Rory McIlroy wins 2026 Masters: Northern Irishman defends title, defies Scottie Scheffler ending 84-year streak

Rory McIlroy has recorded a one-shot victory to successfully defend his Masters title after a dramatic final round at Augusta.

On a back-and-forth Sunday which saw four different players at the top of the leaderboard throughout the final 18 holes, joint-overnight leader McIlroy found himself two shots back by the fourth hole.

However, between holes seven and 17, McIlroy played faultless golf at a time when Cameron Young and Justin Rose could not take advantage of being frontrunners.

McIlroy made birdies at seven, eight, 12 and 13, capitalising on playing partner Young posting bogeys at six, seven and nine, as well as failing to birdie any of the closing nine holes.

Three-time runner-up Rose recorded four birdies between the fifth and ninth holes, only to bogey the difficult 11 and duff a chip at the 12th to derail his title bid.

Sam Burns' lead at the start of his round was brief, and it was world number one Scottie Scheffler who ultimately pushed McIlroy hardest during the final stretch.

A miracle birdie at 15 was followed by a more routine two at 16, only for the 2024 champion to send a birdie putt on the penultimate hole agonisingly wide of the hole.

For the second day in a row, Scheffler did not record a bogey. It is the first time that the feat has been achieved since 1942.

Nevertheless, McIlroy took to the tee on 18 knowing that he could afford a five, and a wayward tee-shot saw him take all of those shots.

History made as Rory McIlroy wins back-to-back Masters, becoming only the fourth player to achieve the feat ?? pic.twitter.com/BNKP7EhgwC

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) April 12, 2026

Left with two putts from 15 feet, the 36-year-old made no mistake, the emotion of becoming just the fourth defending champion to win at the Masters pouring out before he holed out from a matter of inches.

How did top-12 at Masters look?

There was a four-way tie for third, with Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley joining Young and Rose in finishing two shots adrift of McIlroy.

Burns and Collin Morikawa shared seventh spot, while fellow Americans Max Homa and Xander Schauffele completed the top 10.

While Jake Knapp finished on his own in 11th place, six big-names completed the top 12, which guaranteed an invite to the tournament - for those who required it - in 12 months time.

Former Masters winners Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama and Patrick Reed were joined by Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay and Jason Day.