Masters 2026: Rory McIlroy rebounds to collect second consecutive green jacket, sixth major title
Adam Glanzman
Rory McIlroy was never really going to blow a six-shot lead at the Masters was he? Ultimately, no, but it did appear like it would be the case for a large portion of the weekend at Augusta National.
The defending Masters champion who collected the last leg of the career Grand Slam last year built a whopping, record six-shot lead at the midway point Friday, only to cough it all up via a Saturday 73. On Sunday, playing in the final pairing with Players champion Cameron Young, McIlroy found himself three off the lead early after a three-putt double bogey from nine feet on the fourth hole.
Then, one-by-one, others faltered—Young, Justin Rose, Russell Henley—just as McIlroy rediscovered the form that won him a green jacket a year ago, the same form that created the huge lead two days prior. After birdies at 7, 8, 12 and 13, suddenly McIlroy had amassed a three-shot lead again and was on his way to defending his title by shooting a final-round 71 for a 12-under 276 total. Birdie on the famed par-3 12th came from seven feet and an up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 13th helped seal the deal.
But first, there was one last bit of drama when McIlroy blew his tee shot on the home hole way right, just to the right of the 10th fairway. He found the front, left bunker with his second shot, blasted out and two-putted for bogey and a one-shot victory over a hard-charging Scottie Scheffler. Henley, Rose, Young and Tyrrell Hatton tied for third place, two shots back.
McIlroy, 36, joins Jack Nicklaus (1965, ’66), Nick Faldo (1989, ’90) and Tiger Woods (2001, ’02) as the only players to win back-to-back green jackets. It was his sixth major title, joining Faldo as Europeans with the most.
"I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and now I get two in a row," McIlroy said from Butler Cabin. "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."
This was just another classic Sunday on these hallowed Georgia grounds, a place that rarely disappoints.
At one point three different men held at least a two-shot lead. Rose, leading on the back nine, looked like he was going to capture his first Masters title after three runner-up finishes but bogeyed the 11th and 12th holes and three-putted the par-5 13th for par. Henley opened with 73, then went scorched earth the next three days and got into the mix. Young was under par after five holes, looking to join Scheffler and McIlroy as winners of both the Players and Masters the last two years. But he bogeyed three of the next four holes and never again found his rhythm. Hatton, playing well ahead of the leaders, birdied 13 through 16 to get to double digits under par. And Scheffler, 12 behind McIlroy after Round 2 surged with two late birdies and had the patrons worked into a lather. Bogey-free rounds of 65-68 over the weekend earned him solo second place although he'll likely have difficulty digesting this performance because he played the par 5s poorly most of the week.
"Overall, over the weekend I put up a good fight, did a lot of good stuff in order to give myself a chance," Scheffler said. "Ultimately came up a shot short."
In the end, the week was all about the man from Northern Ireland, just as this week was last year. He arrived at Augusta National having not played competitively in three weeks, but said his preparation was as good as it’s ever been, having felt like he played here enough to make him feel completely comfortable. He hosted the Champions Dinner on Tuesday, saying “it’s been an amazing 12 months.” He shot 67-65 the first two days to build the record lead and many were wondering if the weekend would prove boring.
Not a chance.
J.D. Cuban
McIlroy sputtered in his third-round 73, especially on the back nine when he made double-bogey 6 on the 11th hole and followed it with bogey on the 12th hole. Bogey on 17 still kept him in Sunday's final group but he was tied with Young and only slightly ahead of a handful of men who were hungry. But history still indicated that the champion would come from that last pairing, just as it has in 30 of the last 35 Masters.
It didn't appear like history would hold early on Sunday, but McIlroy plugged away, dug deep and walked off the 18th hole Sunday into the arms of his adoring family—wife Erica, daughter Poppy and parents Rosie and Gerry. Moments later, his arms slipped into the green jacket again, just as they had been much of the last 52 weeks.
"There was a piece of them that didn't want to come this year because they thought, OK, we didn't come last year, maybe that was the reason," McIlroy said about his parents. "But I'm so glad that they got to experience this today. We're all going to have a great time tonight."
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