Every year, the Masters Tournament is held in the first week of April. It is the only major that is held at the same location every year. Since 1934, the event has been held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Originally titled the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament,” it was created by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. It was renamed ‘Masters’ in 1939. The iconic green jacket wasn’t introduced until 1949, but has since become a staple of the Professional Gulfer’s Association (PGA).
In the coming years, the Masters has grown to be the most-watched golf tournament in the world. It is streamed in almost 200 countries and includes players from over 20 different nations. Even though it started as an exclusively American event, in the past six years, half of the champions have been international.
Rory McIlroy, a Northern Ireland native, took home the trophy and green jacket last April, a tradition carried out annually by the tournament’s winner. He finished with a total score of 277 and was eleven under par. There, he became the sixth golfer ever to complete a “Grand Slam,” which is winning the four major championships: the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. He is one of only six golfers to achieve this, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Recently, McIlroy made history yet again by winning the 2026 Masters this past April, becoming one of four players to win the tournament back to back. Jack Nicklaus did this in 1965 and 1966, Nick Faldo did it in 1989 and 1990 and more recently, Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. Woods was the youngest to do this at the age of 21 during the era of “Tiger Slam” where he dominated professional golf and won all four major championships in three years.
McIlroy wasn’t favored to win the Masters this year, but he was viewed as a top contender. Before the tournament, Scottie Scheffler was widely considered the top favorite, followed by Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and McIlroy. However, going into the final day of tournament play, there was a shift in the favorites; McIlroy took the lead as the favorite, followed by third-best golfer in the world Cameron Young and Sam Burns. Ultimately, it was 36-year-old McIlroy who dominated the game.
On Thursday, April 9th, McIlroy finished the first round with a lead of 67. The following day, he shot a 65 and remained at the very top of the leaderboard. After these two days, he led by six strokes. This is the largest advantage any golfer has ever had following 36 holes in the history of the tournament. However, McIlroy struggled in the third round on Saturday. Shooting a 73, he finished that round one over par which allowed Cameron Young to catch up to him. The two were tied for the lead at 11 under par heading into Sunday.
McIlroy shot a double bogey, a golf score of two strokes over par on a single hole, early during the final round, two strokes over par on the fourth hole alone. However, he came back on the second half of the 18 holes, leveraging success in Amen Corner, the notoriously difficult stretch of holes 11, 12 and 13 at Augusta. McIlroy had birdies on holes 12 and 13, shooting a stroke under par on each and pushing him towards victory. Before the final hole, he held a two-stroke lead. Viewers were biting their nails, though, as the 18th hole led to some shots in the trees and the greenside bunker. Raising the stakes, Scheffler made a comeback that day and ended eleven under par. If it weren’t for McIlroy’s even finish on the 18th hole, Scheffler would’ve won.
Nonetheless, McIlroy won the Masters by one stroke, finishing 12 under par. He told various news outlets that “I don’t make it easy,” referring to his rough day on Saturday and mistakes on Sunday. Yet in a very McIlroy fashion, he pulled through with a late, and impressive, victory.