Professional golfer Rory McIlroy has spent the last two years at Augusta National golf club making history and cementing his legacy with back-to-back victories at the Masters Tournament.
McIlroy captured his second straight green jacket on Sunday, April 12, holding off a charge from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy won the tournament with a score of 12-under par after shooting a one-under 71 in the final round.
McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the world, became just the fourth person in the history of the sport to win the Masters in consecutive seasons, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods on one of the most exclusive lists in golf.
With his victory at Augusta National in 2025, McIlroy won his first green jacket and laid claim to the career grand slam, which a golfer achieves upon winning each of the four major tournaments at least once: Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship (also known colloquially as the British Open).
McIlroy is one of only six golfers to capture a career grand slam.
Rory McIlroy Now Just 1 of 15 Golfers With 6 or More Major Victories
GettyTwo-time Masters Tournament champion Rory McIlroy.
With the win on Sunday, McIlroy captured the sixth major of his career, which put him in the company of just 14 other players in the history of the sport to lay claim to at least six majors.
McIlroy joins the likes of Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino and Faldo as six-time major champions. Nicklaus has the most ever with 18 major titles, while Woods is in second place with 16 wins in major tournaments.
Walter Hagen is the only other player with double-digit major victories, with 11 total to his name.
Rory McIlroy Eked Out 1-Stroke Victory at Masters Over Charging Scottie Scheffler
GettyRory McIlroy reacts on the 18th green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National.
Nothing was simple for McIlroy despite posting a 12-under score to par through two rounds and grabbing a six-shot lead heading into the weekend.
McIlroy struggled Saturday, shooting a one-over-par 73 and letting several members of the field back into the mix. He then started Sunday with some serious difficulties, scoring a double-bogey on the par-3 fourth hole. He made a bogey on the sixth hole to drop to two-over-par on the day and 10-under par for the tournament.
But unlike multiple instances at Augusta in the past, when McIlroy melted down and gave away chances to claim his first green jacket, the 36-year-old righted the ship and played the next 11 holes at four-under-par.
McIlroy entered the 18th hole with a two-shot lead, meaning he could win the tournament with a bogey on the 72nd hole of play. It turns out that he needed all five shots to get home after spraying his drive right and hitting his second shot into a green-side bunker.
McIlroy got up and down on the par-four hole in three shots from the sand, capturing the win over Scheffler by one stroke and making history at Augusta for the second straight year.
“I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and then I get two in a row,” McIlroy said in Butler Cabin after the victory Sunday.
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