McIlroy repeats at Augusta
Rory McIlroy won the 2026 Masters for the second year in a row, becoming one of the few golfers to defend the Green Jacket and closing the tournament at 12-under par. ( ). Analysts singled out one decisive moment — a 9-iron into the 12th green from about 161 yards that left him an 8-foot putt — shown in the Sunday highlights package. ( )
Rory McIlroy left Augusta National with the Green Jacket again on Sunday, winning the Masters for a second straight year at 12-under par. (pgatour.com) He shot a 1-under 71 in the final round and finished one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who closed with a 68 to reach 11-under. Justin Rose, Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Young tied for third at 10-under. (golfchannel.com) The win made McIlroy the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles and the first to do it since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. It was also McIlroy’s sixth major championship and his 30th PGA Tour victory. (nbcsports.com, pgatour.com) The defense did not follow the script of a runaway. McIlroy took a tournament-record six-shot lead through 36 holes, shot 73 on Saturday, and started Sunday tied at 11-under with Cameron Young. (nbcsports.com) Sunday turned again on the back nine at Amen Corner, Augusta National’s stretch of holes 11 through 13. Golf Channel and the Masters highlights package both centered on McIlroy’s tee shot at the par-3 12th, a 9-iron from about 161 yards that set up an 8-foot putt, before he added another birdie at 13. (golfchannel.com, youtube.com) He still had to scramble home. The PGA Tour’s hole-by-hole recap said McIlroy reached 13-under with those birdies at 12 and 13, then saved pars across the second nine before a bogey at the 18th left him at the winning number. (pgatour.com) The leaderboard around him kept moving. Scheffler’s 65-68 weekend nearly erased the gap, and NBC Sports said McIlroy was at one point two shots behind Cameron Young during the final round before recovering. (nbcsports.com) McIlroy’s family scene matched the history. NBC Sports reported that his parents, Rosie and Gerry, were at Augusta this time along with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy, and the PGA Tour said he hugged Poppy off the 18th green for the second straight year. (nbcsports.com, pgatour.com) A year after ending his long wait for a Masters title, McIlroy now owns two Green Jackets and a place in the tournament’s short list of repeat champions. At Augusta on April 12, 2026, the shot most people will remember is the one he sent into the 12th green when the tournament was still in the balance. (nbcsports.com, youtube.com)
