Rory McIlroy has cemented his place in golf history with a dramatic title defense at The Masters, overcoming a rollercoaster final round to claim his second consecutive victory at Augusta National. McIlroy, who held the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, found himself in a share of the lead heading into the final day. However, he recovered from falling two behind to produce another stunning success, posting back-to-back birdies from the seventh to get back on track. The world No 2 trailed playing partners Cameron Young and Justin Rose at various points during the final round but added further birdies around Amen Corner to move three ahead with five to play.
McIlroy then closed out an impressive victory despite bogeying his 72nd hole for the second successive year. This win sees McIlroy match Sir Nick Faldo's tally of six major titles, becoming just 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 still in disbelief that I had to wait 17 years for my first Green Jacket, and now I've won two in a row," McIlroy said.
"My perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has finally paid off. It was a tough weekend, but I'm thrilled 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 closed out another major success... The final round began with Young opening with a two-putt par, while McIlroy hit two good shots into the green but missed a 10-foot birdie chance.
Burns, playing in the group ahead, found a first-hole birdie to create a three-way tie at the top. As the round progressed, Young capitalized on an incredible break off the tee, where his ball hit a tree and cannoned back onto the fairway, allowing him to post a two-putt par. McIlroy splashed out of the sand to eight feet and made his first birdie of the round.
The drama continued, with McIlroy pulling his tee shot left of the green and hitting a good chip over the bunker to nine feet, only to three-putt for a double-bogey. Young two-putted from the front of the green and jumped two clear.
Further along the course, Henley posted back-to-back birdies from the seventh, while Rose hit an unbelievable approach from the trees to set up a kick-in birdie, leaving both tied-second with McIlroy. Young carded a three-putt bogey from 70 feet, falling back to 11 under and just one ahead of Henley and Rose.
McIlroy went long and elected to putt from off the green but missed his 12-footer to save par. The leaderboard continued to fluctuate, with Young finishing in the front bunker and failing to get up and down, registering a second successive bogey and losing his share of the lead. McIlroy closed the gap on his playing partner with a solid iron shot, setting up an eight-foot birdie. As the round neared its conclusion, McIlroy walked after his ball, reaching the par-five green in two, and a two-putt birdie from 25 feet lifted him to 11 under.
Young also picked up a shot, sitting alongside McIlroy, while Rose rolled in a 15-foot birdie at the ninth to reach the turn in 32 and stay one ahead. The final nine saw McIlroy fail to capitalize on a brilliant approach, missing a six-foot chance for a third consecutive birdie.
However, a regulation two-putt par from McIlroy 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. McIlroy fired a brilliant tee shot to within eight feet at the iconic par-three and holed the putt for birdie, doubling his lead when Young failed to match his effort. A second successive birdie extended McIlroy's advantage, as he brilliantly judged a downhill two-putt from off the green. The victory was sealed when McIlroy posted a stress-free par, and Young also stayed on the same score, although his lead was reduced when Scheffler birdied the par-three 15th and Rose took advantage of the par-five 15th.
In the end, McIlroy's approach from the middle of the 17th fairway bounced off the green, but he safely two-putted from off the green to retain his two-shot buffer to the 72nd hole. Final-hole drama looked possible when McIlroy found trees off the tee, but he managed to move patrons and 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 and 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 cushion instead of the one I had last year." 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.