[Winner's Club] McIlroy Wins Back-to-Back Masters Titles: "Old Is Gold"

by Roh Woolae

Published 14 Apr.2026 09:16(KST)

Updated 14 Apr.2026 15:43(KST)

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Taking Augusta by Storm with Muscle-Back Irons Again

Sixteen Wins Since 2017 with Trusted Companions

66.7% Greens in Regulation, Most Birdies Collected

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) made history with his muscle-back irons.

On April 12 (local time), he achieved back-to-back victories at the 90th Masters Tournament (total prize money: $22.5 million) held at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,565 yards) in Georgia, USA. He became only the fourth player in history to win consecutive Masters titles, following Jack Nicklaus (USA), Nick Faldo (England), and Tiger Woods (USA), marking the first time in 24 years since 2002. McIlroy has now recorded 30 career PGA Tour wins, including six majors, and received $4.5 million (about 6.7 billion won) in prize money.

Rory McIlroy is teeing off with an iron on the 4th hole of the Masters third round. Augusta=AFP Yonhap News

On the final day, his iron shots continued to stand out. After struggling in the first six holes by losing two strokes, he bounced back with consecutive birdies on the 7th (par 4) and 8th (par 5) holes, thanks to precise iron play. In Amen Corner (holes 11-13), he landed his tee shot just 2.13 meters from the hole on the 12th (par 3) and converted the birdie putt. He then secured another birdie on the 13th (par 5), laying the foundation for his victory.

For this tournament, McIlroy included the TaylorMade RORS PROTO irons in his bag. This trusted companion helped him earn 16 PGA Tour wins from 2017 through last season. After briefly switching to TaylorMade's P7CB cavity-back irons at the Australian Open in December last year, he returned to the RORS PROTO irons for the new season. Rather than the more forgiving cavity-back irons, he chose the trusted irons that provided him with greater mental stability.

Generally, muscle-back irons are known for their superior workability and excellent feel when striking the sweet spot. Over the four days of the tournament, McIlroy achieved a greens in regulation rate of 66.67%. By accurately landing the ball on the green, he recorded a tournament-high 24 birdies.