Rory McIlroy played the back nine at Augusta National like a true Masters champion as he held his nerve to win by one shot to become just the fourth player to successfully defend the Green Jacket joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Sir Nick Faldo.
Freddie Couples laid down the gauntlet to McIlroy on Friday by saying he would never lose the Masters again. At times it looked like the kiss of death but now it looks like a stroke of genius. A superb run around Amen Corner where McIlroy made par on 11 and back to back birdies on 12 and 13 saw him march from two behind to three ahead as he wrestled back control and never looked back.
“I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win the Masters and the grand slam, and then this year I realised it’s just really difficult to win the Masters. I tried to convince myself it was both,” he laughed in his press conference.
“Yeah, just incredible. I obviously did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think I would have believed anyone if they said to me all you have to do is shoot even-par for the weekend and you’ll win. I definitely thought I was going to need to go out there and at least shoot a couple of under-par scores.
“Yeah, I just had to hang in there. I did a decent green session last night and tried to figure a couple of things out, and I definitely hit my irons better today. I think I struck the ball better today overall, which was good to see, but I still needed to rely on my short game those last few holes.
“The up-and-down on 16 and the up-and-down on 17 were huge. Yeah, just absolutely delighted to be able to get it done. Having a six-shot lead going into the weekend, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I wasn’t able to get myself over the finish line.”
After an iffy start where he opened with two pars, birdied the third and inexplicably three-putted from 8-feet to double-bogey the fourth, McIlroy briefly trailed a rampant Justin Rose by three shots when he failed to get up and down from the back of the 6th for another bogey.
The turning point came on the 7th, he took one long look at the scoreboard that overlooks the green, drained a birdie putt and drew his driver from his bag with authority. A birdie on 8 brought him back to within one at 11-under-par. From there, Amen Corner decided this Masters tournament. Rose looked impervious to pressure after three successive birdies to the turn, but bogeys at 11 and 12 and a 3-putt par on 13 saw him drop from 12-under to 10-under as McIlroy made par, took on the flag on 12 and two-putted for birdie off the back of 13.
Three ahead with five to play seemed like a guarantee. After last year’s rollercoaster one had to think, this is Rory McIlroy, but after winning last year’s rollercoaster one had to think this is Rory McIlroy. The now six-time major winner kept his head with stress-free pars on 14, 15, 16 and 17. Two ahead with one to play with Scottie Scheffler in the clubhouse at 11-under, McIlroy decided to keep it interesting until the end.
A blocked drive meant this was no foregone conclusion and he actually produced an excellent shot to find the green side bunker from which he had a horror moment twelve months ago. He could then afford two putts from 10-feet for a closing 71 for a 12-under total and a one shot win that was more comfortable on the back nine than the scoreboard will suggest.
Scheffler made a late dart for a third jacket with birdies on 15 and 16 to get to eleven-under but he couldn’t force the closing birdie required to put the ultimate squeeze on McIlroy. He took solo second and perhaps in his own way sent out a warning that he is back on the march.
Tyrrell Hatton’s early surge saw him card a 66 for a ten-under total to share third place with Russell Henley, Rose and Cameron Young who will rue bogeys on the 6th, 7th and 9th and a stone cold putter on the back nine as he closed with a 73.
Irish hopes were at the double with Shane Lowry teeing off just two behind McIlroy and Young on 9-under. But the Offaly man slumped to a final round of 80 for a one-under total, the second time he has failed to break 80 on Sunday at the Masters in back to back years.
“This feels like last year,” he berated when walking to the 8th green. So it was.
But today is about McIlroy, with his sixth major title he joins Faldo as the most decorated European major winner.
“Today I tie Nick, so yeah, there’s obviously going to be that conversation, and that debate is going to be hard. But it’s a cool conversation to be a part of.
“Again, 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.”
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