On April 12 (local time), at the 4th hole (par 3) of Augusta National GC in Georgia, USA, where the owner of the 90th green jacket was being decided, an "accident" happened to Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who had been running far ahead in a tie for the lead with Cameron Young (USA). He three-putted from a distance of barely 2.5 meters. Losing 2 strokes at once, the championship race fell into chaos. The number of competitors within 1-2 strokes suddenly increased to 7-8, rapidly transforming into a situation where the winner could not be predicted.
However, the "God of Augusta" seemed to smile upon McIlroy, who had become the Masters champion on his 17th attempt last year. He regained the upper hand with consecutive birdies on holes 7 and 8, then seized the momentum by reducing 2 strokes at the famous "Amen Corner" (holes 11-13). After sinking his "tap-in winning shot" on the final hole, McIlroy threw his head back and roared. It was a victory where Augusta, which had rejected all 16 previous attempts before barely opening its heart last year, permitted McIlroy again after just one year, granting him a "back-to-back championship."
One year after achieving golf history's first career Grand Slam (winning all four major championships) in 25 years last year, McIlroy set a record on this day as the first back-to-back Masters winner in 24 years. His final score was 12-under-par 276. In the 4th round, he recorded 5 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey, reducing his score by 1 stroke. He edged out second-place Scottie Scheffler (USA) by 1 stroke. Scheffler entered this tournament as world No. 1, while McIlroy was world No. 2. The world's top 2 ranked players split the championship and runner-up positions. The prize money was $4.5 million (approximately 6.6 billion won). Following last year's $4.2 million, McIlroy took home this year's prize money and green jacket as well.
After the round, he appeared at the press conference with an elated expression and spoke about "just keep going." When asked what this golf course taught him about life, he answered: "Even if you don't completely reach your goal, you just have to keep going. Keep your head down and keep moving forward steadily. If you invest the time and practice the right things, good results will eventually follow."
This back-to-back Masters win is only the fourth in history and the first in 24 years. Jack Nicklaus (USA) in 1965-1966, Nick Faldo (England) in 1989-1990, Tiger Woods (USA) in 2001-2002, and now McIlroy. After the 1st round, McIlroy said, "I believe once you win the Masters once, the second time becomes a bit easier," and he made those words reality by overcoming various obstacles large and small. He said, "I feel like I've learned anew the lesson that 'good things come to those who wait.' All we can do is just keep moving forward," adding, "It was a very similar situation to last year's final round (1-over-par followed by playoff victory). There were times I was 2-3 strokes behind, but I played steadily afterward."
After winning his first Masters on his 17th attempt last year, McIlroy wept and sobbed, but afterward experienced a slump for some time, expressing emptiness by saying, "I don't really know what I'm chasing right now." However, after this victory, he said, "I think this win is part of the journey. It took 10 years to go from 4 major wins to 5, but the 6th came much faster," adding, "I don't want to set a specific number, and I don't want to stop here."
McIlroy, who was tied for the lead after the 1st round and held a record 6-stroke solo lead after the 2nd round, stumbled with a 1-over-par in the 3rd round, losing all 6 strokes of his lead at once and dropping to a tie for first. Based on the momentum, Young, this year's Players Championship winner who shot 7-under-par in the 3rd round to grab a share of the lead, seemed to have a better chance of winning.
On the final day of the tournament, McIlroy turned doubt into certainty at Amen Corner. As he said, he kept his head down, watched for opportunities, and kept moving forward, seizing the momentum in the middle of the round as competitors fell away. After safely parring the 11th hole (par 4), McIlroy took a 2-stroke lead with a 2-meter birdie putt on the 12th hole (par 3). He also made birdie on the easy par-5 13th hole. After landing his tee shot on the far right edge of the fairway to secure the best view of the pin, McIlroy sent his 8-iron to the rough beside the green. Using his putter for his third shot, he placed it just over 3 meters from the pin and captured the birdie. This made it a 3-stroke lead. McIlroy had given up his share of the lead after losing 3 strokes at Amen Corner alone in the 3rd round. But in the 4th round, he reduced 2 strokes on these three holes.
On the final 18th hole (par 4), McIlroy sent his tee shot completely to the right, but since he had a 2-stroke margin over Scheffler, who had already finished his round, he had room to spare. McIlroy finished with a bogey and roared with all his might. Spectators chanted "Rory, Rory" to celebrate his victory.
McIlroy, who grew up in the small town of Holywood in Northern Ireland, said tearfully, "Here I am, a little kid from my hometown who dreamed big dreams," and left the message, "I also extend deep gratitude to my wife and daughter who have put up with me, not an easy person, at home."
Justin Rose (England), who played two groups ahead of McIlroy, finished the front 9 holes 2 strokes ahead of McIlroy but lost his way at Amen Corner with consecutive bogeys on holes 11 and 12. Rose, who finished runner-up after a playoff last year, had to settle for a tie for 3rd place at 10-under-par along with Young. Korean participants Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo finished 46th at 3-over-par and 47th at 4-over-par, respectively.
With his first win of the season, McIlroy reached his 30th career PGA Tour victory. Ben Hogan (USA) winning the 1950 and 1951 US Opens at ages 37 and 38 is the oldest back-to-back major championship record, and McIlroy, at 36, set a comparable record. McIlroy has won six of the eight times he led after 3 rounds of a major championship.
He has become a player who knows best how to be patient and create opportunities when the momentum isn't explosive. He is now the No. 1 favorite to win the PGA Championship, the season's second major, which will be held in a month. Also, if he wins the US Open and The Open one more time each, he would achieve the "crazy" record of winning all four majors twice. It's a distant story, but McIlroy is ready to gladly embark on the long journey.