Rory McIlroy Makes History As Masters Repeat Champion

One year after completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta National, the Northern Irishman became the fourth man to win back-to-back Masters titles.

Rory McIlroy stuffed this tee shot at the par-3 12th hole to get to 12 under on his march to a second green jacket. | Grace Smith-Imagn Images

AUGUSTA — Rory McIlroy took a year-long victory lap after winning the 2025 Masters, a win of a lifetime that completed the career Grand Slam.

He’s still flying high.

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman successfully defended his Masters title Sunday, shooting 71 in the final round at Augusta National to win at 12-under 276 and become the fourth back-to-back Masters champion, joining Jack Nicklaus (1965–66), Nick Faldo (1989–90) and Tiger Woods (2001–02).

He won by one shot over Scottie Scheffler (11 under) and by two over Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young (10 under), prevailing in what began as a surprisingly wide-open Sunday. McIlroy owned a Masters-record six-shot lead after 36 holes after opening the 90th Masters with rounds of 67–65 but came back to the pack with a Saturday 73 while a number of chasers shot rounds in the 60s in what was the third-easiest third round in Masters history (70.630 stroke average).

Justin Rose, the man McIlroy beat in the 2025 playoff for his green jacket, led going to his the second nine Sunday but bogeyed the 11th and 12th holes at Amen Corner to fall from the top—then moments later McIlroy mounted the charge that would carry him home.

The world’s second-ranked player was even-par for his round through 11 holes at 11 under (though not without drama, he made three birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey 5 at the par-3 4th), but at the iconic short par-3 12th he stuffed it to 7 feet and made the putt for one of just three birdies at 12 in the final round. McIlroy then birdied the par-5 13th after a 350-yard drive into the fairway, the only time all week he found that fairway.

After a par at the par-5 15th McIlroy flew the green at the par-3 16th and faced a tough up-and-down, but putted from off the green to a tap-in. He parred the 17th and missed the fairway well right at the 18th hole but reached the front bunker with his approach and two-putted for a winning bogey.

Per Masters protocol for back-to-back champs, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley put the green jacket on McIlroy in the post-round ceremony. That second jacket now gives McIlroy six major championships—two Masters, two PGA Championships, one U.S. Open and one British Open—and moves him into a tie for 12th all-time with Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson.

Ahead of him with seven majors are Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer.

McIlroy practiced extensively at Augusta National leading up to the Masters. He did not play the Texas Children’s Houston Open or the Valero Texas Open, the last two PGA Tour stops before the major, opting to jet up for day trips from his Florida home. 

“I've been on this golf course so much the last three weeks, and that's been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out,” he said Friday night.

And he was in some weird places through two rounds, as even while playing 12 under par to build his six-shot lead, he was 90th out of 91 competitors in fairways hit. Saturday he was not much better, hitting only eight of 14 fairways in his round of 73. But Sunday was his best driving day as he hit 10 of 14 fairways.

Scheffler played an exceptional weekend in finishing second, firing rounds of 65-68 and becoming the first bogey-free player in the final two rounds of the Masters since 1942. He persevered with pars while playing partner Haotong Li took considerable time in making a triple bogey at the 12th and a quintuple-bogey 10 at the par-5 13th. Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, made consecutive birdies at 15 and 16 to get to 11 under. He narrowly missed a birdie putt at the 17th hole that could have put additional pressure on McIlroy.