Tranlate this title Rory McIlroy wins Masters 2026, sends message: Last year wasn’t a fluke in spanish

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has become just the fourth player in history to defend his Masters title in Augusta, the first major of the season, a tournament that has been played since 1934.

McIlroy, who last year at Augusta became the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam, joins Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002) as the fourth to wear the famous green jacket at the end of the Masters two years in a row.

McIlroy reached his sixth «major» in his career, with two Masters and two PGA Championships (2012, 2014) and one US Open (2011) and The Open (2014), having achieved a score of 12 strokes under par over the four days of competition, one more than second-placed American Scottie Scheffler, world number one on the PGA ranking and winner of the Masters in 2022 and 2024, and two less than Englishman Tyrell Hatton and Justin Rose and Americans Cameron Young and Russell Henley, who shared third place.

The final day of the tournament offered great drama and numerous twists and turns that were difficult to predict after Friday, when McIlroy had a six-stroke lead over his closest rivals.

However, with a poor performance on Saturday, the Northern Irishman lost all that advantage, and with a weaker start on Sunday, after seven of the scheduled 18 holes, he even fell two shots behind the then leader Young. Halfway through the final day, Rose took the lead with a two-shot advantage over the competition, but then he too began to make mistakes, while McIlroy put together several excellent shots from the ninth to the 14th holes and took control again.

When McIlroy and Young, who made up the final pair, reached the final, 18th hole, the Northern Irishman had a two-shot advantage over the second-place Scheffler and knew that he would win the title if he complete it in five shots or fewer. 

Despite a poor first shot, McIlroy found himself in a situation where he had two attempts from the green for the trophy; the first was a little inaccurate, but then he had a putt from distance for the title that he made.

Rory McIlroy reacts

Rory McIlroy knew he had a challenging task ahead of him after a phenomenal season in which he finally lifted the curse and won the Masters. Winning such a prestigious tournament twice is truly an extremely difficult task.

The Northern Irish golfer was equally motivated to win the Masters again this year, but this time without the huge pressure. 

Rory McIlroy pointed out that he had an incredible tournament that is special in many ways. For many, the Masters is the most prestigious tournament in the world of golf, so Rory McIlroy stressed that he is honored and delighted to win this tournament for the second time.

«My parting message last year was ‘I can’t wait to come back next year and put the green jacket on myself’.

I wasn’t quite correct, because the chairman did it, but I did want to come back and prove that last year wasn’t a fluke.

This is an absolutely incredible golf tournament, so unique in so many ways.

The Masters continues to be the shining light of the majors, and I’m so honoured and thrilled to win for the second time.»

Reactions

Most believe that a victory like this will open many avenues for him and that Rory will only improve further in the future. Many congratulated him on his victory, including President Donald Trump, who was impressed by Rory McIlroy’s skills.

The President of the USA pointed out that Rory McIlroy played incredibly under pressure, which few manage.

«He performed tremendously under intense pressure, something which few people would be able to even think about doing. With each year, Rory is becoming more and more a LEGEND!» Trump said.

Trump expects the Northern Irish golfer to improve further and eventually break a host of records.

It will be interesting to follow his career after everything, especially his performances at the Majors. 

The 36-year-old pointed out before the start of this season that, while some believe he has no set goals, he has plenty of them, but doesn’t want to share too much.

If McIlroy continues at this pace, there is no doubt that he will win several more Majors, especially now that the pressure and fear factor are no longer present. The Masters turned out to be a tournament full of adrenaline and excitement, just as we expected.

Let’s hope that the Masters will be just as exciting in the years to come.