Rory McIlroy goes back-to-back to win his second Masters title

Rory McIlroy competes in the 2025 Travelers Championship. (Photo by Bryan Berlin / Creative Commons, CC BY 4.0)

Inside one of the biggest weeks for professional golf

The 90th Masters Tournament was held from April 9 to 12 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The Masters Tournament is one of four major championships in men’s professional golf. It is an exclusive tournament held in the first full week of April each year, where less than 100 professional and amateur players attend to compete.

91 golfers checked in on the Monday of the week of the tournament, in hopes of making it through all four rounds and 72 holes.

Tuesday’s Masters Championship dinner, an exclusive dinner organized by the previous Masters Tournament winner, was hosted by 2025 Masters Tournament winner Rory McIlroy.

The Par 3 contest is a nine-hole family affair that is typically held on the Wednesday the week of the tournament. This year, English golfer Aaron Rai won the contest with a score of 6-under-par 21. However, no winner of this contest has gone on to win the green jacket in the same year.

Legendary golfers Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson served as the honorary starters, teeing off on the first hole at Augusta National on Thursday, April 9 to officially begin the 90th Masters Tournament.

Favorites to win included the world’s No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and his 3D-printed irons, the Players champion Cameron Young and the reigning FedEx champion Tommy Fleetwood.

A year after the dramatic win over England’s Justin Rose to secure his first Masters title and complete his first grand slam (one of six golfers to achieve a grand slam), defending champion McIlroy had all eyes on him heading into the tournament. Despite coming out of a 3-week break to recover from a back injury, McIlroy was still a clear favorite to win.

Round one of the tournament was dominated by McIlroy and five-time Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour winner Sam Burns, with both golfers shooting five under 67. The two-way tie set the pace for the first day.

McIlroy broke through and increased his lead in the second round of the tournament with an impressive low of 65, taking a six shot lead heading into the weekend — the largest second-round lead in tournament history. Burns posted a 71 to get six under, alongside 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed, who shot a 69.

Three-time Masters runner up Rose (2015, 2017 and 2025) continued his quest for a green jacket by making his 21st Masters appearance. He was able to rally five birdies in the second round and finished on par in the final three holes to stay five under, alongside European Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry and Fleetwood.

Notable second round cuts included: preliminary favorite DeChambeau, who finished six-over after a rough start to the tournament; recent Valero Texas Open winner J.J. Spaun; American Pro Akshay Bhatia; and two-time Masters and 12-time PGA Tour winner Bubba Watson.

An underdog, Young climbed to the top of the leaderboard in the third round, despite his rocky start to the tournament. He carded eight birdies, one bogey and nine holes on par to post a 65 and catch up to tournament leader McIlroy.

McIlroy started to slow down in the third round, carding three bogeys and a double bogey to four birdies. He posted a 73 to finish his Saturday, cutting his six-shot lead and setting him up for a busy Sunday.

Just over both tournament leaders' shoulders, two-time Masters winner Scheffler was heating up, posting an eagle and five birdies to catch up to the top of the leaderboard. Finishing with a strong 65, Scheffler was back in contention for the last round of the tournament.

Feeling the competition hot on his tail, McIlroy was looking to finish just under par to secure a win. However, this did not come without difficulty.

His final round started slightly slow. He posted a birdie and a double bogey within the first five holes. Trying to rally before the Amen Corner, he shot a bogey and two birdies in the next five holes.

Hoping to come back from a tough first half, McIlroy kept his composure and took control of the Amen Corner. He made par on the 11th hole’s par-4 to maintain a one-shot lead. McIlroy stepped onto the 12th hole and shot a birdie, increasing his lead to two. McIlroy finished the final hole in the Amen Corner with another birdie to increase his three-stroke lead, ultimately conquering the notorious holes.

McIlroy held on for the next four holes, making each hole in par. In a dramatic finish to the tournament, McIlroy drove his ball into the trees, marking his first stroke. In his second stroke, McIlroy drove straight through the trees and into the sand. In his third stroke, he saved his ball from the sand and drove it up onto the green.

For the second year in a row, McIlroy putted his ball straight towards the hole and narrowly missed. However, this did not matter, as the patrons began to stand and applaud McIlroy, who was going to win by a one-stroke lead. Despite going one over par, McIlroy lightly pushed his ball into the 18th hole, definitively winning the 2026 Masters Tournament.

McIlroy became the fourth golfer in history to win consecutive titles at the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2002, and he took home the grand prize of $4.5 million. Despite an incredible Sunday performance, Scheffler was unable to catch up and was the runner-up.

The 90th Masters Tournament closed out with McIlroy’s second green jacket ceremony, cementing him in men’s professional golf history. McIlroy will be taking some time off to enjoy his well-earned victory and prepare for his next major tournament, the PGA Championship.

Written by: Alexia Navarro — sports@theaggie.org