McIlroy Wins Back-to-Back Masters Titles...Makes History with First Repeat Champion in 24 Years

Wire-to-Wire Victory with 1-Under in Final Round
Becomes Fourth to Achieve Back-to-Back Masters Wins After Nicklaus, Faldo, and Woods
Scheffler Finishes Second, Rose Tied for Third, Im Sungjae 46th

World No. 2 and defending champion Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) has achieved back-to-back victories at the Masters for the first time in 24 years.

On April 12 (local time), at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,565 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA, McIlroy carded five birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey in the fourth round of the 90th Masters (total prize money: $22.5 million), shooting a 1-under-par 71. With a final total of 12-under-par 276, he secured a one-stroke victory. This win marks his 30th career victory on the PGA Tour (including six major titles), coming exactly one year after his previous Masters win. He earned a winner’s check of $4.5 million (approximately 6.7 billion won).

Lorie McIlroy is roaring after achieving back-to-back wins at the Masters. Augusta=Reuters Yonhap News

McIlroy captured a wire-to-wire victory, maintaining his position at the top of the leaderboard for all four days. He becomes only the fourth player in Masters history to achieve back-to-back titles, following Jack Nicklaus (USA, 1965–1966), Nick Faldo (England, 1989–1990), and Tiger Woods (USA, 2001–2002)—a feat accomplished for the first time in 24 years.

For a long time, the Masters was a source of both hope and frustration for McIlroy. In 2011, at the age of 21, he emerged as a leading contender after carding a 65 in the first round. However, he collapsed in the final round with an 80 and, even after winning all the other major tournaments, remained unable to claim the elusive green jacket.

Last year, McIlroy defeated Justin Rose (England) in a playoff to win the tournament. After capturing the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, and the 2014 Open Championship, he finally completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters after 11 years of trying. This year, after two rounds, McIlroy held a six-shot lead, setting a new record for the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.

On the day of the final round, McIlroy started tied for the lead with Cameron Young (USA) but was unable to pick up any strokes over the first seven holes. On the par-3 4th hole, he reached the green with his second shot but three-putted from close range, dropping two strokes. He also made bogey on the par-3 6th, briefly surrendering the lead. However, he bounced back with consecutive birdies on the 7th and 8th holes, then widened the gap to three strokes over his pursuers with back-to-back birdies at Amen Corner—the par-3 12th and par-5 13th holes.

Rory McIlroy is celebrating after securing his second consecutive victory on the 18th hole of the final day at the Masters. Augusta=Reuters/ Yonhap News

At the par-3 16th hole, McIlroy missed the green but managed to save par. On the final par-4 18th hole, his tee shot veered right into the trees and his second shot landed in a bunker, costing him a stroke. However, this did not affect his victory. After becoming the Masters champion for the second straight year, McIlroy roared in celebration, savoring the moment.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) shot four under par to finish tied for second at 11-under-par 277. Rose carded a 2-under-par 70 to finish tied for third at 10-under-par 278, marking his third runner-up finish at the Masters (2015, 2017, and 2025). Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton (England), and Russell Henley (USA) also finished tied for third. LIV Golf star Jon Rahm (Spain) shot a 4-under-par 68 to finish tied for 38th at 1-over-par 289.

All Korean players finished in the lower ranks. Im Sungjae, the 2020 Masters runner-up, posted a 5-over-par 77 with one birdie, four bogeys, and one double bogey, dropping 17 spots from the previous day to finish 46th at 3-over-par 291. Kim Siwoo had five birdies and five bogeys, failing to improve his score, and finished 47th at 4-over-par 292.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.