With his win at Augusta, Rory McIlroy became just the fourth player to successfully defend the Masters title.
IT may have lacked the theatre and emotion of 12 months prior, however Rory McIlroy emerged as the ‘Master’ at Augusta once again in claiming a second consecutive Masters victory.
McIlroy raced out to a six-shot lead after 36-holes and while he had his struggles over the closing two rounds, shooting a 73 on Saturday and a 71 on Sunday, his 12-under par total was one shot ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler.
The victory, his sixth major championship title, saw McIlroy join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back Masters champions. Woods the last to achieve the feat 24 years ago.
The win didn’t come without drama, McIlroy giving up his six-shot advantage in the third round before starting the final day level with Cameron Young and one shot ahead of Sam Burns.
Australian Jason Day was also well placed on eight-under par through 54-holes, just three shots off the lead.
Young, Russell Henley and Justin Rose made a run at McIlroy and at the title on Sunday, however McIlroy birdies on the par three 12th and par five 13th gave him a buffer he would hold until the final hole, where despite a wayward drive and a bogey five the Irishman would claim a second Masters triumph.
Scheffler, who trailed by 12 strokes after the opening two rounds, closed with 65-68 to almost score a come-from-behind win.
McIlroy, who became just the sixth player to achieve golf’s Grand Slam with his win in 2025, drew level with Nick Faldo as the winningest European golfer with six major titles in the modern era. The pair trail Harry Vardon, who won six Open Championships and the 1900 US Open for seven major victories.
……. And Rory will be back in Melbourne for the 2026 Australian Open
Now as a back-to-back winner of the Masters, Rory McIlroy shapes as something of a ‘bargain buy’ for tournament organisers with his return to Australian shores locked in for the 2026 Australian Open.
McIlroy, who was the star attraction at Royal Melbourne last December, will be back on the famed Sandbelt for this year’s men’s Open, to be played at the Kingston Health Golf Club from December 3-6.
It was the McIlroy show at the 2025 Australian Open. And its on again in December this year.
He is certain to again attract the attention of both local and international media, with McIlroy’s return set to thrust Australian golf and our Open championship firmly into the spotlight once again.
Despite failing to mount a serious challenging at the 2025 Australian Open, McIlroy still managed to thrill the massive galleries before eventually finishing in a tie for 14th, eight shots behind the winner, Dane Rasmus Neergaard Peterson.
Neergaard Peterson, who beat Queenslander Cam Smith by one shot, received a Masters invite courtesy of his win at Royal Melbourne, however his seven-over par total for the opening two rounds at Augusta left him three shots shy of the 36-hole cut.
Tickets for the 2026 men’s Australian Open are likely to be in high demand and on sale now via Ticketek.
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