Rory McIlroy has made history by achieving a second consecutive Masters victory, joining a prestigious group of golfers who have successfully defended their major titles. This remarkable feat was last seen when Brooks Koepka won back-to-back PGA Championships, becoming the second player in the 21st century, after Tiger Woods, to defend two different majors. McIlroy's victory came after overcoming a dramatic Sunday, where he initially squandered a six-shot halfway lead but managed to claim a one-shot victory at Augusta National. He became the first back-to-back winner of The Masters since Woods, showcasing his determination and skill in the face of intense competition.
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 the 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 thrilling 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.
With this win, McIlroy has posted a one-under 71 to finish on 12 under, one ahead of Scheffler, while Tyrrell Hatton's brilliant final-round 66 put him in third spot alongside Rose, Young, and Russell Henley. This achievement marks McIlroy's sixth major title, solidifying his position as one of the world's top golfers.
Koepka's history-making second major defense in 2019, where he survived a back-nine collapse and a final-round fightback from Dustin Johnson to cling on for victory at the PGA Championship, serves as a reminder of the challenges and triumphs in major golf tournaments. 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, was able to hold off a charging Fleetwood, who shot a 63, thanks to a two-under 68.
This win marked Koepka's fourth major win in eight starts and saw him leapfrog Johnson as world No 1 at the time, making him the first player to win both the US Open and PGA Championship in back-to-back years. Historically, Curtis Strange ended an even longer wait for someone to defend the US Open when he won in 1989, becoming the first man to do so since Ben Hogan managed it 38 years previously in 1950 and 1951.
Strange needed a play-off to win his first major in 1988 at Brookline, Massachusetts, and then managed to win the following year at Oak Hill in New York within the regulation four days. Shortly after Strange's US Open defense, Faldo was performing the same trick at the Masters, becoming 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 in similar fashion. Yet again in 1990, Faldo was forced into a play-off at the Masters, this time against Raymond Floyd, who had started the final day three shots clear of the Englishman, but Faldo managed to claw it back so they both finished on 10 under.
Both men parred the 10th, but Faldo also parred the 11th for victory. Woods became the first man in a decade to defend a major when he won the first PGA Championship of the new millennium.
The 1999 victory at Medinah was his second major win, having claimed the Masters in 1997, as he finished a shot clear of Sergio Garcia. Victories in 2000 at the US Open and The Open established Woods as the dominant force in golf, and he would go on to claim the PGA title again at Valhalla.
He either led or shared the lead at the end of all four days, but Bob May forced him into a three-hole play-off, which Woods claimed by a single shot after a birdie on the 16th and pars on 17 and 18, while May could only make three pars. Woods was at it again just a couple of years later as he managed to retain the green jacket, becoming the first man to do so since Faldo in 1990. Woods was five off the lead after the first day at Augusta in 2001, but came back strongly to lead by a shot heading into the final day.
A 68 on the Sunday meant he saw off the challenge of David Duval to finish on 16 under and also meant he held all four majors at the same time. Woods could not defend any of his other titles in 2001, but he did go on to win the Masters again in 2002, finishing three shots clear of Retief Goosen. It's that man again; Woods became the first man in 23 years, since Tom Watson in 1983, to defend The Open when he won in 2006.
Woods lifted the Claret Jug for the second time in his career on the Old Course at St Andrews in 2005 with a comfortable five-shot win over Colin Montgomerie, then retained his title at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club a year later, his third and most recent Open win. Six years after retaining his PGA title in 2000, Woods would win it again in back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007.
Again, the first one came at Medinah as he secured a five-shot win over Shaun Micheel to finish on 18 under, tying his own record for an aggregate low score in the PGA Championship. He would win his 13th major a year later as he claimed a two-shot triumph over Woody Austin at Southern Hills. Harrington became the first man to defend a major, aside from Woods, in 18 years as he won The Open in 2007 and 2008.
The Irishman came from six shots behind Sergio Garcia on the final day at Carnoustie to force a four-hole play-off, which he won with an even score after Garcia bogeyed the first. Harrington would claim victory a year later at Royal Birkdale as well.
Greg Norman, then 53, seemed to be heading for an unlikely victory in tough conditions as he started the final round two shots clear, but a final-day 77 saw him slip out of contention as Harrington eventually won with a score of three over, four shots clear of Ian Poulter. Among the notable golfers who have achieved consecutive major defenses are Jack Nicklaus, who did so in 1965 and 1966, and Nick Faldo, who achieved this feat in 1989 and 1990. Tiger Woods has also had his share of consecutive major defenses, doing so in 2001 and 2002, as well as in 2006 and 2007.
Other notable golfers who have achieved this feat include Ben Hogan, Curtis Strange, Brooks Koepka, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Padraig Harrington. With McIlroy's recent victory, the question on everyone's mind is whether he will enjoy more major success in the future. To catch all the action from the PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open, tune in to Sky Sports or stream with NOW.