Rory McIlroy has joined Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win The Masters back-to-back, shooting a final round 70 to finish minus-13 and beat Scottie Scheffler by two shots.
Forty years after Nicklaus' famous back-nine 30, the nine holes in Sunday were anticlimactic. For all the potential drama leading into Sunday's round, no one could mount a charge on the back side, with McIlroy never having a lead less than two shots on the back side, after he birdied the par-3 12th and the par-5 13th.
Scheffler's bogey-free 68 was unusual, with most golfers posting several bogeys and doubles, especially on the front nine — Scheffler became the only golfer to ever play bogey-free for the final 36 holes of The Masters. Justin Rose had the lead as he entered Amen Corner, chasing an elusive Masters title on a course he plays so well, but bogeys at 11 and 12 put him behind McIlroy for good, finishing third at 10-under. Similarly, McIlroy's playing partner Cameron Young could not make a putt on the back side, despite several good birdie looks.
My take: Congrats to McIlroy. That's elite company of repeat champs. Scheffler being even-par after two rounds likely robbed us of an exciting finish. A duel between those two would have been something else. As it was, it ended up kind of being a boring finish, especially with Young losing the best part of his game — the putter.
THE ASYLUM
McIlroy's Masters repeat
Rory McIlroy has joined Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win The Masters back-to-back, shooting a final round 70 to finish minus-13 and beat Scottie Scheffler by two shots.
Forty years after Nicklaus' famous back-nine 30, the nine holes in Sunday were anticlimactic. For all the potential drama leading into Sunday's round, no one could mount a charge on the back side, with McIlroy never having a lead less than two shots on the back side, after he birdied the par-3 12th and the par-5 13th.
Scheffler's bogey-free 68 was unusual, with most golfers posting several bogeys and doubles, especially on the front nine — Scheffler became the only golfer to ever play bogey-free for the final 36 holes of The Masters. Justin Rose had the lead as he entered Amen Corner, chasing an elusive Masters title on a course he plays so well, but bogeys at 11 and 12 put him behind McIlroy for good, finishing third at 10-under. Similarly, McIlroy's playing partner Cameron Young could not make a putt on the back side, despite several good birdie looks.
My take: Congrats to McIlroy. That's elite company of repeat champs. Scheffler being even-par after two rounds likely robbed us of an exciting finish. A duel between those two would have been something else. As it was, it ended up kind of being a boring finish, especially with Young losing the best part of his game — the putter.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!