MacIntyre stopped short of apologising, but believes he has the right set-up in place to perform well as he seeks a third PGA Tour victory.
“I’ve got my family, friends and team, they are the ones I really listen to,” he said. “If I’ve done something wrong, they’ll tell me.
“That’s how I go about life. I just do what I want, how we want, not just personally, but with my family and friends and we go about our business the way we want to do it.
“Some people like it, some people don’t, but at the end of the day it’s a job and I come out here to perform the best I can.”
After six birdies and a solitary bogey at Harbour Town, MacIntyre feels his game is in a good place.
“Coming off last week, a disappointing performance, to come into this week I was comfortable with the golf course, comfortable with my game,” he said.
“I tried to put as much of last week behind me as I could. I’m driving it beautifully off the tee. I’m being aggressive off the tee which gives me lots of wedges round here.
“I didn’t take many chances in the middle part of the round, which was a bit disappointing, but five-under par is always good to start.”
Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia has apologised after smashing his driver in anger during the final round at Augusta on Sunday.
Paired with fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm, Garcia slammed his club into the turf twice after hitting a shot that ended up in a bunker on the par-five second hole.
The 2017 champion then hit a nearby cooler, which snapped the head off his club.
“I respect and value everything that the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to golf.
“I regret the way I acted and it has no place in our game. It doesn’t reflect the respect and appreciation I have for the Masters, the patrons, tournament officials and golf fans around the world.”
Because the club was damaged out of anger, Garcia was unable to replace it, leaving him without a driver for the rest of the round.
Geoff Yang, chairman of the Masters competitions committee, issued a code-of-conduct warning to Garcia on the fourth tee.
The Spaniard went on to post a three-over-par 75 to finish the week at eight over, third from last among the 54 players who made the cut.
When asked after his round what the issue was, the 46-year-old said: “Bad golf.”
BBC Sport Northern Ireland’s Stephen Watson gets an exclusive interview with back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy at Augusta National.
The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland became only the fourth player in history to win consecutive Masters titles on Sunday with a one-shot victory over American Scottie Scheffler.
The Northern Irishman becomes the first player to repeat at Augusta National since Tiger Woods back in 2001-2002.
Published On 13 Apr 202613 Apr 2026
Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods, and now, Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman emerged from a tight pack of contenders to win the 90th Masters Tournament on Sunday, joining the trio of golf icons as the only players in history to conquer Augusta National in back-to-back years.
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McIlroy said earlier this week that winning one Masters would make it easier to win a second, and he dug deep into that belief on Sunday to rally from a three-shot deficit on the front nine to post a one-under-par round of 71 for the winning score of 12-under 276 – one better than Scottie Scheffler.
“I can’t believe that I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and I get two in a row,” McIlroy told CBS in Butler Cabin. “I think that all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off.”
McIlroy’s sixth career major also tied him with Faldo for the most by a European player in the modern era, and they are tied for 12th-most all-time by any player.
Cameron Young, Russell Henley, England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose finished another shot back at 10 under.
McIlroy putts on the 18th hole to win The Masters [Mike Segar/Reuters]
McIlroy rallies
McIlroy began the final round tied for the 54-hole lead at 11 under with Young, who birdied the second hole to reach 12 under and take the outright lead. It appeared that McIlroy’s repeat quest might unravel when he went three over on the two par-threes on the front nine to fall to 9 under for the tournament.
Suddenly, McIlroy’s name was looking up on the leaderboard at Young and Rose, who reached 12 under with four birdies in a five-hole stretch through No 9. Scheffler was also making a run several holes ahead, and Henley reached 10 under through eight holes.
This is when McIlroy kicked it back into gear for the first time since closing with six birdies over his final seven holes on Friday. A birdie on the seventh hole got McIlroy back to double digits under par, and he pulled within one shot of the lead with another on the par-five eighth.
While Scheffler’s rally stalled for a long stretch with 11 consecutive pars, and Rose and Young struggled to hole putts on the back nine, McIlroy kept ratcheting up the pressure. He birdied the 12th and 13th holes to go 2 under through “Amen Corner” and build a two-shot lead.
Scheffler kept it interesting with birdies on numbers 15 and 16 to get to 11 under. Another birdie attempt on 17 stayed on the lip of the cup, and Scheffler parred out to post a 4-under round of 68, with McIlroy on the course with three holes to play.
