McIlroy back‑to‑back at Augusta

Rory McIlroy won the 2026 Masters on Sunday, becoming the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets at Augusta National. (nbcsports.com) (espn.com) McIlroy finished at 12-under-par 276 after rounds of 67, 65, 73 and 71, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler at 11 under. Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young tied for third at 10 under. (espn.com) The 90th Masters carried a record $22.5 million purse, and McIlroy earned $4.5 million for the victory. Yahoo Sports reported the fund was $1.5 million higher than in 2025 and larger than the purses recently offered at the other men’s majors. (sports.yahoo.com 1) (sports.yahoo.com 2) The repeat came one year after McIlroy won the 2025 Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam, which means he arrived at Augusta this April as the defending champion instead of the player chasing history. Augusta’s player page says that 2025 win made him the sixth man to complete the Grand Slam and the first European to do it. (nbcsports.com) (masters.com) Only three players had previously won the Masters in consecutive years: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. NBC Sports and ESPN both placed McIlroy in that group after the final round on April 12. (nbcsports.com) (espn.com) McIlroy had put himself in position early in the week. Masters coverage said he shot 65 in the second round and birdied six of his last seven holes Friday, including the final four, to build a six-shot lead. (masters.com) The final margin was much tighter, with Scheffler finishing one stroke back and five players sharing third. That leaderboard underscored how little room McIlroy had on Sunday even after taking control midway through the tournament. (espn.com) For McIlroy, the second straight jacket changes the Augusta conversation again: last April he ended an 11-year major drought and this April he added a successful title defense, something almost no one has managed at the Masters. (nbcsports.com 1) (nbcsports.com 2) A year ago, McIlroy left Augusta with the last leg of the Grand Slam. This time, he left with a second straight Masters trophy and a place beside three of the tournament’s most exclusive repeat champions. (masters.com) (nbcsports.com)