McIlroy shot a 1-under 71 in the final round Sunday (Korean time) at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, with five birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey. He finished at 12-under 276, holding off Scottie Scheffler of the United States by one shot to earn the $4.5 million winner’s check (about 6.6 billion won).
Augusta National is known for making title defenses difficult. McIlroy’s victory marked the fourth successful title defense in Masters history, following Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-2002). McIlroy became the first player since Woods to win back-to-back green jackets, ending a 24-year gap.
He also led from the opening round without surrendering the top spot, completing a wire-to-wire win. Over the past 45 years, only three others have done that at the Masters: Trevor Immelman in 2008, Jordan Spieth in 2015 and Dustin Johnson in 2020. The win was McIlroy’s first of the season and the 30th of his PGA Tour career.
McIlroy said the challenge felt different this year.
"Last year, I thought this tournament was especially hard because I had to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters," he said at a news conference. "But this year I realized the Masters itself is an incredibly hard tournament to win."
He added, "Last year my parents couldn’t come, and I thought about it several times during the round. But I kept telling myself, ‘Not yet.’ This year I persuaded them to come, and I’m happy we could share this joy."
McIlroy credited mental toughness under pressure and a shift in strategy, particularly on the demanding stretch known as Amen Corner, holes 11 through 13. "In the past I played defensively at Amen Corner and failed, but this time I played aggressively and it worked," he said. After losing three shots there in the third round, he steadied himself with a par at No. 11 in the final round, then made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 to regain momentum.
The closing hole provided the most tense moment. Leading by two, McIlroy drove into the woods at the par-4 18th. He recovered with a calm bunker save and a bogey putt to protect the title. "After I hit the tee shot on 18, the process of finding the ball was the most nerve-racking," he said. "When the par putt stopped right next to the hole, I saw my family behind the green. I thought, ‘I did it again.’ I didn’t feel as emotional as last year, but I felt even happier."
He said he built his form for the Masters with careful preparation and advice from Nicklaus. "I talk a lot with Jack Nicklaus every year," McIlroy said. "Nicklaus advised that for majors, it’s important to arrive early and not just look around the course, but go out with one ball and actually play and practice scoring." McIlroy said he practiced for four days using only one ball while keeping score.
Even after the milestone, McIlroy said he is not finished. "Last year I thought completing the Grand Slam was the end of the goal, but now it feels like part of the journey," he said. "I still have goals I want to achieve. It feels different from last year. I don’t have a specific goal set, but I don’t want to stop here."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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