside bunker. Two putts and a closing bogey gave McIlroy a one-under 71 to finish at 12 under.
Scheffler (68) was solo second at 11 under, while four other players held at least a share of the lead on a heart stopping final day.
Scheffler, a four-time major winner himself, praised McIlroy for his guts after squandering a record six-shot lead at the 36-hole mark and still recovering.
“You don’t win the amount of tournaments that he’s won out here without being pretty resilient,” Scheffler said.
Cameron Young (73), Justin Rose (70), Russell Henley (68) and Tyrrell Hatton (66), shared third at 10 under. Collin Morikawa (68, nine under) also made a run.
Australia’s Jason Day made par from the greenside bunker on 18 to share 12th (five under) and narrowly secure an invitation to the 2027 Masters. Adam Scott was two under.
McIlroy shocked the galleries when he made double bogey at the par-3 fourth and a bogey at the par-3 sixth, falling to nine under. But the 36-year-old restored the balance with birdies at the seventh and par-5 eighth.
The 30-time PGA Tour winner hit his tee shot close on the par-3 12th for a birdie before ripping a driver 320 metres on the 13th to set up another. After missing the green on 16 and 17, deft pitch shots yielded tap-in pars before his nerve-wracking closing bogey.
“I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win the Masters and the grand slam [simultaneously], and this year I realised it’s just really difficult to win the Masters,” McIlroy joked.
Maybe, but McIlroy became just the 19th multiple Masters winner in 90 years.
The theme of McIlroy’s maiden Masters win was his completion of the career grand slam after 10 years of being stuck on the final leg. It haunted McIlroy to the point of exhaustion.
Now, it’s clear the floodgates have opened to keep launching his stellar career further into the pantheon of golf greats.
He’s unequivocally the greatest European golfer in history. England’s Nick Faldo won six majors but his tally comprised of three British Opens and three Masters. The tie-breaker would be McIlroy’s career slam.
“Today I tie Nick; that debate is going to be hard,” a modest McIlroy said. “But it’s a cool conversation to be a part of.”
“It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it.”
Rory McIlroy
It won’t be a conversation for too long. Golf is only witnessing the first of the pinnacle years of one of its greatest ever champions. Among the career goals the Ulsterman holds is a British Open victory at St Andrews, having led in 2022 before his heart was broken by winner Cameron Smith. McIlroy gets another opportunity at St Andrews next year.
“It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it,” world No.2 McIlroy said. “I’m not putting a number on it, but I certainly don’t want to stop here. [Last year] I felt like the grand slam was the destination, and I realised it wasn’t. I don’t think I’ll go through that [same] lull of motivation.”
For now, McIlroy promised to have “a sore head” flying back to Florida on Monday given his parents were in the Augusta galleries. They didn’t attend last year. McIlroy’s mother had only ever witnessed in person one other major win by her son, the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool.
“I caught myself a couple of times thinking about them, and I was like no, not yet,” he said. “They missed it last year, and the first thing I wanted to do was fly home to [Holywood, Northern Ireland] to see them. I’m so glad that they got to experience this today. We’re all going to have a great time tonight.”
McIlroy earned it.
“Good things come to those who wait; just keep going,” McIlroy said when asked what his Masters journey taught him about life.
If he keeps going, he could become the first golfer ever to pull off a Masters three-peat.
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