McIlroy defends Augusta

Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on Sunday, defending his Augusta National title by one shot over Scottie Scheffler. (espn.com) McIlroy finished at 12-under-par after a final-round 71 in the 90th Masters, while Scheffler closed with a 68 to finish 11-under. (espn.com) The decisive stretch came on Augusta National’s back nine, where McIlroy birdied the 12th and 13th holes to move in front during Sunday’s final round. (golfchannel.com) Fred Ridley, the Augusta National chairman, placed the green jacket on McIlroy after the round, extending a ceremony McIlroy first experienced when he won the 2025 Masters. (golfweek.usatoday.com) The repeat put McIlroy in a short line of Masters champions who won in consecutive years. NBC Sports said he became the fourth man to go back-to-back at Augusta, and the first since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. (nbcsports.com) That result also added to a résumé that now includes six major championships. Augusta had long been the major that eluded McIlroy before his 2025 win completed the career Grand Slam. (nbcsports.com) Scheffler’s charge kept the finish tight to the end. ESPN’s final leaderboard showed him alone in second at 277, one stroke behind McIlroy’s 276. (espn.com) The chasing pack was crowded behind them. Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young tied for third at 10-under, two shots back. (espn.com) McIlroy also collected the winner’s share of a $22.5 million purse. ESPN listed his prize at $4.5 million for the week at Augusta National. (espn.com) By sunset in Augusta on April 12, 2026, McIlroy had done what no Masters champion had done since Woods: keep the green jacket for another year. (aljazeera.com)