McIlroy defends Masters

Rory McIlroy left Augusta National with the Green Jacket again on Sunday, beating Scottie Scheffler by one shot to win the 2026 Masters. (cnn.com) McIlroy finished at 12-under par after a final-round 71 in the 90th Masters Tournament. Scheffler closed at 11-under after a bogey-free weekend, and Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley and Cameron Young tied for third at 10-under. (pgatour.com) The round turned in the stretch at Augusta National known as Amen Corner, holes 11 through 13. McIlroy birdied the par-3 12th after a 9-iron finished about seven feet away, then birdied the par-5 13th after a 350-yard drive. (golfdigest.com) Those shots steadied a Sunday that had tightened after McIlroy lost a six-shot lead during the third round and began the final day tied with Cameron Young. He still became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win back-to-back Masters. (espn.com) The win gave McIlroy his sixth major championship and his second Masters title in two years. It also moved him into a group of four repeat Masters champions with Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods. (nbcsports.com) A year earlier, McIlroy’s 2025 Masters victory completed the career Grand Slam after more than a decade of misses at Augusta. In 2026, he returned as defending champion and had to survive a far less tidy finish, including a bogey at the last after driving right off the 18th tee. (golfdigest.com) He said the 12th and 13th were the key shots, and the closing hole was the most stressful. On 18, McIlroy punched an 8-iron around trees into a bunker, blasted out to 12 feet and took two putts to seal the title. (abcnews.com) The victory also came with the largest winner’s check in tournament history: $4.5 million from a record $22.5 million purse. McIlroy won the Green Jacket again, but this time he did it with every contender in sight and no room left for a mistake. (golfchannel.com)