The two-shot cushion proved helpful for McIlroy when he pushed his drive on the 18th hole well right into the trees. He was able to punch the ball forward into a greenside bunker and put it on the putting surface with his third shot.
From there, McIlroy easily converted the two-putt bogey, and became the fourth player in history to successfully defend at the Masters.
“It’s nice to have that two-shot cushion instead of the one [shot] like I had last year,” McIlroy said. “I looked at the [leader]board after I made the bogey on six, and I went back to 9 under at that point. And I said, ‘If I can get to 14 under, I think I’ve got a really good chance of winning this tournament.’
“I didn’t quite get there, I got to 13, but 13 was good enough standing on the 18th tee.”
After setting a Masters record with a six-shot lead after 36 holes, McIlroy played the final 36 holes in even par. That brought a host of players back into the mix, with at least four different players leading at some point during the final round.
McIlroy admitted that he kept a close eye on the leaderboard after falling back to 9 under to know where he stood in the tournament.
“It was a tough weekend,” he said. “I did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday, but just so happy to hang in there and get the job done.”
McIlroy holds the Masters championship trophy during the green jacket ceremony after the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club [Kyle Terada/Imagn Images via Reuters]
To win last year, McIlroy needed to beat Justin Rose – who finished tied third on Sunday having led by two at the turn – in a sudden death play-off after bogeying the 72nd hole.
And he did not make it much easier for himself this time around. Having scorched the field to take a record six-shot lead after 36 holes, he stuttered to a one-over 73 on Saturday.
Tied with Young going into Sunday, Northern Ireland’s McIlroy heaped pressure on himself with a sloppy double-bogey five on the fourth after three-putting from eight feet.
He dropped another shot at the par-three sixth, but after mixing four birdies with seven pars to build a two-shot lead over world number one Scheffler heading to the last, he said his “greatest stress” on Sunday was not knowing where his ball ended up on the 18th after flailing his drive right and in among the trees.
“It could go anywhere. It could be anywhere,” added the world number two, who also drew level with Americans Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino on six majors.
“There were a few others. I thought my second putt on 11 was huge to avoid making bogey there.”
Despite falling behind Young and Rose, and with Scheffler creeping up the leaderboard, McIlroy insisted he never felt as though his chance had slipped away.
“If I hadn’t birdied the seventh and eighth holes, I would have started to push a little bit,” added the 36-year-old, who became just the sixth wire-to-wire Masters winner.
“But I think the birdies on seven and eight, Justin bogeying 11 and 12, and then me birdieing 12, I never felt like I was out of it. I never felt like I had to press at all.”
It will arguably be the best bogey of McIlroy’s career.
With a two-shot lead on the 18th tee the job was almost done but McIlroy had a wild swipe and his ball flew to the right and into trees.
Hearts were suddenly racing again.
After what seemed like an eternity, as he tried to usher thousands of spectators away from his intended line of attack to the green, he thrashed his ball out of the pine straw and into a greenside bunker.
It was a key moment. Another poor swing could easily have led to a double bogey and a play-off with Scheffler.
He backed that with a strong shot from the sand to 12 feet and with two putts for the title, took both of them.
The final stroke, from seven inches, was the length that all players dream of to win a major.
There was a huge release of emotion. McIlroy hugged his caddie Harry Diamond, looked to the sky and let out a roar as he raised him arms aloft – his sixth major title cementing his place as one of the sport’s greats.
Overnight joint leader Rory McIlory struggles with his putter on the fourth hole and ends with a double bogey to gift the lead to Cam Young on the final day of the 2026 Masters at Augusta.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Lawrence Bennett wasn’t only a guardian of the green jackets — the iconic garment of Augusta National — but he also oversaw their cremation.
That was among his many responsibilities in a career that spanned 51 years, where he first picked up litter then picked up everyone from celebrities to sports heroes to ex-presidents as the club’s top chauffeur.
“All I’ve known from Day 1 was Augusta National,” said Bennett, 72, sitting in the living room of his tidy home six miles from the storied course. His hallways are painted Masters green. Paintings of the course hang on the walls, as do photographs of famous people with heartfelt inscriptions.
For decades, he embraced the club. The members hugged him back, from bankrolling his college tuition to sending him generous gifts when he retired in 2013 and donations when his beloved wife, Cheryl, died in 2020 after suffering a massive stroke.
Lawrence Bennett, a longtime chauffeur at Augusta National, holds a framed portion of the logo that appears on the green Masters jackets.
