McIlroy Relishes 'Incredible' Masters Victory

Rory McIlroy acknowledged that failing to convert his record-breaking halfway lead at The Masters into a title would have been a difficult outcome to accept. McIlroy became the fourth player in history to achieve back-to-back Masters wins, following his dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose last year, by securing a one-shot win over Scottie Scheffler. The world No 2 had built a six-shot halfway lead, the largest in Masters history, but found himself two shots behind Cameron Young during the final day after dropping three shots in two holes. McIlroy responded with four birdies, and a final-hole bogey was enough to claim his sixth major title, joining Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only players to win The Masters in consecutive years. 'I thought it was incredibly challenging to win last year, and this year I realized it's just really tough to win The Masters,' McIlroy said. Having a six-shot lead going into the weekend, it would have been disappointing if he wasn't able to get himself over the finish line. McIlroy started the final round tied for the lead but lost ground with a three-putt double-bogey at the par-three fourth, with a dropped shot at the fifth putting him further behind. He followed successive gains from the sixth with back-to-back birdies from the 12th, putting him three ahead with five to play, and a one-under 71 was enough to hold off Scheffler's charge. 'I don't make it easy,' McIlroy admitted. 'I used to make it easy back in my early 20s when I was winning these things by eight shots. No, it's just hard. It's hard to win golf tournaments, especially around here.' McIlroy completed the third leg of the Grand Slam in 2014 but had 10 unsuccessful attempts after that to claim The Masters, his only missing major, with the Northern Irishman now claiming the Green Jacket in his 17th and 18th appearances at Augusta National. 'I just can't believe I waited 17 years to get one Green Jacket and I get two in a row,' McIlroy added. 'I think all my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off.'