McIlroy Keeps Green Jacket

Rory McIlroy left Augusta National with another green jacket on Sunday, this time after a week that nearly got away from him. (espn.com) McIlroy finished the 2026 Masters at 12-under-par after a final-round 71, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who closed with a 68 to finish at 11-under. Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young tied for third at 10-under. (espn.com) The margin looked much safer two days earlier. McIlroy took a six-shot lead into Saturday, then lost all of it in a third round that left him tied with Cameron Young at 11-under entering Sunday. (pgatour.com) Sunday turned on the back nine. The PGA Tour’s live update said McIlroy birdied the 12th and 13th to reach 13-under, while Scheffler finally got to double digits with a birdie at the 15th but stayed behind with five holes left. (pgatour.com) The win put McIlroy in a short Masters list. Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports and other outlets reported he became the fourth man to win back-to-back Masters titles, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. (sports.yahoo.com) That run comes one year after the result that changed the way McIlroy was discussed at Augusta. In April 2025, he won the Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam, giving him all four men’s major championships at least once. (pgatour.com) (pga.com) This year still had the old Augusta volatility. Yahoo Sports and NBC News reported McIlroy’s six-shot halfway lead was a tournament record through 36 holes, and by Saturday night it was gone. (sports.yahoo.com) (nbcnews.com) The leaderboard behind him never really settled. Shane Lowry made a hole-in-one on the 190-yard sixth hole in the third round and briefly moved into the chase, and Golf Channel reported it was his second career ace at Augusta National. (golfweek.usatoday.com) (golfchannel.com) By sunset Sunday, the tournament was back where it started: McIlroy at the top of the board at Augusta, with everyone else chasing one shot too late. (espn.com)