(Sam Farmer / Los Angeles Times)
Bennett isn’t watching the Masters this week — he tuned in for Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and some other greats over the years — and he said he’s never swung a golf club. But his job was his life, even though he moonlighted as a high school teacher and administrator.
His father, too, bled green. The late and legendary Freddie Bennett began as a young caddie and worked his way up to caddie master, looking for that ideal chemistry between club members or tournament competitors and the men who carried their golf bags and advised them on putting lines.
“Once you work at Augusta National, they don’t want half of your time,” the younger Bennett said. “They want all of your time. And that’s what he did, and that’s what I did.”
Father and son were highly regarded at the club.
“There’s no doubt they commanded respect,” said Ward Clayton, author of “The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National.” “But at the same time, they understood, whether you’re working for Augusta National or a top corporation, you’ve got to follow the guidelines of the place you’re working for. I think they understood that to the highest degree.”
Augusta National opens its gates to the world every April but otherwise is so secretive that it won’t confirm how many members it has, let alone name them. The waiting list for Masters tickets has been closed for decades and patron badges are passed down through families like heirlooms. The club is closed from mid-May until October, and new buildings appear as if by magic, yet fit in as if they’ve been around forever.
As his father and other club employees did, Bennett signed a non-disclosure agreement that lasted 10 years. Now, more than a decade after his retirement, he’s telling some of his stories.
Hot pockets
When an Augusta member died, left the club or simply wanted a new green jacket, Bennett was responsible for disposing of the old garments. That meant cutting off a coat’s emblem on the pocket, buttons and name tags in the lining, then taking what was left to a local funeral home for cremation. It wasn’t an everyday event. Bennett and a security guard from the club would bring 20-30 of the jackets that would be placed in a coffin-like cardboard box and pushed into a 2,400-degree oven.
Lawrence Bennett, longtime chauffeur at Augusta National, points to a painting of the course in his home.
(Sam Farmer / Los Angeles Times)
“We had to wait until the ashes cooled down to make sure we weren’t leaving buttons or anything identifying about it, and the funeral home would take care of the rest,” Bennett said. “They would just toss it.”
Occasionally, deceased members were buried in their green jackets.
“Some members’ families started to request that,” he said. “And I know one guy — I had to go take the jacket, a local member — I had to watch them put it on him. Didn’t like that too good. Watch them put it on, fixing it neat, and report back to the club manager that it was on.”
Watch your speed
The club had three station wagons and a long blue limousine when Bennett began chauffeuring at age 17. He was well spoken and polite, so his bosses soon began sending him on the most important jobs.
Once, a member named Alexander Chisholm from Mississippi had come into town for a party and round of golf, then stayed over for a dinner at a fancy place called the Green Boundary Club in Aiken, S.C. Bennett brought him in the limo.
“My dad said, `Boy, if you’re going to South Carolina, slow down because they’ll give you a ticket in a minute. They watch for Augusta tags to give you tickets,’” Bennett recalled.
He started slow and cautious.
“Mr. Chisholm, with a big cigar in his mouth, said, ‘Can you go any faster than this?’” he said. “Now, I’m 19. That’s all I needed to hear. I stepped on the gas.”
As soon as he crossed the Savannah River, the police lights pulled up behind him.
“The officer wasn’t real nice,” Bennett said. “He said, `Boy, can’t you read? Can’t you see that speed limit?’ Mr. Chisholm was in back and said, `How much is the ticket?’ The officer said it was going to cost me $150.”
Chisholm peeled off three $100 bills.
“Here,” the member told the officer. “Take $300, because we’re going to be coming back the same damn way.”
Hail to the chief
Back when he was in first grade, Bennett feigned illness so he could get sent home and spend some time with his dad, whom he hadn’t seen in two weeks.
“I would hear him come home and get in the bed, but I didn’t see him because he came home when I was asleep,” he said. “He left when I was asleep. So one day I was at school, and I played sick. So I told my teacher my stomach was hurting.”
His mother was working at the time, so the school called the club.
“Dad came to get me, and he took me to work, gave me a Coca-Cola and a little pack of crackers,” he recalled. “He said, `You can’t be running around, because the President is here.’ Well, I’m 6 or 7. I thought he was talking about George Washington.”
Then, his father pulled a milk crate up to a hedge.
“He said, `You want to see the President?’ So I went out, and he put me on this box, and I could look over the top of the hedge, and there was Eisenhower. That was Clifford Roberts, and that was Bobby Jones,” he said, referencing the Roberts and Jones, co-founders of Augusta National.
