Rory McIlroy fought off challenges from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a dazzling match Sunday at Augusta to become the fifth straight Masters champion and sixth major.
The Ulsterman joined the exclusive club of Grand Slam winners in impressive fashion last year when he defeated Rose in the play-offs, but had to fight his way back to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday after falling behind Rose, overnight co-leader Cameron Young and even Russell Henry at various points in the rollercoaster final round.
Rory McIlroy wears his coveted green jacket again (Getty)
Two days later, the tournament seemed all but over, but McIlroy had a six-shot lead (the largest margin in Masters history after 36 holes) and was playing with the peace and serenity that comes with being the defending champion.
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But Saturday’s 1-over 73 gave hope to his pursuers and shook McIlroy’s confidence, forcing him to search for answers on the practice field late Saturday evening.
If there was one thing that stood out about Sunday morning’s chasing pack, it was the quality of golfers willing to chase.
Sam Burns and Cam Young are young players on the PGA Tour, both looking to win their first majors after success on tour and Ryder Cup appearances. Justin Rose, Jason Day and Shane Lowry are all major winners with the experience and temperament to withstand Sunday’s push, and Scottie Scheffler is Scottie Scheffler. If you want to know more, welcome to the first master – have you ever tried pimento cheese?
Sunday morning’s leaderboard had the most positions since 2017, but only the final four are really in contention, and you’ll still need to play the best golf of your life to have a chance. The first hour or two raised the question of who could benefit or stay in the hunt.
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Burns was the first to fall. The Louisiana-born Burns managed to play some competitive golf all weekend, hitting shots under par, something McIlroy and Scheffler couldn’t say, but a bogey on No. 1 and a double bogey on No. 2 set him back too far to recover.
Scottie Scheffler applied pressure but couldn’t pull away from Rory McIlroy (AP)
Throughout the night, the co-leaders jockeyed for position in the final pairing as Burns withdrew from the fight. Elsewhere, Rose birdied No. 5 on Sunday, becoming the second golfer to tie for third with Scheffler. The race seemed to be shrinking to just five participants.
Shane Lowry was next to fall, finding sand on his fifth tee shot, but crucially his second iron caught the front wall of a bunker, leaving him further from the hole than he started. By the time the ball finally went into the hole, he hit a double-bogey six, dropping him further down the field and narrowing the standings even more. The day soon followed.
McIlroy outlasted playing partner Cameron Young (Reuters)
There’s always likely to be one intruder, and Henry turns out to be that man. The 37-year-old local favorite and native of Macon, Georgia, had four birdies in his first eight holes to tie for second place. Henry, who has a rather modest appearance, has found a way to compete at the highest level, with four top-10 finishes in the past eight majors.
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At different times there were almost every possible combination of leaders. McIlroy and Young started the day jointly, then Young had sole custody until Rose joined in, and then Young took a step back before Rose had him to himself for a while. Henry seemed to be in the lead out of nowhere, but a bogey on the 12th put him back in the pack and he missed too many important putts, leaving him with the rest of the pack for the rest of the day.
(Getty)
By just after 5 p.m., five golfers were separated by just one stroke. McIlroy is the lone leader, with four behind him. The par putt on No. 11 prevented him from dropping the lead to a five-way tie that would have restarted the tournament — a mini-masters for a select few.
But in key moments, Young kept making mistakes and McIlroy surged forward.
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At No. 12 he came closer to the pin than anyone else on Sunday and picked up the next shot. He then birdied the 13th hole to extend his lead over familiar foes Rose and Scheffler to two strokes.
Another near miss at the Masters for Justin Rose (Getty)
As it turned out, Scheffler’s faultless teaching wasn’t enough to overcome Thursday and Friday’s failures. A 2-over 74 in the second round pushed him back down the leaderboard and threatened a memorable Sunday charge, but he never took the lead at the Masters. He had 11 straight pars on Sunday and missed numerous chances to close in on the defending champion.
Rose battled all day, making bogey after bogey before three-putting for par at Amen Corner. In the end, those holes were the difference between him and his Ryder Cup teammates, who picked up shots in golf’s most (infamous) three-hole stretch and used that momentum to carry him to the finish line.
Rory McIlroy presented with green jacket by Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley (Getty)
McIlroy’s struggle to save par on 15 averted the last real threat to his outstanding performance this week, making him only the fourth player in history to defend his Masters Championship, although no winner has emerged from anything other than the final bracket since Englishman Danny Willett stunned the golfing world 10 years ago.
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But ultimately, this victory is seen as a milestone towards a far greater accomplishment for McIlroy, a man who now has to view major wins as important statistics rather than singular peaks in his career.
By joining the Grand Slam club last year, McIlroy established himself among the greatest players of all time. How much more he can add to his six major wins will determine his place in golf’s hall of fame.
