Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on Sunday, finishing at 12-under par at Augusta National Golf Club. That win puts him in a very small group of players who have won the tournament two years in a row. The last person to do that was Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.
Even though the final score looks solid, the way it played out was not simple at all. McIlroy had built a big lead earlier in the tournament, but it disappeared after a rough round on Saturday. Going into Sunday, it felt wide open again, with several players close enough to take over.
At different points, that is exactly what happened. Cameron Young moved into the lead for a bit, and later Justin Rose had control. McIlroy did not get off to a great start either. He made a double-bogey on the fourth hole, then another bogey on the sixth. For a while, it looked like things were heading in the wrong direction.
He didn’t completely fall apart though. Birdies on the seventh and eighth holes helped him settle down. It wasn’t anything flashy, but it kept him close enough while everything else was shifting around him.
One of the biggest moments came at the 12th hole. It is one of those shots at Augusta where things can go wrong quickly. McIlroy hit it close, inside about seven feet, and made the putt. That gave him the lead again. He followed it with another birdie on the 13th, which helped create a little separation.
At the same time, other players started to lose ground. Rose and Young both had their chances earlier in the round but couldn’t hold onto them. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler kept moving up. He had been far behind at the start of the weekend but was suddenly right there near the end.
By the time they reached the final hole, McIlroy was only ahead by one shot. And even then, it didn’t get easy. His tee shot went left into the trees, which made things a lot more complicated than he would have wanted. He had to focus just on getting the ball back into play.
His next shot got him near the green, though it ended up in a bunker. From there, he played it safe, chipped onto the green, and gave himself a chance to finish it without any more trouble. Two putts later, it was over.
He finished one shot ahead of Scheffler. The final round score was 1-under 71, but that number does not really show how tense it felt watching it unfold.
With this win, McIlroy now has six major championships. That puts him in the same group as Nick Faldo, Lee Trevino, and Phil Mickelson. He also joins Jack Nicklaus, Faldo, and Woods as the only players to win the Masters in back-to-back years.
After the final putt dropped, he celebrated on the 18th green with his family. Last year’s win had already been a big moment for him after so many attempts at Augusta. Winning again right away just adds to it, especially since this one came down to the last hole.
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