In typical Rory fashion, his fans were worried and watching anxiously to see what was going to happen on Sunday. He did not disappoint though, securing the green jacket for the second successive year.
Last year Rory McIlroy defeated Justin Rose in a playoff and this year he squeaked by with a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler.
Sunday was an incredible day of golf for us fans. It would be super stressful being one of the players or family members of the players.
Rory had a lot of shadows of his past tournaments hovering over him on both Saturday and Sunday. After his drive on 18 that disappeared into the trees, it seemed possible we’d be watching another playoff.
But Rory McIlroy did it. He has joined the back-to-back Masters Champion elite group. He got very high praise from Jack Nicklaus. Check it out below:
Jack Nicklaus congratulates Rory McIlroy on his win at The Masters
Sharing images of McIlroy’s latest triumph at Augusta, Nicklaus posted on his Instagram: “What a wonderful [Masters] win for [Rory McIlroy]!
“Congratulations, Rory, on back-to-back Green Jackets! You played like a guy who has already won a Masters championship, which is relaxed, free, and confident.
“The monkey came off your back last year, and now, all of a sudden, you are the only guy who has a chance to three-repeat.
“People asked me all week how difficult it must be to win back-to-back Masters. Honestly, I don’t think winning back-to-back Masters is nearly as difficult as winning your first.
“What Rory did last year was the toughest thing for him. This week, Rory played like a guy who has already won a Masters.
“Perhaps Rory played today as if he might’ve been a little nervous at times – I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t have his A game, but Rory did what he had to do with his A-minus game.
“Rory did the things he had to do to win the tournament and that is what is important. He did what he had to do, WHEN he had to do it! And that’s how you win!
“It’s another big step in his maturation. Rory had a long time between major championships four and five, but six came pretty quickly.
“Rory is in the prime of his career. Now let’s see if there are some more majors for him on the horizon! I’m very happy for Rory.
“It’s great for the game of golf to see really special players win, because it stimulates the game for everyone.”
Birdies help Rory McIlroy over the line at The Masters
Nicklaus certainly knows the feeling of winning The Masters back-to-back, having done so in 1965 and 1966.
The next player to do it was Sir Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990. Then It wasn’t until Tiger Woods did it in 2001 and 2002.
Rory’s aggressive style really helped seal it. The first two days it seemed like he was just going to run away completely with it. But Saturday and Sunday with him shooting a +1 73 on Saturday and then a -1 71 on Sunday really made me wonder. I remember telling my father-in-law “who knows, he could end up shooting high 70’s or even 80”.
It turns out that Haotong Li did shoot a 80 on Sunday. He was paired with Scottie Scheffler and I really think that Haotong’s 6 on hole 12 (triple bogey) and his 10 on hole 13 (par 5) really destroyed momentum that Scottie Scheffler could have used. Scottie sitting around waiting so long might have iced him a little bit on those two holes.
Rory carded rounds of 67 and 65 to have the six-shot lead after 36 holes, which was a record at that stage of The Masters. That was something I didn’t know until after he did it. Did you?
McIlroy’s weekend was rough though. We all know the feeling of that. He pulled it through though and became the 4th ever to do back-to-back Masters victories.
What do you think? Do you think he has a chance for the back-to-back-to-back?
Recommended Read:
Masters 2026 Recap: Rory Survives Himself, Joins Golf’s Rarest Club