Rory McIlroy joins exclusive group with second straight Masters victory

Another glorious day as Rory McIlroy etches his name ever deeper into the history books.

Six major wins and two straight Masters has him sitting with the all-time greats, as it should be.

Thanks for sticking around this morning and we’ll see you next time.

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Rory McIlroy is now one of only two European players, along with England’s Nick Faldo, to win six major titles since the start of the 20th century.

Someone like Spain’s Seve Ballesteros may have been more of a game-changer with his five majors from 1979 to 1988, but in terms of pure brilliance, McIlroy has taken the title.

Former European Tour winner Paul McGinley says McIlroy was already the greatest European player ever, but this confirms it.

“I think he was last year when he won the Grand Slam. He’s the greatest player to come from our shores, and he’s not finished yet,” the Dublin native says.

“There’s no doubt he’ll win more majors cos he’s got a game that’s gonna age [well].

“As powerful as he is now, one of the biggest hitters in the game, when he gets around 40 years of age and he comes off by a little bit, like everybody does, he’s still gonna be one of the biggest hitters in the game.

“There’s no reason — with his short game as good as it is now, with the all-round game — that this game is not gonna be something that can survive another six or seven years at the very, very elite level.”

At the trophy presentation, Rory McIlroy chokes back tears as he gets to “the hard part” of the speech: managing to find the words to thank his family.

He starts with wife Erica and daughter Poppy.

“They have to put up with me at home and, trust me, at times that’s a tough thing to do,” he says.

“They have been my biggest supporters and this has definitely turned into Poppy’s favourite week of the year. I don’t know if it’s because of the par three tournament or the free ice cream in the player services’ building.”

Poppy immediately puts her head in her hands in classic “God, Dad, you’re so embarrassing!” fashion.

And then onto parents Rosie and Gerry.

“Surprisingly I had to convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year is because they weren’t here, so I’m glad we proved that wrong,” he says.

“Mum and Dad, I owe everything to you. You’re the most wonderful parents and if I can be half the parent to Poppy that you were to me then I know I’ve done a good job. Thank you.”

Rory McIlroy hearkens back to last year when he joked about coming back this time to put the green jacket on himself as the reigning champion.

It hasn’t quite played out that way, with Augusta chairman Fred Ridley doing the honours, but McIlroy says he’s just glad that “it still fits”.

He also reserves special thanks for the Augusta club’s volunteers for working overtime.

“I needed to clear a lot of patrons because I hit it in a lot of pine straw,” McIlroy says.

“This tournament wouldn’t be the tournament it is without you guys. So thank you very much.”

After bursting onto the scene with his first major as a 22-year-old at the 2011 US Open, McIlroy cemented his place as an all-time great with the career Grand Slam last year and is now just adding to that case with more history.

• 2011 US Open
• 2012 PGA Championship
• 2014 PGA Championships
• 2014 British Open
• 2025 Masters
• 2026 Masters

Augusta chairman Fred Ridley puts the green jacket on Rory McIlroy’s shoulders in Butler Cabin.

“I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket and now I get two in a row,” McIlroy says.

“I think all my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has started to pay off.”

McIlroy says the tee shots on the 12th and 13th were the keys to victory as he went 2-under through Amen Corner.

Both McIlroy’s parents were at Augusta today and this is only the second major that his mum has attended, after the 2014 British Open win.

“We’re all gonna have a great time tonight,” he says.

The live shots from Holywood Golf Club in McIlroy’s home town of County Down were once again a feature of this year’s run to victory and he gets emotional as he’s asked about his home.

“I was a little kid with a dream and the support I have from back home … I can’t thank them all enough.”

After so much pain at this course over the years, Rory McIlroy is a two-time Masters winner after a nerveless final round at Augusta.

McIlroy is just the fourth man in history to win back-to-back Masters titles, joining Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) as the only players to win consecutive Masters crowns.

Chants of “RORY! RORY! RORY!” echo through the crowd as the Northern Irishman raises his hands to the sky and doffs his cap.

What a performance by a man who truly played like he had an enormous weight removed from his shoulders after last year’s win.

The shot out of the bunker is excellent. He has a good look at a par putt, but he only needs to get it close to win his second straight Masters.

He sends it just right and will tap in a couple of centimetres for victory.

Finally he allows a smile to make its way onto his face.

He squats, smiles and shakes his head in disbelief.

Cameron Young sinks his final putt and will share third on 10-under. And now it’s Rory’s turn.

Rory McIlroy’s tricky shot out of the trees has ended up in a really tricky lie in a deep greenside bunker.

He has a tiny buffer to play with, but a double bogey will lead to a play-off with Scottie Scheffler. Suddenly on the cards.

The leader’s final tee shot sails wide right into the pine straw.

He’s got options now.

He can either try to hack it back through the trees or hit it up the 10th fairway and give himself a look at getting back onto the 18th green from there.

McIlroy is trying to get the fans out of the way as he tries to figure out how he wants to play this.

It’s another bitter pill for Justin Rose at the Masters with a fifth top five finish at Augusta.

Once again he had the lead before a brutal back nine featuring three bogeys, starting at Amen Corner.

Australian playing partner Jason Day is 3-over for the round, fading into a tie for 12th at 5-under for the tournament.

A disappointing finale for the Aussie, who carded 16 pars with a bogey on five and a double on seven.

A gorgeous tee shot on the par-four 17th is somewhat undone by a poor second that ends up off the front right of the green.

But McIlroy’s chip is spectacularly good, rolling just past the right of the hole and giving him a simple tap-in for par.

Rory McIlroy’s birdie putt from off the back of the 16th green breaks miles right and carries him with a foot of the cup.

He taps in for par to maintain a two-stroke lead over clubhouse leader Scheffler with two holes to play.

“Incredible touch in this moment,” 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman says in commentary.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose slips from a two-man tie for second into a five-player group in third with a shocking par-putt miss on the 17th hole.

The two-time Masters winner finishes with a par on 18 and will sign a card of 4-under 68 and trail Rory McIlroy, currently playing the 16th hole, by two strokes.

Anything can happen, so once again, he’ll stay loose in the clubhouse.

Scottie Scheffler leaves his second shot on the par-four 18th short, trickling back off the front of the green.

Then Justin Rose does something similar on the 17th.

And then Rory McIlroy goes just over the back of the 16th green.

So Rose and Scheffler can’t close the gap. Only a disaster for McIlroy can help them now.

After laying up out of the trees with his second shot on the par-five 15th, Rory McIlroy’s third shot just caught the front of the green and somehow didn’t fall backwards into the water.

“He must have mis-hit it, it’s the only explanation,” 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman says in commentary.

The apparent lack of back spin saves him as the ball kicks onto the green and he’s able to two-putt for par to maintain his two-stroke lead.