Bennett has some snapshot memories of the president.
“I remember him being a big man, big stomach,” he said. “He had brown pants on with pleats, and he got up and made his tee shot off number one, and he looked over and saw me. He did just like this [crisply saluting the child]. I did it back at him.”
The moment left an impression.
“That was my first really inkling of what my daddy did,” he said, “and the type of people that were at the club.”
Supreme honor
As a young chauffeur, Bennett had all sorts of driving duties. He would take members’ wives antique shopping or sit through movies with the children of members who were bored at the tournament.
He picked up Christopher Lee at the airport once, and — as a big fan of Dracula — he half-believed he saw the English actor transforming into a vampire while they drove to the club.
“As we got back, it was getting dark, and all I could see — this was in my mind now — those fiery red eyes in the rear view mirror,” said Bennett, recounting the meeting on the “70 Years of Masters Magic” podcast.
Lawrence Bennett, longtime chauffeur at Augusta National, shows some Augusta National keepsakes at his home.
(Sam Farmer / Los Angeles Times)
“When he got out, I had to tell him. I said, `You know what? I was nervous because all I saw was your eyes and your face in the mirror.’ And it was illegal to get an autograph, but I got it.”
In 2013, the last Masters for Bennett, he drove Arnold Palmer back to the airport and they both got teary rolling back down Magnolia Lane and out of the club.
Maybe the most memorable assignment was picking up Sandra Day O’Connor. He was especially excited because he had just been teaching his ninth-grade students about her, the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The two became fast friends, and O’Connor gave him her personal pocket constitution. She inscribed it: “For Lawrence Bennett and his ninth-grade class, always remember the constitution protects you. Sandra Day O’Connor.”
Her husband, John Jay O’Connor, told Bennett: “Do you know what she has given you? She takes that to the bench every day she goes to work.”
It’s framed in Bennett’s den.
From the heart
Bennett, whose mother was a nurse and semi-professional bowler, was the first in his family to finish high school, and first to go to college, where he would earn three degrees. His younger sister followed him, earning a degree in nursing.
Tuition at Paine College wasn’t easy on the family. That’s where the club stepped in.
“Sometimes my dad didn’t have the money, so the club manager [Phil Wahl] said, `Lawrence, Freddie, everything OK?’ My dad said, `No, Mr. Wahl, I’ve got to pay $855.53 for that boy’s semester.’ Mr. Wahl said, `Go to the front desk and get a petty cash slip.’ They gave daddy $855.53 per semester for four or five years. Never asked for it back.
“So I owe a lot to Augusta National. I tried to pay it back but they wouldn’t take it.”
Freddie Bennett retired in 1999 after 46 years as caddie master and 51 years on the property — just as long as his son would work there. He died in 2006.
“Paine College, this huge chapel, we had daddy’s funeral down there,” the younger Bennett said. “It was packed. If you looked at the private field, you thought it was tournament time. The private jets came to his funeral.
“The club manager got up and spoke, and he talked about all of the things that Freddie had done, all the achievements he had done. But he said Freddie’s greatest accomplishment at this club: `He gave us Lawrence.’
“I lost it,” he said, tears welling, “I never thought anybody thought that of me.”
Finally landing the Masters last year provided 36-year-old McIlroy with a sense of liberation.
During his first two rounds, he played with the greater mental freedom which he predicted reaching his golfing Everest – finally conquering Augusta National to complete the career Grand Slam – would provide.
The five-time major champion showed patience to take control of the leaderboard, even though he was not playing as well as the scoreboard suggested.
The ability to recover from wayward driving was the key to McIlroy’s success, staying calm in the pressure moments to play sensibly when required before attacking when the chances arose.
An uncluttered mind – aided by his superb short game – was missing on Saturday and could not ride to the rescue.
“I will go to the range and figure it out. I still have a great chance but if I am going to win I will have to play better,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy found eight of the 14 fairways in the third round – the same as he did on Friday when he shot a 65. On Thursday, he only hit five as he posted a 67.
Of those to make the halfway cut, he is bottom of the class in accuracy off the tee, and when you couple that with his poorer short game on Saturday, it’s easy to see how Augusta took chunks out of his lead.
Many players gave the old place a beating on Saturday, with watered greens allowing favourable scoring conditions.
But McIlroy was one of three players inside the top 28 who did not finish under par for their rounds, alongside England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan.
