The encore didn't end up being better than the original, but it sure came pretty close.
Rory McIlroy with a lead on Sunday at the Masters has turned into the appointment viewing event on the golfing calendar every year, with the 36-year-old once again winning at Augusta National in dramatic fashion.
"I don't make it easy," McIlroy admitted afterwards. "I used to make it easy back in my early 20s when I was winning these things by eight shots. It's hard, it's hard to win golf tournaments, especially around here."
It certainly was not easy for McIlroy, who entered the final day as a co-leader after he lost his six-shot edge with a 1-over 73 on Saturday. That co-lead didn't last long, with a double-bogey on the 5th hole dropping him two behind Cameron Young.
However, McIlroy once again showed he's as resilient as any athlete on the planet, pouring in birdies on 7 and 8, and two more on 12 and 13 to flip the board and push ahead of Young, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler, and the rest of the pack.
With a one-shot victory to defend his crown, McIlroy joins Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only men to win the Masters in back-to-back years.
| Position | Player | Round 4 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | 71 | -12 |
| 2 | Scottie Scheffler | 68 | -11 |
| T3 | Tyrrell Hatton | 66 | -10 |
| T3 | Russell Henley | 68 | -10 |
| T3 | Justin Rose | 70 | -10 |
| T3 | Cameron Young | 73 | -10 |
| T7 | Collin Morikawa | 68 | -9 |
| T7 | Sam Burns | 73 | -9 |
| T9 | Max Homa | 67 | -8 |
| T9 | Xander Schauffele | 68 | -8 |
Sunday's action came close to matching the roller-coaster ride McIlroy took the world on during last year's final round. A shocking three-putt from five feet saw a double-bogey hit the card and identified his playing partner, Young, as the early threat.
That threat didn't last long, with McIlroy's birdies on 7 and 8 sending him past Young. However, a familiar foe was lurking to throw up a roadblock towards a second green jacket. One year removed from losing to McIlroy in a playoff, it was once again Justin Rose making the charge to put the tournament in flux. Rose took a two-stroke lead to the 11th hole this time around and looked to be firmly in control.
As McIlroy knows all too well, though, control doesn't exist at the iconic layout on Sundays. Rose quickly faltered with bogeys on 11 and 12, opening the door for McIlroy to make his run. McIlroy seized the moment with a brilliant approach to set up a birdie on 12 and another on 13 to rocket past Rose and into the lead.
That ended up being enough, as McIlroy stood his ground with clutch up-and-downs on 16 and 17 to take a two-stroke edge to the final hole. Of course, it wouldn't be a McIlroy victory without a nervy moment at the end, and a wayward drive into the woods on 18 put the celebration on hold for the moment.
McIlroy was able to find the greenside bunker with his approach, and splashed out to 15 feet where he simply needed two putts to secure the title.
While the result looked done by Friday night when McIlroy's six-shot lead broke the 36-hole record at Augusta, his path to victory was anything but routine. And though the weekend delivered plenty of drama, the best golfer of the week was the one left standing.
