SI:AM | Rory McIlroy Refused to Unravel

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Rory McIlroy won, but I think the player I was most impressed with at the Masters this weekend was Scottie Scheffler. He finished his last two rounds a combined 11 under par to finish alone in second place, one shot behind Rory, after he was nowhere near contention on Friday.

In today’s SI:AM:
🏆 Augusta repeat for Rory
😞 Justin Rose comes up just short again
🏀 NBA playoffs set

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Rory’s closet is getting crowded

For the second straight year, Rory McIlroy saw a healthy lead at the Masters disappear. And for the second straight year, he pulled out of the skid to win the tournament.

McIlroy was 12 under par after the second round on Friday, six shots ahead of everyone else. But then, as several competitors posted low numbers on Saturday, McIlroy shot a one-over 73 and saw his big lead evaporate. He entered the final round tied with Cameron Young for the lead at 11 under, with four players within three shots of first.

The collapse was reminiscent of McIlroy’s previous shortcomings at Augusta, where he’d finished in the top 10 seven times before finally winning the green jacket last year and completing the career grand slam. But it also felt a lot like last year’s win. McIlroy made three bogeys and two doubles in the final round last year, including a bogey on the 72nd hole to force a playoff against Justin Rose.

Just as McIlroy recovered in the playoff last year, he righted the ship on Sunday and did just enough to hold on and win. The round began inauspiciously with a double bogey on the par-3 4th hole and a bogey on the par-3 6th hole. He faltered but never imploded. He followed that up with back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes, then made two more birdies on 12 and 13.

The birdie on the 13th was particularly impressive. In each of his three previous rounds, McIlroy‘s drive on 13 had drifted to the right into the pine straw. On Sunday, though, he bombed a 350-yard drive that left him with 183 yards to the hole. But then McIlroy’s approach shot sailed over the green, into the collection area between the putting surface and a bunker, 22 yards from the hole. He elected to putt from there, hitting a perfect shot that settled 11 feet from the hole. He sank the ensuing birdie putt.

That one hole was a microcosm of McIlroy’s week—otherworldly at times, bafflingly pedestrian at others. He led the field in driving distance (334 yards on average) but was eighth worst in driving accuracy (55.4% of fairways hit).

McIlroy’s struggles with the driver nearly cost him the tournament on the final hole. He walked to the 18th tee with a two-shot lead, needing only a closing bogey to repeat as Masters champion. Easy enough, right? Not if you shank your tee shot into the trees. A double-bogey was certainly a possibility. But McIlroy didn’t crumble. He found a gap in the trees and advanced his ball in the general direction of the hole, landing in one of the bunkers in front of the green. From there, he executed a decent bunker shot and two-putted for the win. Not exactly a 72nd-hole victory lap, but a championship-winning finale nonetheless.

McIlroy has now won six major championships, tied for 12th on the all-time list and tied with Nick Faldo for second most among European golfers. It’s an impressive feat, but even more so when you consider his decade-long drought between majors. He went from winning four majors in four years between 2011 and ’14 to developing a reputation as someone who faded when the lights were brightest. But at Augusta the past two years, McIlroy dramatically reversed that narrative by refusing to let a couple of mistakes spiral into a complete meltdown.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Rory McIlroy celebrates — The last hole wasn’t pretty, but Rory McIlroy still got to celebrate. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Rory McIlroy was ready for his moment, even though it appeared he was not going to repeat as Masters champion. Michael Rosenberg details how the golfer put on a clinic in course management on his way to his second green jacket.
Bob Harig traces what was another disappointing tournament for Justin Rose, who finished two back of the winner, a year after losing in the playoff to McIlroy.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished one back of McIlroy despite the first bogey-free final two rounds in Augusta since 1942, writes Max Schreiber.
Kevin Sweeney says the pressure is on the Louisville men’s basketball program after the Cardinals made a big splash in the transfer portal.
The NBA playoff bracket is set. Here are the matchups heading into the play-in tournament.
Alex Ovechkin is winding down a Hall of Fame career. Kristen Nelson reports the Capitals star is not acting like retirement is imminent.
Is anyone really available for the right price? Mike Kadlick dives into which players across the NFL are truly untradeable.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. Cameron Young’s creative shot, using the mound behind the green to roll his ball up next to the hole.
4. Terrence Shannon Jr.’s spin move and powerful dunk.
3. A diving catch by Mets center fielder Carson Benge.
2. The ovation Alex Ovechkin got after the Capitals’ final regular-season home game. (Washington still has an outside chance to make the playoffs, and Ovechkin has not said definitively whether this is his final season.)
1. Justin Rose’s brilliant shot from the pine straw on No. 7 that settled less than a foot from the hole.