“It’s so rare to see a player shut the door on a major in the way Tiger Woods did,” said BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter.
“If he had a sniff he’d be so pragmatic and make sure nobody could get near him.
“McIlroy doesn’t have that in his locker. Woods was a super-human golfer, McIlroy is a human golfer.”
Cameron Young, who was eight back of McIlroy to start the day, overtook the Grand Slam winner late in the day. McIlroy briefly reclaimed a one-shot lead but gave that back with a bogey on 17, bending over in exasperation when he left a par putt just short.
Cameron Young fist bumps his caddie, Kyle Sterbinsky, on the 18th green during the third round of the Masters on Saturday in Augusta, Ga.
(Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Young, whose first PGA Tour victory came last August, heads into the final round tied atop the leaderboard with McIlroy at 11 under par.
The 28-year-old from Westchester County, N.Y., is going to take a business-as-usual approach to the biggest day of his career. He plans to start the day with Mass at a nearby church — before taking on Amen Corner.
“It might be difficult to go undetected, but it’s not going to stop us,” said Young, who has three children younger than 5. “We’ll find somewhere and take the kids. We’ll be out in full force just like usual.”
Saturday was a remarkable turnaround for Young, who was all but cooked on Thursday, playing the first seven holes in four over par. He bounced back strong with a 67 on Friday, and a 65 on Saturday, collecting a combined 14 birdies over those rounds.
Rory McIlroy reacts in frustration on the 18th green during the third round of the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga.
(Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
“I don’t get the sense I’ll be the fan favorite,” Young said. “Rory’s kind of a world favorite in the golf world. A year ago if I’d been in the same situation, there would have been very little [fan support], and now there’s probably a little more. So I’ll take what I can get.”
A host of other competitors moved within striking distance of their first green jacket — Sam Burns, Nick Lowry, Jason Day and Justin Rose.
Lowry had a hole-in-one on No. 6, a decade after acing the 16th. He became the first player in Masters history to record multiple holes-in-one.
Scottie Sheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, started the day at even par but shot 65 to climb into the mix at four shots back, saying, “I don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament.”
For Day, the key to his 68 was staying patient. He three-putted the opening hole for bogey but kept his cool.
“Statistically I average around four to five birdies a round, so I just knew they were going to come,” he said. “I just didn’t know when they were going to come.”
He got hot from the 12th through 15th holes, stringing together four birdies in a row.
Day has been in contention at the Masters several times, finishing second in 2015.
“I feel like the guys that are leading right now have all the pressure,” he said. “I’m just kind of the chaser. Usually the chasers don’t really have a lot of the pressure.”
That Collin Morikawa is even relevant at this point is stunning, considering the physical battle he’s enduring. The two-time major winner shot 68 on Saturday despite issues with an injury — possibly his back — affecting his legs. He said he’s swinging at roughly half-speed.
“My legs aren’t moving the way they used to,” he said. “So then I’m throwing my arms, and I’m having to time up my arms. So, like, every swing I’m putting at, I am essentially just throwing my arms at the ball hoping that it squares everything up.”
Morikawa was six shots back along with former UCLA standout Jake Knapp and one behind another former Bruin, Patrick Cantlay (five back).
The defending Masters champion was sprinting away from the field Friday, building a six-shot lead heading into the weekend and putting himself in prime position to become the first repeat winner since Tiger Woods in 2002.
McIlroy atoned for two bogeys with nine birdies, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to improve on his stellar 67 in the opening round.
At 12 under, he now holds the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.
“When I was standing on the 12th tee, I didn’t imagine that I would be six ahead going into the weekend,” said McIlroy, who birdied six of the final seven holes despite hitting into the trees on holes 13, 15 and 17.
“I’ve always had the ability to go on these runs … but it’s staying aggressive. My little mantra today was keep swinging, and keep swinging hard at it.”
And he completed that masterpiece in the afternoon, when the legendary course was even firmer and more slippery than it was in the morning. The warm weather and cloudless skies set the stage for a test of surgical precision in the final two rounds.
“These greens are going to be concrete,” said Wyndham Clark, who followed an even-par round with a four-under 68. “Obviously getting really fast without the wind, so it’s going to really matter hitting it in the fairway and the angles, and being patient.”
Rory McIlroy walks across Nelson Bridge with his caddy during the second round at the Masters.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
Fifty-four competitors from 15 different countries made the cut from a starting field of 91.
