McIlroy wins Masters

Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on Sunday, becoming the fourth player to win back-to-back green jackets at Augusta National. (sports.yahoo.com) McIlroy shot a 1-under 71 in the final round and finished at 12-under 276, one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who closed with a bogey-free 68. (cnn.com, skysports.com) The win gave McIlroy his sixth major championship and put him alongside Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to defend a Masters title successfully. (golfdigest.com, nbcnews.com) Sunday turned after a shaky start and a crowded leaderboard. McIlroy had led by six after 36 holes, fell back into a tie entering the final round after a poor Saturday, then steadied himself as contenders moved around him. (nbcnews.com, sports.yahoo.com) One shot kept coming up in the closing stretch: a knockdown 9-iron at the par-3 12th that finished about eight feet from the hole. Live coverage and post-round analysis treated it as the swing shot that let McIlroy regain control at Amen Corner. (nytimes.com, youtube.com) Scheffler was the last serious threat, not Justin Rose or Cameron Young. Rose dropped back after mistakes through Amen Corner, and Young missed a late approach chance as McIlroy carried a narrow lead to the 18th. (washingtonpost.com, sports.yahoo.com, youtube.com) McIlroy still made it tense at the last. He drove wide on 18, made bogey, and avoided a playoff only because Scheffler had already finished at 11-under. (augustachronicle.com, sportingnews.com) A year after finally winning at Augusta, McIlroy left with a second straight jacket and a place in one of the tournament’s shortest lists. Sunday’s margin was one shot, but the round turned on a handful of swings that kept everyone else one step behind. (sports.yahoo.com, golfdigest.com)