Rory McIlroy has made more history by winning the Masters at Augusta National again.
The Northern Irishman took control on the back nine in the final round in Georgia and carded a 1-under 71 to win by one shot and slip on a second Green Jacket, as just the fourth player to win the Masters in consecutive years.
The Augusta patrons hadn’t been treated to a back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods in 2002, and only Jack Nicklaus (1965, 1966) and Sir Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) had achieved this rare accolade before then.
He is now a six-time major champion, joining Faldo, Phil Mickelson, and Lee Trevino on the same total. He is one of only 15 players to win at least six majors.
“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and I get two in a row,” he 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.
“It felt pretty similar to last year. I made a double early on the first hole last year. I made a double on 4 this year. Then I played flawless golf after that. I made four birdies and no bogeys going to the last tee, knowing that I had a two-shot lead. It’s nice to have that two-shot cushion instead of the one, like I had last year.
“I looked at the board after I made the bogey on 6, and I think I went back to 9-under at that point, and I said, okay, if I can get to 14-under, I think I’ve got a really good chance of winning this tournament. I didn’t quite get there. I got to 13. But 13 was good enough standing on the 18th tee.”
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In the truest nature of London buses, McIlroy’s fans waited an eternity for him to win the Masters and complete his career grand slam, which he accomplished in 2025.
With the shackles off and a successful navigation of his first Champions Dinner on Tuesday of tournament week, McIlroy birdied holes 12 and 13, leg two and three of Amen Corner, to move three shots ahead of a bunched pack of players that included the remarkable Justin Rose.
Rose led by two shots after a birdie on hole 9, and it looked as though he was about to end his Masters hoo-doo. But he bogeyed the 11th, the 12th and three-putted the 13th hole for a disappointing par. Having looked so assured, ball-striking and short game abandoned the Englishman, who has a sole major to his name – the 2013 US Open.
It was once feared McIlroy, the man from Holywood, mightn’t ever have his name in lights again and win another major title, let alone one down Magnolia Lane, as he went 10 years outside of the winner’s circle. He won the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014, his fourth major trophy, then several close calls later, he got over the line in a playoff against Rose at this most glorious April tournament.
As for Rose, he must settle for another near miss at the Masters. He has come second or tied for second on three different occasions, as well as recording four other top-10 finishes.
McIlroy began the final round tied with Cameron Young at the top of the leaderboard. He made birdie on the 3rd hole, but followed it with missing short putts on 4, culminating in a double-bogey – a seemingly common fixture in his Masters Sunday campaigns now.
He did fall behind at one stage, but birdies on the 7th and 8th holes brought him back up the leaderboard, at a point where Rose began to blunder. Young shot 1-over on the day, and made nine consecutive pars on the back nine to finish two shots behind in a tie for third.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler applied significant pressure to McIlroy, too. The Texan, a two-time Masters champion himself, made two early birdies, then 11 pars straight from hole 4 to 14. His birdies on 15 and 16 edged him nearer to McIlroy, and a putt slid by on 17 for birdie, which could’ve been crucial in hindsight. But he finished on 11-under, and McIlroy was sitting tight on 13-under after his birdie on 13.
McIlroy played the 18th hole in the only way he knew how to retain his Augusta crown: awkward and nervy. A fanned drive to the right left his ball closer to the 10th hole than the last, but a towering iron sent his ball into a greenside bunker.
A splash out and a two-putt gave him a bogey, and a one-shot victory over Scheffler.
Final Leaderboard of the 2026 Masters
| Score | Player |
| -12 | Rory McIlroy |
| -11 | Scottie Scheffler |
| -10 | Tyrrell Hatton |
| -10 | Russell Henley |
| -10 | Justin Rose |
| -10 | Cameron Young |
| -9 | Sam Burns |
| -9 | Collin Morikawa |
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