Rory McIlroy cemented his status as one of golf’s greatest ever players by holding off a series of high-profile players to seal a captivating one-shot victory at Augusta National, to become the first player to win the tournament back-to-back since Tiger Woods.
The 36-year-old, who ended an 11-year long wait to claim the iconic Green Jacket last year joining the illustrious list of Grand Slam champions, came into the final round in a share of the lead alongside American playing partner Cameron Young after the Northern Irishman blew a healthy six-shot lead in the third round, leaving the final day wide open.
The likes of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, England’s Justin Rose, and American Russell Henley were all in and amongst the contenders in what was a congested leaderboard which experienced a host of changes in the final round.
The defending champion got off to a steady start but it was Young who hit the first birdie to take the solo lead on the second. McIlroy responded with a birdie of his own on the third but Young suddenly found himself with a two-shot lead after an uncharacteristic double-bogey from McIlroy saw him reeled in with the condensed chasing pack.
Despite a sticky start, Rose, who was further ahead and seeking to become the oldest first-time winner in the tournament’s history, was beginning to make strides on the front nine with three successive birdies from the sixth, a run that helped him tie level with McIlroy.
Rose soon found himself at the summit by the 11th but a bogey at the beginning of the treacherous Amen Corner saw his momentum stalled. Young was also beginning to slip up with a third bogey in four holes on the ninth.
McIlroy made sure to not suffer the same slip ups as he cautiously navigated the 9th, 10th, and 11th with three consecutive pars to hold a grip of the final round. His grip soon tightened with a birdies on the 12th and 13th alongside further errors from Rose saw him extend his advantage to three with only five holes remaining.
Scheffler stayed within striking distance in the chasing pack throughout the final round and appeared to mount a late charge after a birdie putt on the 15th saw him join a host of players including Young in a tie for second. Another birdie on the 16th saw him claim solo second and cut McIlroy’s lead down to two.
However, McIlroy’s two-shot advantage remained until the 18th as his closest challengers stumbled, putting him in the driving seat to achieve back-to-back Masters titles. The nerves of achieving such a feat looked to have potentially got the better of him as his tee shot arrowed towards the trees and his second shot found the bunker. But McIlroy recovered and safely two-putted to card a final-round 71, finish on 12 under, and collect his 6th career major title.
“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one Green Jacket and I get two in a row,” an ecstatic McIlroy said. “I think all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off. It was a tough weekend. I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. But just so, so happy to hang in there and get the job done.”
The victory means McIlroy once again places his name in golf’s history books becoming only the fourth golfer to win consecutive Masters titles following Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990), and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002).
Scheffler finished as runner-up after an impressive bogey-free weekend, the first at The Masters since 1942, saw him posted on 11 under and afterwards lavished praised on McIlroy and his performance.
“I’ve competed against him for a long time, and you don’t win the amount of tournaments that he’s won out here without being pretty resilient,” Scheffler said.
“I mean, having a six-shot lead at Augusta is never easy, and losing that is obviously something difficult.
“But at the end of the day when you tee it up here on Sunday, you know, he’s tied for the lead to start the day and had a solid round and did what he needed to do in order to get it done.
“I knew going into today I was going to have to do something special if I wanted to catch him on Cam and I was close but just a few shots here or there.”
There was a four-way tie for third which included Rose who has missed out on the Green Jacket once again in agonizing fashion.
“It is another little stinger,” Rose said. “I was by no means free and clear, and nowhere close to having the job done, but I was right in position.”
Young, Henley, and Hatton all joined Rose on 10 under.
When is the next major?
The next major on the men’s calendar is the PGA Championship taking place between 14-17 May at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.