Rory McIlroy captured his second consecutive Masters title on Sunday, shooting a final-round one-under 71 to claim the green jacket at Augusta National. He became only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back, joining Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus. McIlroy outlasted a strong field including Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young after overcoming a mid-tournament stumble.
Rory McIlroy entered the final round tied at 11-under with Cameron Young, the recent Players champion, after a dramatic third round. He had held a tournament-record six-stroke lead at the halfway point, fueled by six birdies in seven holes to close his second round. But a one-over 73 on Saturday erased that advantage, leaving him with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, five-time PGA Tour winner Sam Burns and last year's runner-up Justin Rose among the contenders. “There’s a lot of guys in with a chance tomorrow,” McIlroy said Saturday. “I’m going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.” McIlroy stumbled early in the final round with a three-putt double bogey at the fourth and a bogey at the sixth, allowing Young and Rose to surge ahead. Rose grabbed the outright lead with three straight birdies, while Young built momentum. McIlroy steadied with a birdie at the seventh and climbed back with birdies at the 12th and 13th, as challengers faltered. Scheffler posted an 11-under clubhouse lead without a bogey in his final 36 holes but could not catch McIlroy. On the 72nd hole, McIlroy held a two-stroke lead, tapped in for bogey and roared in victory from Holywood, Northern Ireland. “I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket and ... I get two in a row,” he said. The win earned him $4.5 million from the $22.5 million purse, with Scheffler receiving $2.43 million for second and Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Rose and Young tying for third at $1.08 million each.
