AUGUSTA, Ga. — The night before making history at the Masters, Rory McIlroy was a solitary figure on the illuminated driving range at Augusta National, fine-tuning his shots after a frustrating third round.
Sunday evening, McIlroy stood alone again, this time in glory as the first to win back-to-back green jackets since Tiger Woods in 2002.
“I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win the Masters and the grand slam,” McIlroy said. “And then this year I realized it’s just really difficult to win the Masters.”
In doing so, he became the fourth man to win twice in a row, joining Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus. It was the sixth major championship for McIlroy, who grew up in Northern Ireland, tying him with Faldo for the most majors by a European player in the modern era.
Rory McIlroy celebrates on the 18th green as fans cheer after he won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.
(Hector Vivas / Getty Images)
In the end, McIlroy made a tap-in putt for victory, threw back his head and screamed to the heavens, then tearfully walked off the green and coaxed his young daughter, Poppy, under the ropes to give him a hug.
“I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and now I get two in a row,” he said. “I think all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off.”
At one point, it looked as if he would pull off a wire-to-wire victory. After the second round, he led by six shots, the largest 36-hole advantage in Masters history.
But the tournament turned into a harrowing high-wire act, with McIlroy stumbling on Saturday — he was the only player on the leaderboard who came in over par — and started Sunday tied with Cameron Young.
Although he was unsteady early in the day — including a double bogey on the fourth hole — McIlroy found his rhythm and played holes seven through 17 at four under.
“It was a tough weekend,” McIlroy said. “I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. But just so happy to hang in there and get the job done.”
It was a dramatic final day. With Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose and a host of others on his heels, McIlroy steadied himself and pulled away down the stretch.
There was intrigue even on the par-four 18th hole. Needling only a bogey to win, McIlroy hit his tee shot deep into the trees on the right. He hit a high, right-to-left shot out of the pine straw into the front left bunker. Two putts later and a second jacket was his, a one-shot victory over Sheffler.
“I put up a good fight,” Scheffler said, “did a lot of good stuff in order to give myself a chance and ultimately came up a couple shots short.”
A year ago, McIlroy beat Rose in a sudden-death playoff at Augusta to complete a career grand slam.
Rory McIlroy celebrates as crowd roars after he won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.
(Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
He waited a long time to win that first green jacket. Fifteen years ago, in an epic unraveling, McIlroy saw a four-shot Sunday lead evaporate with a collapse at Amen Corner — triple bogey, bogey, double bogey on holes 11, 12 and 13.
On Sunday, he played those three holes par, birdie, birdie, going some distance toward exorcising the demons of 2011.
McIlroy and Young were the final pairing Sunday, tied at 11 under. Young birdied the second hole but cooled and had bogeys on six, seven and nine.
Rose, angling for his first green jacket, had the lead making the turn Sunday but couldn’t hold on and recorded bogeys on 11, 12 and 17. He headed to the clubhouse tied for third, his fifth top-five finish at the Masters.
“If there was anyone deserving of a green jacket it would probably be Rosey …” said Tyrrell Hatton, who finished in a four-way tie for third. “Incredible player and I imagine one day he’ll slip on a green jacket.
Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, flirted with missing the cut after opening with a 70 and 74. But he shot bogey-free rounds of 65 and 68 on the weekend, becoming the first player at the Masters since 1942 to play every hole on Saturday and Sunday at par or better.
Russell Henley, playing on his birthday, collected his fifth top-10 finish in his last nine majors.
“I felt like I handled the pressure well, handled the conditions well,” Henley said. “It was tricky out there. Just hit it great. Really thankful for a good finish.”
Collin Morikawa, dealing with a back injury that affected his confidence in his legs, got hot on the second nine and tore off five birdies in a row. He finished at nine under.
“This is going to be one of the best tournaments forever,” Morikawa said. “I’m going to remember this one for many reasons, but more how strong the mind is, to be able to go out and convince yourself that everything is going to be okay.”
The biggest implosion of the day came from Haotong Li, who was seven under after three rounds. He opened Sunday with a bogey, then had three bogeys in a row on five, six and seven. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
Li took a triple-bogey six on No. 12, and then the wheels really came off. He had a 10 — a quintuple bogey — on the 13th that included a second shot into the bushes, and a third shot that stayed in there, and later a firm putt from the fringe that blew past the hole and into the water. It was a nightmare.
Meanwhile, in his champions news conference, McIlroy was asked what his Masters experience has taught him about life.
“Just keep your head down and keep going,” he said. “Good things come to those who wait.”
