McIlroy repeats at Augusta

Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on Sunday, becoming the fourth man to win back-to-back green jackets at Augusta National. (masters.com) McIlroy finished at 12-under-par 276 and shot a 1-under 71 in the final round, beating Scottie Scheffler by one stroke after Scheffler closed with a 68. Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley and Justin Rose tied for third at 10 under. (masters.com) The final round tightened after McIlroy made a double bogey on the front nine, then steadied himself with two birdies through Amen Corner and held off Scheffler’s late charge. Cameron Young had started Sunday tied with McIlroy at 11 under before fading out of the top spots. (golfweek.usatoday.com, sports.yahoo.com) The win gave McIlroy six major championships and a second straight Masters title one year after he ended his long wait for a green jacket. Yahoo Sports reported that he joined Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners at Augusta. (sports.yahoo.com, sports.yahoo.com) That put McIlroy in a different place in the sport than he occupied for most of the past decade, when Augusta was framed around near-misses and career-grand-slam pressure. In the green jacket ceremony, he said he wanted to return and prove that his 2025 win “wasn’t a fluke.” (masters.com) The tournament was the 90th Masters, and McIlroy spent much of the week in control before a shaky Saturday erased a six-shot lead and reset the race for Sunday. He still finished the job, which is the part Augusta has denied many leaders over the years. (golfchannel.com, pgatour.com) McIlroy also avoided the awkward bit he joked about a year ago: as defending champion, he was in line to help with the green jacket presentation, but this time the ceremony did not unfold the way he imagined. Yahoo Sports said he still received the jacket for a second straight year after winning it himself again. (sports.yahoo.com) At Augusta, the green jacket stays with the winner for a year before returning to the club, so McIlroy will spend another season as the reigning Masters champion. He arrived in April trying to defend a title; he left with the same jacket, the same course conquered again, and one more place in tournament history. (masters.com, masters.com)