Of his jaw-dropping finishing scramble, McIlroy said: “The only way I can describe it is everything that you see or any situation that you come across, you can find a positive in it. And then you see birdies and you can see ways to make birdies. Hit it in the trees at 13, fine, I can make a birdie doing it this way. Hit it in the trees at 15, same thing.”
Whereas McIlroy created separation, Tyrrell Hatton made a case for inclusion. He was two over after Thursday but played himself back into contention with a 66 on Friday, hitting all 18 greens in regulation and becoming just the third player in 30 years to do that at the Masters. He is tied for seventh with Clark.
Patrick Reed, who shot a 69 in the first round, matched that in the second to claim a share of second place with Sam Burns.
Reed, who left for LIV Golf but announced in January he plans to return to the PGA Tour, played golf locally at Augusta State University and won this tournament in 2018. He said that Masters experience helps in a big way now.
Of winning a green jacket, he said, “Until you do, you always have that little voice of doubt in the back of your mind.”
Patrick Reed hits off the 18th tee during the second round of the Masters on Friday.
(Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Asked if his near-miss in 2025 serves as extra motivation this year, Rose said: “Not really, if I’m honest. I don’t really need to try any harder, know what I mean? Trying harder ain’t going to help me.”
It was a rough day for Scottie Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, as his 74 put him 12 shots back of McIlroy.
Bryson DeChambeau was on the bubble all day before a triple-bogey seven on the 18th hole. He missed the cut six over.
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson missed the cut, as did 66-year-old Fred Couples, who was playing well Thursday until taking a quadruple-bogey nine on the 15th hole.
McIlroy played with 18-year-old amateur Mason Howell, who was sufficiently impressed as the defending champion birdied each of the final four holes.
“You’ve got to stay in your own lane, but it’s hard not to watch that,” Howell said. “That chip-in on 17 was unreal. That was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in sports, and I got to witness it in person, so that was awesome.”
McIlroy, who is hoping to become just the fourth player after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters titles has held a six-shot lead at this point in a major before.
He went on to win the 2011 US Open by eight shots – claiming the first of his five majors – and also spreadeagled the field with an eight-shot victory at the 2012 US PGA Championship.
And he plans to maintain an aggressive approach around Augusta National over the weekend as he bids to match Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino’s haul of six majors.
“Don’t protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging,” he said when asked what advice his 2011 self would have for him before Saturday.
McIlroy led that year’s Masters by four shots going into the final round, but carded an eight-over-par 80 to tumble down the leaderboard.
“A big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was don’t get protective,” he added. “Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.”
McIlroy also said he plans to watch tennis and spend time with his daughter Poppy to take his mind off the third round.
“That distraction is usually a good thing for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead,” he explained.
“There are two really good semi-finals at Monte Carlo in the tennis. So I’ll watch those.
“We’ve been watching the tennis early in the mornings. And then hopefully spend some time with Poppy. I think we’re about halfway through Zootopia 2.”
It seems bizarre to say now given his dominant position, but there was a spell on Friday where you felt McIlroy was still not playing close to his best.
When McIlroy bogeyed the 10th, he dropped back alongside 2018 champion Reed on six under and his untidiness meant it was all to play for.
Some drives were being sprayed, some approaches were not as precise as they should have been.
At the end of his round, the statistics showed McIlroy ranked 90th in the 91-man field for accuracy off the tee.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. His exceptional short game held his round together and when things did click into place on the tees and fairways, he motored through the back half in fabulous fashion.
After winning last year, there is not a melodrama every time he makes a bad shot. McIlroy has learned how to be patient around Augusta.
That seems to spell bad news for the rest of a leaderboard stacked with Green Jacket wearers, major title holders and Ryder Cup stars.
Staying even-tempered at the most famously punishing golf course in the world is a trait which two of the big names chasing McIlroy also recognise is necessary to succeed there.
Three-time runner-up Justin Rose, who is tied fourth, is targeting his own redemptive win after losing to McIlroy in last year’s sudden-death play-off and credits his own patience for his back-nine climb up the leaderboard on Friday.
“Early on things were tough out there. But I settled down and built the round back up,” said Rose, who is seven behind McIlroy after a three-under 69 on Friday.
“It’s a continuation of being on the leaderboard from last year and keeping the dream alive. I need to keep it as free as I can.”
Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who had a run of 14 successive pars, joined English pair – and victorious Ryder Cup team-mates – Rose and Tommy Fleetwood on five under par after two birdies in the final three holes.
