McIlroy joins elite group with successful major title defence

Rory McIlroy made golf history on Sunday, achieving a stunning consecutive Masters victory and joining a select group of players who have successfully defended their major titles. This impressive feat was last accomplished by Brooks Koepka, who won back-to-back PGA Championships, becoming the second player in the 21st century to defend two different majors, following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods. McIlroy overcame a dramatic Sunday, including squandering a six-shot halfway lead and a late scare, to clinch the Green Jacket for the second year in a row. He became the first back-to-back winner of The Masters since Woods, coming through a thrilling final round to claim a one-shot victory at Augusta National. McIlroy built a historic six-stroke halfway lead but found himself two behind early in the final round, with playing partner Cameron Young and then Justin Rose both enjoying stints in top spot. The defending champion responded with back-to-back birdies from the seventh and added successive gains from the 12th to briefly go three ahead, only for Rose and Scottie Scheffler to close and set up a nail-biting finish. McIlroy avoided a repeat of last year's late stumble, taking a two-shot lead to the 72nd hole before closing out a narrow win with a two-putt bogey. His victory marked his sixth major title, with the world No 2 posting a one-under 71 to finish on 12 under, one ahead of Scheffler. Koepka made history with his second major defence in 2019, surviving a back-nine collapse and a final-round fightback from Dustin Johnson to cling on for victory at the PGA Championship. The American took a seven-shot lead into the final round at Bethpage Black and remained six ahead with eight holes to play, only to see his lead cut to one after four consecutive bogeys. Johnson dropped shots on two of his last three holes to close out a one-under 69 and set the target at six under, as Koepka stuttered home with a four-over 74 to secure a two-stroke win. Koepka became the first player in nearly three decades to defend the US Open title when he triumphed by one shot from Tommy Fleetwood at Shinnecock Hills in New York. With conditions not conducive to low scoring, Koepka was tied for the lead on three over with fellow Americans Dustin Johnson, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau after three rounds. He then took command in the final round with three birdies over the first five holes and, despite a bogey at the 18th, he was able to hold off a charging Fleetwood, who shot a 63, thanks to a two-under 68. Other notable players to have successfully defended their major titles include Curtis Strange, who ended an even longer wait for someone to defend the US Open when he won in 1989, and Nick Faldo, who became the first man to defend at Augusta in 24 years since Jack Nicklaus in 1966. Faldo was already a major winner, having won The Open in 1987, and recovered from his play-off disappointment at the US Open in 1988 to claim the Masters the following year. Woods became the first man in a decade to defend a major when he won the first PGA Championship of the new millennium, establishing himself as the dominant force in golf. He would go on to claim the PGA title again at Valhalla, and his victories in 2000 at the US Open and The Open further solidified his position as a golfing great. The list of players to have achieved this impressive feat is a long and distinguished one, with names such as Ben Hogan, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Padraig Harrington all featuring. McIlroy's achievement is a testament to his skill and dedication, and he will be looking to build on this success in the upcoming PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open, all of which can be watched exclusively live on Sky Sports.