Rory McIlroy is naturally enjoying an “incredible” title defense after another dramatic major win at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy secured a one-shot victory ahead of Scottie Scheffler to defend his Masters title. It was his sixth major victory. McIlroy lost a six-shot lead after halfway through the tournament, before securing another title at Augusta National.
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Rory McIlroy revealed how he ranked every part of his golf game during his title defense at The Masters.
Rory McIlroy admitted that it would have been “a bitter pill to swallow” if he had not been able to defend his title after a record-breaking lead halfway through The Masters at Augusta National.
McIlroy became only the fourth player in history to win The Masters two years in a row. After last year’s dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose – who completed the Grand Slam – he secured the victory on Sunday by one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler.
The world number one built up a six-shot lead halfway through the tournament – the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history. But on the final day of play, he fell two strokes behind his partner Cameron Young, after losing three strokes over two holes on the first nine.
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Highlights from the final round of The Masters at Augusta National, where Rory McIlroy secured a narrow victory.
McIlroy responded by noting four birdies throughout the round. A bogey on the final hole was enough to secure his sixth major title, and he became a member of an exclusive club consisting of Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win The Masters in two consecutive years.
“I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of the pursuit of The Masters and the Grand Slam. This year I realized that it’s simply very difficult to win The Masters,” McIlroy admitted. “I tried to convince myself that it was both.
“Yes, just unbelievable. Of course, I did most of the work on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think I would have believed anyone if they had said that all I had to do was play par for the weekend, and I would have won.
“I definitely thought I had to go out and at least play a couple of strokes under par. I just had to persevere. Yes, just completely overwhelmed that I managed to finish.
“To have a six-shot lead before the weekend – it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I hadn’t been able to get over the finish line.
“I don’t make it easy!” – McIlroy enjoys another historic feat
McIlroy started the final round tied for the lead, but lost ground when he followed up with a three-putt double bogey on the fourth hole after a birdie on the third hole (par 3). A lost shot on the fifth hole sent him further backwards.
He followed up with two straight birdies from the sixth hole, before adding two birdies in a row from the 12th hole. This gave him a three-shot lead with five holes to go. A round of one-under par (71) was enough to hold off Scheffler’s attack at the weekend.
“I don’t make it easy! McIlroy admitted. “I used to make it easy when I was in my early 20s, when I won this stuff by eight strokes.
“No, it’s just difficult. It’s hard to win golf tournaments, especially here. You may have had a couple of superior winners over the years, but it always looks like there will be a very close finish on this golf course. I think it’s the nature of the golf course itself, it’s the nature of what is at stake.
“I definitely didn’t think I was safe after Friday night, and I knew I still had work to do. But I still thought that I had to play under par to finish the job. Luckily, what I did worked.
Rory McIlroy played the “Amen Corner” on two under par and pulled away from the rest of the field to secure a firm grip on The Masters during Sunday’s final round at Augusta National.
McIlroy completed the third part of the Grand Slam in 2014, but then had ten failed attempts to win The Masters – the only major he was missing. The Northern Irishman has now secured the green jacket in his 17th and 18th starts at Augusta National.
“I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and then I get two in a row,” McIlroy added in the Butler Cabin. “I think all the perseverance I’ve shown in this tournament over the years is really starting to pay off.
“It felt pretty much the same as last year. I had a double bogey early on the first hole last year and I had a double on the fourth this year. After that, I played flawless golf.
“I had four birdies and no bogeys until the last tee, when I knew I had a two-shot lead. It’s good to have that cushion on two strokes instead of one, as I had last year.
“I looked at the board after I had bogey on the sixth hole, and I think I went back to nine strokes under par there. I said to myself, ‘OK, if I can get to 14-under par, I think I have a very good chance of winning this tournament.’ I didn’t make it all the way there, but 13 under was good enough when I stood on the 18th tee.
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