Rory McIlroy has made history once again, successfully defending his title at The Masters with a thrilling victory at Augusta National. McIlroy, who held the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, trailed at various points during the final round but recovered to produce another dramatic win. With back-to-back birdies from the seventh, McIlroy got back on track and added further birdies around Amen Corner to move three ahead with five to play.
He closed out an impressive victory despite bogeying his 72nd hole for the second successive year. This win saw McIlroy match Sir Nick Faldo's tally of six major titles, becoming the fourth player to win back-to-back editions of The Masters, following in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus, Faldo, and Tiger Woods.
"I'm thrilled to have won two in a row after waiting 17 years for my first Green Jacket," McIlroy said. "It was a tough weekend, but I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. I'm just happy to have hung in there and gotten the job done." McIlroy's final-round 71 included five birdies, a bogey, and a double-bogey, with several players in contention during a special major Sunday. Here's a detailed look at how McIlroy secured another major victory...
McIlroy began the final round with a par, two strokes better than his start last year. However, he had to lay up from the fairway bunker on the second hole but hit a wedge to within 10 feet for his third shot. Cameron Young's pitch over a bunker trickled to 11 feet and set up the birdie, giving him the solo lead when McIlroy failed to convert his effort.
Young capitalized on an incredible break off the tee on the third hole, where his ball hit a tree and cannoned back onto the fairway, as he posted a two-putt par. McIlroy splashed out of the sand to eight feet and made his first birdie of the round. McIlroy pulled his tee shot left of the green on the fourth hole and hit a good chip over the bunker to nine feet, where a three-putt double-bogey dropped him back to 10 under. Young two-putted from the front of the green and jumped two clear.
Further along the course, Russell Henley posted back-to-back birdies from the seventh, leaving him tied-second with McIlroy. Young carded a three-putt bogey from 70 feet to fall back to 11 under and just one ahead of Henley and Justin Rose. McIlroy went long and elected to putt from off the green, then missed his 12-footer to save par. Young finished in the front bunker from the middle of the fairway on the eighth hole, then failed to get up and down, missing from 10 feet to register a second successive bogey and lose his share of the lead.
McIlroy closed the gap on his playing partner when a solid iron shot set up an eight-foot birdie. Rose, two groups ahead, birdied the par-five eighth and moved into the outright advantage. McIlroy walked after his ball after reaching the par-five green in two, where a two-putt birdie from 25 feet lifted him to 11 under.
Young also picked up a shot to sit alongside McIlroy, as Rose rolled in a 15-foot birdie at the ninth to reach the turn in 32 and stay one ahead. Young had to pitch out of the pines after a wayward drive on the 10th hole and saw his ball roll into a divot, with the American eventually having to produce a smart two-putt and limit the damage to a bogey. He dropped to tied-third alongside Tyrrell Hatton, who had charged up the leaderboard after four consecutive birdies from the 13th, as McIlroy failed to capitalize on a brilliant approach as he missed a six-foot chance for a third consecutive birdie. A regulation two-putt par from McIlroy to start the second nine was enough to reclaim a share of the lead, as Rose finished short of the par-four 11th green and failed to get up and down.
Rose misjudged a pitch from the back of the 12th green and eventually had to get down in two to salvage a bogey, allowing McIlroy to reclaim the solo lead when he holed from eight feet at the 11th for par. McIlroy fired a brilliant tee shot to within eight feet at the iconic par-three 12th and holed the putt for birdie, which doubled his lead when Young failed to match his effort from a few feet further away. A second successive birdie extended McIlroy's advantage, as he brilliantly judged a downhill two-putt from off the green.
He converted from 10 feet to get to 13 under and three clear of Young, who burned his birdie chance from the same distance. McIlroy posted a stress-free par and Young also stayed on the same score, although his lead was reduced when Scott Scheffler birdied the par-three 15th and Rose took advantage of the par-five 15th. McIlroy was blocked out by a tree and forced to lay up on the 15th hole, with his wedge shot narrowly clearing the water and allowing him to two-putt for par. Young was unable to get up and down from the back of the green and stated three behind.
A long tee shot left a tricky up and down from the back of the green for McIlroy on the 16th hole, who judged the break perfectly to leave a close-range par. Young hit his tee shot to within 15 feet but saw his birdie putt horseshoe out. In the group ahead, Rose saw his slim hopes ended when he missed a close-range putt to save par. McIlroy's approach from the middle of the 17th fairway bounced off the green, although he safely two-putted from off the green to retain his two-shot buffer to the 72nd hole.
Final-hole drama looked a possibility when McIlroy found trees off the tee, leaving him having to move patrons to hit his approach towards the front of the green. The ball finished in the greenside bunker, and a smart chip ran 15-feet past, with McIlroy lagging to within three inches and tapping in to complete victory.
Final scores: -12 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler, -10 Young, Henley, Rose, Hatton. Reflecting on his win, McIlroy said: "It felt pretty similar to last year. I made a double early on the first hole last year, and I made a double on four this year. I played flawless golf after that.
I made four birdies and no bogeys going to the last tee, knowing I had a two-shot lead. It's nice to have that two-shot cushion instead of the one like I had last year. I looked at the board after I made the bogey on six, and I think I went back to nine under at that point.
I said 'okay, if I can get to 14 under, I think I've got a really good chance of winning this tournament'. I didn't quite get there, but 13 under was good enough standing on the 18th tee." The next men's major is the PGA Championship from May 14-17, held at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, also live on Sky Sports.