Rory McIlroy holds on to win his second straight Masters

Rory McIlroy can breathe a sigh of relief.

McIlroy won his second straight Masters Tournament on Sunday — joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only golfers who’ve won the sport’s most prestigious tournament two years in a row.

McIlroy led by six strokes after 36 holes, but entered Sunday tied for first after a disastrous third round. In danger of blowing the biggest two-round lead in Masters history, McIlroy rebounded under pressure, shooting a final-round 70 to secure his second green jacket.

Scottie Scheffler finished in second. Cameron Young — who was in the final pairing with McIlroy — finished tied for third with three others, including last year’s runner-up Justin Rose.

McIlroy was dominant to start at Augusta. Picking up where he left off in 2025 — when he defeated Rose in a playoff to win his first Masters — McIlroy was 12-under after two rounds, shooting a blistering 65 in the second round to open a six-stroke lead over the rest of the field. But he stumbled in the third, shooting a 1-over 73 to fall to 11-under and into a tie with Young for first place.

Amid whispers McIlroy could repeat some of his worst losses at Augusta, he came back with a vengeance Sunday. He was brilliant as his final round went on, hitting three birdies between holes eight and 13 to give himself a cushion he would never relinquish down the stretch.

McIlroy had a tortured career at Augusta prior to the last two years. He lost as part of the final pairing in both 2011 and 2018. A loss Sunday would have echoed some of the lowest moments of McIlroy’s otherwise storied career.

Instead, it was a repeat of his most impressive accomplishment as a pro. And now, instead of an historic loss, McIlroy has entered a new, rarified tier as one of golf’s all-time greats.