“I was hitting good shots and just wasn’t converting but I was patient out there,” said Lowry, whose sole major win came at the 2023 Open.
But there is another contender, also from that European band of brothers, who has not yet learned how to stay calm at Augusta.
Tyrrell Hatton might have to learn quickly if he is going to push McIlroy.
The 30-year-old Englishman knocked in seven birdies on the way to a six-under par 66, seemingly carding the round of the day only to be matched by McIlroy.
“I definitely don’t stay calmer or more patient this week. If anything, I am probably more on edge,” said Hatton.
“I will just take each shot as it comes and see what we end up with.”
Jannik Sinner cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up a semi-final with Alexander Zverev in the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Italian second seed defeated his Canadian opponent 6-3 6-4 to extend his winning streak in Masters 1000 events to 20 matches – a run during which he has lifted titles at Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
“I feel like it was a step forwards today,” said Sinner, who dropped a set at a Masters event for the first time in 186 days during his last-16 win against Tomas Machac.
“It was a very tough match. I knew I had to get better in certain areas. The serve is not there yet, where I would love it, but all things considered I’m very happy.
“But in any case, very happy to be back in the semis.”
Almost all the talk about Rory McIlroy in the build-up to this year’s Masters related to the pomp.
In comparison, discussion about whether his game is there to secure a rare back-to-back Masters win felt somewhat neglected.
When last year’s winner was finally able to focus on his golf on Thursday, McIlroy reminded everyone he is not in Augusta this week simply to serve up the Champions’ Dinner.
He is here to play. And he is here to win.
The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland shares the first-round lead with American Sam Burns after carding a five-under par 67, ensuring anybody who was sleeping on his chances has been stirred.
McIlroy was among only 16 players in the 91-man field to finish under par, with conditions expected to get even firmer and faster over the next three days.
England’s Justin Rose, who was agonisingly denied his first Green Jacket by McIlroy in a nerve-jangling play-off last year, is three shots behind the leaders and alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler on two under par.
“I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one,” said McIlroy, who is aiming to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to retain the Masters.
“It’s hard to say because there are still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about where it goes.
“But it’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the champions’ locker room and put on my Green Jacket.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. — After the career grand slam, a grand entrance.
Rory McIlroy, who last year became the sixth man to win all four major championships, got off to a spectacular start at the Masters on Thursday to claim a share of the lead with a five-under-par 67.
In one sense, the pressure is off. No more wondering about winning a green jacket. Yet he was relieved to feel those familiar butterflies on the first tee.
“Look, we’re playing the first major of the year, it’s the Masters,” he said, having overcome a slightly wobbly start to collect five birdies in his final 11 holes. “If I felt absolutely nothing on that first tee, that’s not a good sign.
“So it was nice to feel my hand shaking a little bit when the tee went into the ground, and struggle to put the ball on top of the tee. So I knew I was feeling it. That’s a good thing. That’s why we want to be here. We want to be able to play our best golf when we’re feeling like that.”
Among those two shots off the lead is 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, who said the warm and dry conditions figure to make a difficult course even more challenging.
“It definitely has the teeth in it to make it really, really tough,” Reed said. “The greens are already getting firm, crusty, and bouncy.”
He said the 17th green, typically one of the firmest on the course, is a good example of that.
“I actually broke one tee on the hole trying to fix a ball mark,” he said. “You already know it’s going to get crusty. You know it’s going to get fast, and it’s going to take a lot of patience.”
Some stars struggled. Two-time champion Bubba Watson shot four-over, as did the long-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, who tied for fifth last year.
Said Shane Lowry, who finished two under: “This might be the toughest Masters we’ve played in a while.”
Bryson DeChambeau reacts after his tee shot on the 12th hole Thursday at Augusta National.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
There’s something about this storied tournament that can make even the steeliest of players weak in the knees. Mason Howell, the 18-year-old amateur playing with McIlroy, was taking such vicious swings at the ball that his hat came off three times during his round, including on the opening tee.
“That hasn’t happened in a while,” said Howell, who last year became the third-youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur. “I mean, I was going to swing out of my shoes to see if I could cover that right bunker [on No. 1].”
Even the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who won the Masters a record six times, duck-hooked his ceremonial tee shot early Thursday morning, sending it over the head of patrons lining the left side of the downward slope in front of him.
