McIlroy wins Masters again

Rory McIlroy won the Masters again on April 12, becoming the fourth player to win back-to-back at Augusta National. (masters.com) McIlroy closed with a 1-under 71 and finished at 12-under 276, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler at the 90th Masters. (golfchannel.com) The final round turned after McIlroy lost a six-shot 36-hole lead on Saturday, then fell two shots behind during Sunday’s front nine before birdies around Amen Corner put him back in control. (apnews.com) The repeat put McIlroy alongside Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to defend a Masters title. It also gave the 36-year-old from Holywood, Northern Ireland, six major championships. (masters.com) (nbcsports.com) A year ago, McIlroy’s Augusta win ended the career Grand Slam chase that had followed him since 2014. This time, the conversation shifted from what was missing to how many more majors he can add. (sports.yahoo.com) (apnews.com) McIlroy said that directly after the win. “I want more,” he said, after noting that he had waited 17 years for one Green Jacket and now had two in a row. (sports.yahoo.com) (masters.com) One part of the post-win coverage focused on his Whoop wearable, a wrist tracker that estimates heart rate, sleep, recovery and physical strain. Data shared after the round showed how his body reacted over the closing holes. (golf.com) Golf.com reported that McIlroy’s resting heart rate usually sits between 47 and 49 beats per minute, then jumped to 135 after his drive on 18 found the trees. It dropped to 121 before his second shot, rose again to 136 after his approach found the bunker, and fell to 117 before the par putt. (golf.com) The same report said McIlroy logged more than 24,000 steps on Sunday, more than 91,000 for the week, and more than nine hours of sleep the night before the final round. His Sunday recovery score was 87%, and his strain reached 16.8. (golf.com) Scheffler finished second at 11-under after a bogey-free weekend of 65 and 68, while Justin Rose, Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Young tied for third at 10-under. (golfchannel.com) (masters.com) McIlroy left Augusta with the same jacket as last year and a different line for what comes next. “I want more” was the first answer after No. 6. (sports.yahoo.com)