Rory McIlroy has made major golf history once again, successfully defending his title at The Masters with a dramatic win at Augusta National. McIlroy had set the record for the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history but found himself in a share of the lead heading into the final day. Despite falling two strokes behind at one point, McIlroy recovered to produce another thrilling success.
He trailed his playing partner Cameron Young and Justin Rose at various stages during the final round but managed to get back on track with back-to-back birdies from the seventh hole. McIlroy added further birdies around Amen Corner to move three strokes ahead with five holes to play, ultimately closing out an impressive victory despite bogeying his final hole for the second year in a row. This win sees McIlroy match Sir Nick Faldo's tally of six major titles, becoming only the fourth golfer to achieve back-to-back victories at The Masters, following in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus, Faldo, and Tiger Woods.
"I'm amazed I had to wait 17 years for my first Green Jacket, and now I've won two in a row," McIlroy said. "All my perseverance at this 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 included five birdies, a bogey, and a double-bogey, with several players in contention during a special major Sunday. Here's a breakdown of how McIlroy secured another major victory...
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Final round as it happened. Rose reflected on his missed opportunity at Augusta. Young started with a two-putt par after finding the fairway bunker off the tee.
McIlroy hit two good shots into the green but missed a 10-foot birdie chance, managing a par two strokes better than his start to the final round last year. Burns, playing in the group ahead, found a birdie on the first hole to create a three-way tie at the top. Score: -11 Young, McIlroy, Burns (1).
McIlroy had to lay up from the fairway bunker but hit a wedge to within 10 feet for his third shot. 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. Burns had undone his fast start after finding trees off the tee and posting a double-bogey seven. Score: -12 Young, -11 McIlroy, -9 Burns (2).
Young capitalized on an incredible break off the tee, 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.
Score: -12 Young, -12 McIlroy. McIlroy pulled his tee shot left of the green 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. Score: -12 Young, -10 McIlroy.
Young missed the green in regulation but holed a two-putt par, as McIlroy also made par to remain two behind. Further along the course, Henley posted back-to-back birdies from the seventh - where Rose hit an incredible approach from the trees to set up a kick-in birdie - to leave both tied-second with McIlroy.
Score: -12 Young, -10 McIlroy, -10 Henley (8), -10 Rose (7). Young carded a three-putt bogey from 70 feet - having left his initial putt six feet short - to fall back to 11 under and just one ahead of Henley and Rose. McIlroy went long and elected to putt from off the green, then missed his 12-footer to save par. Score: -11 Young, -10 Henley (9), -10 Rose (7), -9 McIlroy.
Young finished in the front bunker from the middle of the fairway, 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, as Rose, two groups ahead, birdied the par-five eighth and moved into the outright advantage. Score: -11 Rose (8), -10 McIlroy, -10 Young. 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. Score: -12 Rose (9), -11 Young, -11 McIlroy.
Young had to pitch out of the pines after a wayward drive 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 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. Score: -12 Rose (10), -11 McIlroy, 10 Young, -10 Hatton (17).
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. Henley also made par and stayed in the group one back. Score: -11 Rose (11), -11 McIlroy, -10 Young, -10 Henley (13), -10 Hatton (F).
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. Young also two-putted for par to remain on 10 under. Score: -11 McIlroy, -10 Young, -10 Henley (14), -10 Hatton (F).
McIlroy fired a brilliant tee shot to within eight feet at the iconic par-three and holed the putt for birdie, which doubled his lead when Young failed to match his effort from a few feet further away. Score: -12 McIlroy, -10 Young, -10 Rose (13), -10 Henley (15), -10 Hatton (F).
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. Score: -13 McIlroy, -10 Young, -10 Rose (14), -10 Henley (16), -10 Hatton (F). 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.
Scores: -13 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler (16), -11 Rose (15), -10 Young. McIlroy was blocked out by a tree and forced to lay up, 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.
Scores: -13 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler (17), -11 Rose (16), -10 Young. A long tee shot left a tricky up and down from the back of the green for McIlroy, 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. Scores: -13 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler (F), -10 Rose (17), 10 Young.
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. Scores: -13 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler (F) 10 Young. 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. Speaking about how his win compared to last year, McIlroy said: "It felt pretty similar.
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 that 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. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.