Golf

Rory repeats! McIlroy in rare air with back-to-back Masters wins

By Jordan Kaye

Updated April 12, 2026 10:09 PM

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates winning the 2026 Masters Tournament on the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday. Andrew Redington Getty Images

Augusta, Ga.

In the hours before relief buckled Rory McIlroy’s knees and he crumbled onto the surface of Augusta National’s 18th green last year, it felt as though his burden was insurmountable. That his fear of another tragedy would keep him from another success.

In moments where sporting greats continuously fail to capture something elusive, there is an adage that they are chasing ghosts — which never applied to McIlroy. He was not chasing some invisible, subjective, unattainable goal. What he was pursuing was very real. A Masters victory. The career grand slam. Vindication.

The ghosts did not appear until all those things came, until he slipped on the 38-regular green jacket and looked to the heavens last April. That opened the door to conversations about such things as his place among the greatest ever and fanciful imaginations that he might never lose at Augusta National again.

All that seemed absurd until it happened. Until Sunday, when McIlroy himself became a ghost.

On a blistering hot Georgia afternoon, McIlroy once again conquered Augusta National, joining Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) as the only men to win the Masters tournament in back-to-back years.

He shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday, finishing 12-under for the tournament — one shot better than Scottie Scheffler (11-under) and two shots better than a quartet that finished at 10-under: Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young.

“I felt like the grand slam was the destination, and I realized it wasn’t,” McIlroy said Sunday night. “I’m on this journey to — I don’t know. I just won my sixth major, and I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my game and my body.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after being awarded the Green Jacket during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday in Augusta, Georgia. Hector Vivas Getty Images

McIlroy entered Sunday in a peculiar spot. The optimistic view of McIlroy was merely the fact that played himself into the final pairing — a notable achievement considering the 30 of the past 35 Masters champions were in the last group on Sunday. But, boy, was it easy to doubt McIlroy.

McIlroy’s second Masters victory came in a fashion that felt very much like his fifth — which is to say it looked like he choked away the golf tournament, then it seemed inevitable he was going to cruise to victory ... and then it felt like he was again on the verge of losing.

McIlroy began the round tied with his playing partner, Young, at 11-under. At 3:15 p.m. — 50 minutes after they teed off — the pair were tied at 12-under. Eight minutes later, Young led by two. In an inexplicable putting display — something McIlroy has largely avoided at Augusta National — the reigning Masters’ champion three-putted from 9 feet away.

Think back to those thoughts and conversations on Friday night. The inevitable was that McIlroy was going to become the 19th person in history to win twice at Augusta National. The only real wonder was how many more Masters victories he could reel off in the next decade.

Consider 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples’ remarks on Thursday, after McIlroy shot 5-under and sat atop the leaderboard: “And by the way, Rory may never lose this thing again after last year.”

Of course, such things are not so easy — as McIlroy showed on Sunday.

“I don’t make it easy,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard to win golf tournaments, especially around here.”

After a birdie on the seventh hole, McIlroy pulled within one shot — but no longer was he just only chasing Young, the 28-year-old with no major victories. Lurking two groups in front of McIlroy was Rose. Ah yes, the crowd favorite.

Make no mistake about it: McIlroy and Young had their factions. But Rose had the entire property. Something about his performance last year and the grace in which he handled his playoff loss to McIlroy endeared him to those at Augusta National — and for a place that loves its history and anniversaries, a 46-year-old Rose winning 40 years after 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus would have probably kept the azaleas in bloom for another week.

And it seemed like Rose’s day. After birdies on Nos. 5, 7, 8 and 9, he entered Amen Corner with the solo lead at the Masters. One could imagine the CBS producers cueing up their video packages of the Golden Bear coming out of hibernation in 1986.

“I just feel so bad for the guy,” one patron said while Rose was on No. 11.

“Always the bridesmaid,” another chimed in.

On cue, Rose bogeyed the 11th hole and flubbed a chip behind the 12th green. Which meant McIlroy stepped onto the first green of Amen Corner all by himself at the top of leaderboard ... just like last year. This time, though, the catastrophic mistake never came — which is not to say McIlroy played safe.

Ha. On the 10th anniversary of Jordan Spieth’s Masters collapse on the 10th hole, McIlroy’s 9-iron into Golden Bell was straight at the pin.

There is something interesting about being on Amen Corner. You can see the direction of the ball, but it is almost impossible to judge distance. The general rule is simple: On Sunday, when the pin is on the right side of the green, any shot headed for the middle or left of the green is great. It is that balls tracking towards the pin, towards the right side of the green, draw the gasps and baited breaths. Those are the balls that drop short and roll into the water, the type of hubristic shots that the golf gods often meet with a strong gust of wind — a wet reward for arrogance.

But McIlroy’s ball landed two yards on the green and rolled to seven feet. He knocked in the birdie putt and took control of the tournament.

Another birdie came on No. 13, notable because it was on Amen Corner’s last challenge a year ago that McIlroy double bogeyed and nearly lost the tournament. And speaking of almost losing the tournament, McIlroy tried his darnedest. He walked to the 18th tee needing just a bogey to win ... then sprayed his drive into the trees on the right.

This was the déjà vu moment McIlroy dreaded. But unlike 2025, when he needed par on the 72nd hole to win it in regulation, he gave himself cushion this go-round. He tapped in for birdie and thrust himself into those historical conversations that have no clear answer.

Like the title of greatest European golfer in history — a title that has, for the past three decades, belonged to Nick Faldo. But now, well, McIlroy and Faldo have six majors apiece.

“There’s obviously going to be that conversation, and that debate is going to be hard,” McIlroy said. “But it’s a cool conversation to be a part of.

“Again, it took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it,” he continued. “I’m not putting a number on it, but I certainly don’t want to stop here.”

The chase has just begun.