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McIlroy holds nerve to win second successive Masters
Rory McIlroy has stated he has no intention “to stop here” after navigating a tense final round to successfully defend his Masters title, matching European icon Sir Nick Faldo’s impressive tally of six major championships.
Entering the final day tied with Cameron Young, McIlroy briefly relinquished his lead, falling two shots behind after six holes. However, he mounted a comeback to ultimately triumph over Scottie Scheffler by a single stroke at Augusta National, becoming only the fourth golfer to win consecutive Masters Tournaments.
Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald lauded McIlroy, proclaiming him “undoubtedly the best European golfer of all time now.” McIlroy now trails only Harry Vardon, the Jersey-born golfer who claimed a record six Open Championships and a US Open between 1896 and 1914, predating the establishment of the Masters and US PGA Championship.
Faldo secured three Masters and three Open titles between 1989 and 1996.
Notably, McIlroy stands alone as the sole European golfer to have achieved a career Grand Slam, winning all four major championships.
American Jack Nicklaus holds the Masters record with six victories and the overall major record with 18, while Tiger Woods has triumphed five times at Augusta and boasts 15 major titles.
“I tie Nick, so there’s going to be that conversation and debate. It’s a cool conversation to be a part of,” McIlroy said when asked about his place among Europe’s greatest golfers.
“It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it. I’m not putting a number on it, but I certainly don’t want to stop here.”
With three major championships remaining this year, McIlroy expressed confidence that he will not experience the “lull of motivation” he felt after completing his career Grand Slam with his Masters victory last year.
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In his previous Masters victory, McIlroy was forced to overcome Justin Rose – who finished tied for third on Sunday after leading by two at the turn – in a sudden-death playoff after bogeying the 72nd hole.
This year, McIlroy faced his own challenges. After dominating the field with a record six-shot lead after 36 holes, he faltered with a one-over 73 on Saturday.
Tied with Young heading into Sunday’s round, the Northern Irishman added pressure with a double-bogey five on the fourth hole after three-putting from eight feet.
He then dropped another shot at the par-three sixth. After carding four birdies and seven pars to establish a two-shot lead over world number one Scheffler heading to the 18th, McIlroy admitted that his “greatest stress” on Sunday was the uncertainty of his ball’s location after his errant drive landed among the trees.
“It could go anywhere. It could be anywhere,” added the world number two, who now matches Americans Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino with six major titles.
“There were a few others. I thought my second putt on 11 was huge to avoid making bogey there.”
Despite falling behind Young and Rose, and with Scheffler closing the gap, McIlroy maintained that he never felt his opportunity had slipped away.
“If I hadn’t birdied the seventh and eighth holes, I would have started to push a little bit,” added the 36-year-old, who became just the sixth wire-to-wire Masters winner.
“But I think the birdies on seven and eight, Justin bogeying 11 and 12, and then me birdieing 12, I never felt like I was out of it. I never felt like I had to press at all.”
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‘Perseverance’ has paid off – McIlroy on second Masters win
McIlroy narrowly missed a six-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole before seizing control at Augusta National’s renowned Amen Corner, which encompasses the latter half of the 11th hole, the entirety of the 12th, and the tee shot on the 13th.
He followed a determined par save on 11 with birdies on the subsequent two holes.
McIlroy executed a superb shot to within seven feet on the par-three 12th – closer than any other player on Sunday – converting what he described as a “bonus” birdie. He then found the fairway on the par-five 13th for the first time all week, resulting in another birdie.
“Last year, I had that three or four-shot cushion going to the 13th tee, and I started to be a little defensive. That came back to bite me a little bit,” he added, referring to hitting his third shot into the creek guarding the green, leading to a double bogey.
“So I stayed aggressive. Even though I hit three really poor tee shots on 13 the first three days, I stayed aggressive, and finally I made a good swing and hit a good tee shot.
“Staying aggressive and staying committed, especially on those two holes, definitely served me this week.”
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While McIlroy acknowledged that he was not as emotionally overwhelmed as he was after sinking the winning putt last year, he expressed immense joy in sharing the moment with his parents, who were unable to attend Augusta 12 months prior.
“I caught myself on the golf course a couple of times thinking about them, and I was like no, not yet, not yet. It’s really cool to have them here,” said McIlroy, who fought back tears while thanking them during his victory speech.
“I had to convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t here.
“I’m glad we proved that wrong, so they can keep coming as long as they want. It’s amazing to have them here. I’m excited to celebrate with them.”
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