Rory McIlroy fends off Scottie Scheffler’s comeback to win 2nd-straight Masters

Rory McIlroy finally won the Masters in 2025 after a career full of heartbreak at Augusta National. He became the sixth man to win the Career Grand Slam and won his fifth major. Now in 2026, after a shaky Saturday had him tied for the lead, McIlroy has done it again. For the second consecutive year, Rory McIlroy has won the Masters.

BACK-TO-BACK GREEN JACKETS FOR RORY MCILROY

He becomes the first player to win consecutive Masters titles since Tiger Woods in 2001-02 pic.twitter.com/ALRHeitq8t

— ESPN (@espn) April 12, 2026

It was a Sunday 71 for McIlroy that got the job done this year, better than last year’s 73 that earned him a spot in the playoff. And no sudden death was necessary this time, as pars from 14 to 17 helped him steady the ship and get into the clubhouse. Justin Rose and Cam Young held the lead alone at different points, while Scottie Scheffler put a charge into the board. But McIlroy was steady, finishing off his sixth major championship.

McIlroy made birdies on 12 and 13, two holes that gave him trouble on Saturday. From there on out, McIlroy found fairways, was patient around the greens, and won the Masters like the veteran he is. While his 2025 championship was thrilling, it was not a sustainable way to play Augusta National. He found that balance in 2026, and it paid off on a chaotic Sunday.

A wild Masters Sunday ends with a Grand Slam champion

As McIlroy approached Amen Corner, he held a one-shot lead over a pack of five players tied at 10-under par. Among that group was Scheffler, who shot a 68 with two timely birdies to shoot up the board. There are many players, including Scheffler, who will remember this Green Jacket as one that got away.

Cam Young held a two-shot lead early in the day after McIlroy made an inexplicable double bogey on 3. But instead of chasing that double with bad decisions like he did last year, McIlroy plotted a comeback. Consecutive bogeys on 6 and 7 spelled the end of Young’s time in the lead.

Justin Rose finished third, saving himself from a fourth runner-up finish without a Green Jacket. A pair of Amen Corner bogeys put Rose away, while a bogey on 17 took away his birdie on 15. An eternal grind for a second major and a first Masters falls just short again.

But the story from Augusta National is once again McIlroy, who has gone from a tortured near-champion to one of the Masters’ best in just one year.

McIlroy joins Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only consecutive Masters champions. He also joins Phil Mickelson, Faldo, and Lee Trevino as the only players with exactly six major championships.

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