Rory McIlroy has made history once again, successfully defending his title at The Masters with a captivating display of golf. After holding the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, McIlroy found himself in a share of the lead heading into the final day, but he recovered from falling two behind to clinch victory at Augusta National. McIlroy trailed playing partners Cameron Young and Justin Rose at various points during the final round. However, he posted back-to-back birdies from the seventh to get back on track and added further birdies around Amen Corner to move three ahead with five to play.
McIlroy 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 and become 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've won two Green Jackets in a row, especially after waiting 17 years for my first one," 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 breakdown of how McIlroy closed out another major success... The final round began with Young opening 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, with a par two strokes better than he managed to start his final round last year.
Burns, playing in the group ahead, found a first-hole birdie to make it a three-way tie at the top. The scores stood at: -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, which gave 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.
The scores became: -12 Young, -11 McIlroy, -9 Burns (2) Young capitalised 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. The scores were now: -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.
The scores stood at: -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.
The scores were: -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.
The scores became: -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. The scores stood at: -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. The scores were: -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 capitalise on a brilliant approach as he missed a six-foot chance for a third consecutive birdie.
The scores became: -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. The scores stood at: -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.
The scores became: -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. The scores stood at: -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. The scores were: -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.
The scores were: -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.
The scores stood at: -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.
The scores became: -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. The scores stood at: -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. The final scores were: -12 McIlroy, -11 Scheffler, -10 Young, Henley, Rose, Hatton Reflecting on 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.