Rory McIlroy admitted it would have been a “bitter pill to swallow” if he hadn’t turned his record-breaking halftime lead at the Masters into a historic title defense at Augusta National.
McIlroy became the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Masters titles with a one-shot win over Scottie Scheffler on Sunday, completing the Grand Slam with last year’s dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose.
The world No. 2 built a six-stroke halftime lead, the largest 36-hole advantage in Masters history, but dropped three strokes in the first nine holes during a two-hole stretch and fell two strokes behind partner Cameron Young on the final day.
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Highlights of Rory McIlroy’s narrow win at Augusta National in the final round of the Masters
McIlroy responded with four birdies over the remainder of the round and a bogey on the final hole to win his sixth major title and join Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back Masters titles.
“Last year I was trying to win the Masters and the Grand Slam and I thought it was really hard to win, but this year I realized it’s really hard to win the Masters,” McIlroy admitted. “I tried to convince myself it was both.
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Highlights from Rory McIlroy’s history-making title defense in the final round of the Masters
“Yeah, it’s incredible. I obviously did most of my work on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think anyone would have believed me if I had told them that if I shot even par over the weekend, I would win.”
“I definitely thought I needed to go out there and at least shoot a couple of under-par scores. I had to hang in there. So yeah, I’m really happy to be able to pull it off.”
“I went into the weekend with a six-shot lead, but it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I hadn’t crossed the finish line.”
‘We won’t make it easy!’ – McIlroy tastes more history
McIlroy started the final round tied for the lead, but after a birdie on the third, he three-putted double bogey on the next par-3, and then hit a drop shot on the fifth to fall further back.
He added back-to-back birdies from No. 6 and back-to-back birdies from No. 12 to lead by three with five games remaining, and his 1-under 71 was good enough to hold off Scheffler’s weekend onslaught.
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Rory McIlroy defends Masters, caps victory with bogey on final hole
“I’m not going to take it easy!” McIlroy admitted. “When I was in my early 20s and winning by eight strokes, I was taking it easy.
“No, it’s just hard. It’s hard to win golf tournaments, especially around here. We’ve probably had some runaway winners in recent years, but it always seems like a very tough finish on this golf course. I think that’s the nature of the golf course and the nature of what’s at stake.”
“I didn’t expect to go home dry after Friday night and knew I still had work to do. But I knew I needed to shoot under par to get the job done, and thankfully I did well enough.”
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In Sunday’s final round at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy played 2-under in the Amen Corner, brushing off the pack and firmly taking control of the Masters.
McIlroy completed the third Grand Slam in 2014, but has since failed 10 times in his bid to qualify for the Masters, the only major he has missed, with the Northern Irishman winning the green jacket in his 17th and 18th appearance at Augusta National.
Speaking in Butler Cabin, McIlroy added: “I waited 17 years to get one green jacket and now to get two in a row is unbelievable.” “I think all the years of perseverance in this golf tournament is really starting to pay off.
“The feeling (off the lead) was pretty similar to last year. Last year I hit a double early on the first hole, this year I hit a double in four and then played perfect golf.”
“I headed to the final tee knowing I was two strokes behind with four birdies and no bogeys. It’s great to have a two-stroke cushion instead of a one-stroke cushion like last year.”
“I looked at the board after I hit the bogey on No. 6 and I think I was back to 9 under at that point. I thought, ‘Okay, if I can get to 14 under, I think I have a good chance of winning this tournament.’ I didn’t quite get there, but by the time I stood on the 18th tee, 13 was good enough.”
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Rory McIlroy receives his green jacket from Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley in Butler Cabin
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to South Carolina for its newest signature event, the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, with Justin Thomas returning as defending champion. Sky Sports Golf will have early coverage starting at 12.30pm on Thursday, ahead of full coverage from 7pm.
The next men’s major will be the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania from May 14th to 17th, which will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
