GOLF: Rory McIlroy fourth player to win consecutive Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods — and now Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irish star emerged from a tightly packed field of contenders to win the 90th Masters Tournament on Sunday, joining golf’s elite group as one of the few players in history to successfully defend the title at Augusta National Golf Club.

McIlroy said earlier this week that winning his first Masters would make a second victory feel more attainable, and he leaned on that belief throughout a pressure-filled final round. He rallied from a two-shot deficit on the front nine to card a 1-under-par 71, finishing at 12-under 276 — one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler.

“I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win the Masters and the (career) Grand Slam, and then this year I realized it's just really difficult to win the Masters,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “I tried to convince myself it was both.”

The victory marked McIlroy’s sixth major championship, tying Faldo for the most by a European in the modern era and moving him into a tie for 12th all-time in men’s major titles.

Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose finished tied for third at 10-under-par. For Henley, the result came on his 37th birthday, marking a career-best finish in a major championship.

McIlroy began the final round tied for the 54-hole lead at 11 under alongside Young. Early momentum shifted when Young birdied the second hole to move to 12 under and briefly take control of the leaderboard. McIlroy’s repeat bid appeared in jeopardy after he dropped three shots across the two par-3 holes on the front nine, falling to 9 under.

At that stage, McIlroy was chasing the leaders, with Rose and Young both reaching 12 under during a run of four birdies in five holes through No. 9. Scheffler was also surging early, while Henley reached 10 under through eight holes.

McIlroy responded with renewed composure, beginning a decisive stretch that mirrored his strong finish in previous rounds. A birdie on the seventh hole brought him back into double digits, and another on the par-5 eighth moved him within one shot of the lead.

As Scheffler’s momentum stalled with 11 consecutive pars and both Rose and Young struggled to convert key chances on the back nine, McIlroy steadily increased the pressure. Birdies on the 12th and 13th holes carried him through “Amen Corner” at 2 under for the stretch and gave him a two-shot lead.

His birdie on the 12th — one of only four recorded on the hole all day — proved pivotal on a day when the traditional Sunday pin placement made scoring extremely difficult.

“Historically, I think I’ve played the 12th hole pretty well,” McIlroy said. “It’s not a hole you’re trying to birdie. It was a bonus that I did birdie it.”

Scheffler kept the contest alive with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to move to 11 under. He narrowly missed another opportunity on 17, finishing with a 4-under 68, still in contention as McIlroy approached the closing holes.

Holding a two-shot cushion, McIlroy pushed his drive on the 18th hole into the trees but recovered with a punch shot into a greenside bunker. He advanced onto the putting surface with his third shot and calmly two-putted for bogey to secure the win.

“I thought if I could get to 14 under, everyone else would struggle to get to that score,” he said. “That was the number I had in my head. I got to 13 on the last and had that two-shot cushion.”

After setting a Masters record with a six-shot lead through 36 holes, McIlroy played the final 36 holes at even par, allowing multiple challengers to re-enter contention during a dramatic final round in which at least four players held a share of the lead.

McIlroy admitted he closely tracked the leaderboard after slipping to 9 under, fully aware of the shifting dynamics behind him.

“I obviously did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think I would have believed anyone if they said all I had to do was shoot even par on the weekend to win,” he said. “I thought I’d need a couple under-par rounds at least.”

Scheffler made Masters history by becoming the first player since at least 1942 to go bogey-free over the weekend, according to CBS, but ultimately fell one shot short of forcing a playoff. He rebounded from a 74 in the second round — his worst score at Augusta — with weekend rounds of 65 and 68.

“Overall, I’m not going to hold too many regrets, but I’m definitely a bit disappointed,” Scheffler said. “I started the weekend 12 shots back and finished one shot back. If I’m going to blame anything, it should probably be the first two rounds.”

With six major titles now in hand, McIlroy reflected on his place among the game’s greats, particularly in European golf history. While he avoided making bold declarations, he acknowledged his continued motivation to build on his legacy.

“I said at the start of the week the Grand Slam was the destination, and I realized it wasn’t. I’m on a journey,” McIlroy said. “I’ve just won my sixth major and I feel in a really good place with my game and my body.”

“I don’t want to put a number on it, but this win is part of that journey. I still have things I want to achieve, but I also want to enjoy it. I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and then all of a sudden I win two in a row.”

“I’ve got a couple of weeks off before I compete again, and I don’t think I’ll lose motivation. That feeling I had last year after winning here — I don’t expect to go through that again.”

— Derek Harper, Field Level Media/Reuters