Rory McIlroy picked out his back-to-back tee shots on the 12th and 13th holes as the key moments in the defence of his Masters crown at Augusta National.
McIlroy became only the fourth player to win back-to-back green jackets, holding off the challenge of Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose and Cameron Young in a thrilling final round.
Having pipped Rose in a play-off last year, the Northern Irishman was able to stand on the 18th tee with a two-shot lead, with a bogey seeing him home to join Jack Nicklaus (1965, 1966), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002) as repeat Masters winners in consecutive years.
McIlroy had seen a six-shot lead after the second round eroded by Young during the third round and stumbled at the start on Sunday, making a double bogey on the fourth hole to fall to nine-under.
But an outstanding round thereafter saw the 36-year-old reassert himself, with two birdies in Amen Corner crucial in providing the buffer to see home his sixth major title.
McIlroy was one of just four players to birdie the par-three 12th with a brave and brilliant tee shot leaving a short putt, before atoning for his error last year on 13th, avoiding Rae’s Creek to gain another stroke on the field.
“It felt pretty similar to last year,” McIlroy told the host broadcaster in the Butler Cabin after sealing his defence. “I made a double [bogey] early, on the first hole last year and then the fourth this year, but I played flawless golf after that. I made four birdies and no bogeys going to the last tee. It was nice to have a two-shot cushion rather than the one, like I had last year.
“I looked at the board after I made the bogey on six, and I think I went back to nine-under at that point. I said, ‘I think if I can get to 14-under, I’ve got a pretty good chance’. I didn’t quite get there, but 13 was good enough standing on the 18th tee.
“I think the tee shot on 12 [was key], and then the tee shot on 13, just to give me the option to go for the green in two. I struggled with that tee shot all week, I was up in the pine straw there one too many times.
“But I made a really good, committed swing off the tee, and that enabled me to go for the green in two. To make a birdie there following the birdie on 12, that was massive.”
McIlroy matched Faldo’s tally of six majors, with only Harry Vardon having more among Europeans in the modern era.
“Thank you for all the support,” the Masters champion said to his friends and family back home, with his parents in the crowd at Augusta having missed out last year.
“I was a little kid with a dream. Some people probably thought it was outlandish to dream of the things I wanted to do, but I had amazing support from back home, and I can’t thank them all enough for that continued support.”
