McIlroy turns a procession into a battle as he secures second Masters title

For Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, winning the Masters was like someone waiting for London buses. You wait an age for one and then two come along in quick succession.

McIlroy, in his 17th agonising attempt to win the Masters since 2009, finally claimed the green jacket in a dramatic play-off victory over Justin Rose in 2025.

And then at the 18th time of asking this past weekend, he won a second green jacket on another dramatic Masters Sunday at Augusta.

“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket and then I get two in a row,” said McIlroy. “I think all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has started to pay off.”

Most golf observers couldn’t believe it took as long as it did to win the first green jacket. Many fewer were surprised it took only 12 months to secure a second jacket. But it was far nervier than it needed to be.

McIlroy, while far from flawless in rounds three and four, dominated the field in the first half of the tournament, and then showed the mental fortitude needed over the weekend to get the job done.

The scoreboard will show that McIlroy carded a final-round one-under 71, to finish on 12-under par and win the 2026 title. It was enough to hold off world No 1 Scottie Scheffler by one stroke, and a group of rivals on 10-under.

Scheffler produced a bogey-free four-under round of 68 on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough.

With the win, McIlroy won his sixth major and joined Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to win back-to-back Masters titles.

What the scoreboard and the stats won’t reveal is the drama that unfolded on the way to the title for the Ulsterman, or the peaks and troughs of a round that saw the lead change frequently.

Unlike Woods, who almost never let anyone in when he held a significant lead, McIlroy’s penchant for mishaps means that everyone within touching distance of the summit believes they’re still in it.

With a two-shot lead on the last hole, McIlroy sliced his drive deep into the right rough, which brought double-bogey into play and the possibility of a playoff with Scheffler.

It was the most McIlroy of moments, especially when he played a strong recovery shot into a greenside bunker, and then produced a crisp sand wedge to leave two putts to win. He needed them both, but at least he was spared another playoff.

Weekend jitters

After a serene stroll in rounds one and two on Thursday and Friday, McIlroy’s weekend was much tougher.

Scheffler was 12 shots behind McIlroy at the halfway point – 12! Yet he finished within a stroke of the eventual winner by the time the sun was setting on the 2026 Masters on Sunday.

McIlroy led the field by six shots at the halfway point after opening rounds of 67 and 65. If that was Woods, the field would never have seen him again over the final 36 holes. But this is McIlroy, and everyone remained interested.

From nowhere McIlroy started hooking tee shots during the third round, but he battled his way to a one-over 73. It wasn’t ideal but he was very much in the hunt going into the final round.

If you like unpredictability in sport, McIlroy is your man. By the end of the third round McIlroy’s six-shot lead had evaporated and he started Sunday’s final on 11-under alongside the US’ Cameron Young.

And by the time McIlroy was standing on the fifth tee on Sunday, he was two shots behind Young after a painful double-bogey on the par-three fourth hole. He three-putted from two metres.

A further bogey followed on the sixth hole and suddenly McIlroy was on the back foot.

If the Masters is not won over the first 36 holes, it is also not won on the opening nine on the Sunday. The Masters is almost always decided on the back nine – or the “second nine” as the Masters hierarchy insist on it being called – in the final round.

From the seventh to the 18th holes though, McIlroy steadied himself and played his next 12 holes in three under, despite the bogey on the last.

The key for him was birdies at the par-three 12th and par-five 13th to go through “Amen Corner” (holes 11, 12 and 13) in two under. It was tournament defining.

Challengers stumble

Scheffler might rue coming up short, but he never led the tournament. Rose must have been the man feeling the most ill driving out of Augusta on Sunday night.

In 2025 he lost that play-off to McIlroy for his third runner-up finish at the Masters. In 2026, he led the tournament on 12-under when standing on the 11th tee on Sunday.

Somehow, he made a mess of Amen corner, with bogies on 11 and 12, and then three-putted the par-five 13th for par after a brilliant approach shot to hit the green in two.

At the age of 45, Rose’ chances of winning the Masters are running out. There would be no more popular winner than the Englishman, but time is not on his side.

“I was really in control. Over the first 10 holes, I felt like I was,” Rose said. “And the mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done.

“Today I felt like there was an opportunity to do better, so obviously that is frustrating. In the last two years I’ve really kind of re-kicked on and re-energised my career, and I have a lot of belief in myself that there is a lot of runway ahead.

“These are the tournaments I focus on. These tournaments are why I practise. These are the tournaments that get me going that extra mile.”

Young will also rue the chance to win a first major as his challenge faded with three bogies in four holes before the turn. On the second nine Young’s putter went cold as he made nine consecutive pars to finish 10-under.

While it was job done for McIlroy, it was closer than it should have been after his fast start.

“I just had to hang in there,” said McIlroy. “Having a six-shot lead going into the weekend, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I wasn't able to get myself over the finish line.” DM