Two years ago, the notion of Rory McIlroy winning the Masters once was impossible. In 16 attempts, the Northern Ireland native had fallen short of the final major trophy for the prestigious “grand slam,” wins at the Masters Championship, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, every single time.
But in 2026, McIlroy capped off a second straight year of Masters glory, becoming the first golfer to win back-to-back Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.
But the story of the 90th running of golf’s most prestigious tournament isn’t complete without the moments that lead up to it.
THE FAVORITES
Entering the tournament, a few obvious favorites littered “most-likely to win the Masters” lists across social media, starting off with who else but the eventual winner, in McIlroy. Even with the history of winning the tournament back-to-back not falling in his favor and no top 10 finishes in PGA events since February 22, his “master piece” was still fresh in the mind of many fans heading into the weekend.
To add to the case for the world’s No.2 golfer, the 2025 Masters champion spent the last three weeks trading in the PGA Tour for an extended stay at the most exclusive golf course in the world, playing multiple rounds at Augusta National in preparation for the event.
“I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to the Masters,” McIlroy said. “The more time I could spend here, the better.”
Right in the same conversation with McIlroy is the man that precedes him in the official world rankings. American golfer Scottie Scheffler is just two years removed from winning his second Masters, and consistently shows out in major tournaments.
Last season, Scheffler placed in the top ten in each of the four major tournaments, winning both the PGA and The Open Championship. He started the 2026 season in typical Scheffler fashion – dominating the Pro-Am Desert Classic by four strokes to open up the season in the win column. Scheffler has yet to miss a single cut this season, and has remained in the top 25 in each of his seven starts.
Along with that, the final two names heavily favored in the 2026 green jacket conversation bring us back to the cyclical discussion of professional golf — LIV Golf and its impact on the future of the sport.
Both American Bryson DeChambeau and Spaniard Jon Rahm, full-time members of LIV, were heavily favored to make their presence known in the Masters — one of just four Tournaments in which golfers from both the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour compete alongside one another.
THE ROAD TO A GREEN JACKET
Before Friday’s cuts, the favorites from LIV struggled. Both Rahm and DeChambeau struggled on Thursday falling to +6 and +4 over par (72) respectively. Rahm was able to salvage the Friday performance, shooting -2 to put him just above the 54 person cut-line of +4.
DeChambeau wasn’t so lucky. Despite shooting one stroke under par through 17 holes, a triple-bogey on Hole 18 ended DeChambeau’s latest pursuit of his first ever green jacket. It capped off a difficult weekend for LIV Golf, as out of 10 players competing, only five made the cut to finish a combined +11 strokes over par.
If DeChambeau’s tournament went as bad as it could’ve, McIlroy’s went the complete opposite. He would finish Friday not only at the top of the leaderboard at -6, but holding the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.
But as it always is with McIlroy at the Masters, the question remained: Would he be able to maintain that lead until the final putt?
Saturday brought that into question. Rory only managed to shoot a 73, with golfers like Scheffler, Justin Rose and eventual co-leader Cameron Young finishing Saturday under par to completely chip away at McIlroy’s lead.
The final 18 holes didn’t disappoint. In the first nine, it was a dog fight between McIlroy and Young for control of the lead. A McIlroy double-bogey seemed to secure Young the chance to pull away, but a misplayed putt on hole 7 kept the contest close.
With neither golfer taking early command, Rose also spent much of the first nine right along with the leaders after shooting a 32 on the first half of the course. Known for his recent stretch of Masters second-place finishes, including in a playoff against McIlroy last year, Rose was looking to become the second-oldest Masters winner and the oldest first time winner in Augusta National history.
Scheffler, despite not having his best showing prior to the weekend, also played exceptional heading into Sunday, playing two bogey-free rounds on Saturday and Sunday, a Masters first, to nearly erase McIlroy’s lead completely, getting within one stroke on the eventual champion.
But as the saying goes, the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday, and McIlroy showed that to a tee. For eight of the nine final holes, he was perfect, leaving little opportunity for Scheffler, Rose and Young to take the lead.
But it wouldn’t be a McIlroy win without a frantic end. After slicing a ball so far into the pine straw on hole 18 with just a two stroke lead over Scottie Scheffler, it appeared the McIlroy Masters luck of old was set to return.
But after giving everyone one of his fans in Northern Ireland a miniature heart-attack, McIlroy would sink the final putt, with 71 strokes cementing his legacy with the sports best as a two-time Masters champion.
However, before the green jacket touched his shoulders for the second straight season, McIlroy found the two people that made it all possible — his parents, Gerry and Rosie.
“I owe everything to you,” Rory said. “You’re the most wonderful parents, and if I can be half the parent to (my daughter) Poppy as you were to me, then I know I’ve done a good job.”
Throughout the day, the steady reminders of his parents’ sacrifice littered the broadcast. Whether it was announcer Jim Nantz discussing the McIlroy’s multiple jobs to fund their son’s dream, or the fact that the bar in the background of CBS’s live feed to Northern Ireland was once manned by Gerry, they were right at the forefront of the victory.
If Rory’s first win at Augusta National was to end a decades-long struggle to achieve a legacy, then his second was for his parents and the little boy from Northern Ireland who never stopped dreaming big.
