McIlroy repeats at Augusta

Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on Sunday, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods to wear the green jacket two years in a row. (pgatour.com) He finished at 12-under 276 at Augusta National, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler after a final-round 71. Scheffler closed with a 68 and earned $2.43 million for second place. (espn.com) The Masters raised its purse to a record $22.5 million this year, and McIlroy’s share was $4.5 million. Four players tied for third at 10-under — Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young — and each earned $1.08 million. (pgatour.com) The win gave McIlroy six major championships and his 30th PGA Tour title. It also put him in a smaller Masters club: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods are the only other men to win at Augusta in consecutive years. (pgatour.com) (abcnews.com) Sunday turned in the stretch known as Amen Corner, the three-hole run from the 11th through the 13th that often decides the Masters. McIlroy made birdies at the 12th and 13th there, and the PGA Tour called his tee shot on the par-3 12th the “crown jewel” of the round. (pgatour.com) (masters.com) He still had to survive the finish. On 18, McIlroy drove the ball far right, played an 8-iron over the trees into a front bunker, then got down in two putts for bogey and the win. (pgatour.com) The week was not a runaway, even though it looked that way early. The Associated Press reported that McIlroy gave away a six-shot lead in the third round, then fell two shots behind Cameron Young and Justin Rose during Sunday’s final round before rallying again. (whro.org) That made the defense different from 2025, when McIlroy’s Augusta victory completed the career Grand Slam. One year later, he arrived as the defending champion, left with a second straight green jacket, and now heads to the rest of the 2026 majors with six career majors instead of five. (espn.com)