“I got it high enough to hit it about 110 yards over their heads to the left,” said Nicklaus, 86, who won his last green jacket 40 years ago. “I don’t know what was running through my mind other than not hurt anybody.”
Fred Couples, 66, the oldest competitor in the field, went from a tie for eighth to a tie for 43rd … on one hole. He had a nine on the par-five 15th, landing in the water twice.
Couples, who had been two under to that point, finished quadruple bogey, double bogey, double bogey.
Collin Morikawa, who shot a 74 at two over, said he doesn’t feel quite right, physically, although it doesn’t feel like a back issue to him.
“Physically there’s no pain,” he said. “It’s just a trust thing. My legs don’t want to trust that it’s going to hold up the back and the rest of the body. When that’s feeling wobbly, plus you add the adrenaline and the nerves, it’s just not — it’s not easy…”
He called Thursday “the toughest round I’ve ever played,” and said he could not remember waking up quite as nervous as he was before the start of this tournament.
“I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make contact,” he said.
Rory McIlroy plays a shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the Masters on Thursday.
(Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
McIlroy, playing in his 18th Masters, said he leaned heavily on his experience to maintain an even keel. A year ago, he had two double-bogeys on Thursday, and two more on Sunday, yet never panicked.
So this time, when he found himself hitting out the trees on some early holes, he resisted the urge to get too “guide-y” on his shots and instead kept swinging away.
“Even though I wasn’t hitting fairways the first few holes, I still kept swinging,” he said. “I didn’t try to get the tee down and hit fairway finders. I just trusted that eventually I’ll start to make some good swings. So that was a little bit different.”
The biggest difference? What he achieved a year ago.
“It’s easier for me,” McIlroy said, “to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day.”
Xander Schauffele made par on the eighth hole Thursday at Augusta National.
What was noteworthy about that accomplishment is he did it after his tee shot landed in a most unusual spot: A fan’s merchandise bag.
During the opening round of the 2026 Masters tournament, Schauffele’s shot on the par-5 hole sailed just left of the fairway and somehow came to rest inside a woman’s clear plastic shopping bag, which appeared to be sitting on the ground.
Spectators chuckled as Schauffele and an official made their way to the bag and located the ball within it. After Schauffele used a tee to mark the ball’s location on the ground, he retrieved the ball and returned the bag to its owner. He was able to continue play without penalty.
“It just flew straight into the bag,” Schauffele said after finishing his round with a 2-under 70. “It was a great break. That bounce would’ve put me in the pine straw and who knows if I would’ve had a shot to hit up the hill.”
“So thanks to the lady on 8,” added Schauffele, the two-time major championship winner whose best Masters finish was a tie for second in 2019.
No doubt, Schauffele got lucky — but not as lucky as Louis Oosthuizen in the final round of the 2016 Masters. Oosthuizen sent his tee shot on the 16th to the green, where the ball collided with that of J.B. Holmes, changed direction and rolled in for a hole-in-one.
Schauffele’s shot also brings to mind another, perhaps even more bizarre, play from the first round of the 2021 Masters. Playing from partially behind a tree on the seventh hole, Rory McIlroy missed the right side of the fairway with a high shot that ricocheted off the back of his father’s leg on the way down.
Luckily, Gerry McIlroy was unharmed. His son, however, bogeyed that hole on his way to a 4-over 76 for the round.
The Masters is one of the most prestigious events in sport. But the story behind The Masters Tournament is also tied to the history of segregation in golf. From the PGA’s “Caucasian-only clause” to the Black caddies who knew Augusta better than anyone. And why Tiger Woods’s victory in 1997 changed the image of the game forever. Al Jazeera’s Samantha Johnson looks at the tournament’s complicated past.
The youngster had the galleries chanting his name as he tried to fulfill a vow made 12 months ago – to clear the water with his tee-shot on the final ninth hole.
A year older, bigger and stronger – and armed with a bespoke club – he had made it a mission to conquer what had turned into a personal challenge.
“When I go on to the range I just think about this every single day,” Frankie said in one of countless television interviews during the round.
Described as a “chatterbox” by his dad, Frankie showed he is a chip off the old block – talking confidently in front of the camera, demonstrating a steeliness to succeed and possessing a stylish swing of the club.
Anticipation built on the course as the Fleetwood family, again alongside good friends the McIlroys and Lowrys, played their way round to the ninth tee.
Young Frankie was wide right with his first attempt and, after the Augusta patrons sang for him to get another chance, came closer with a second but it still ended up wet.
He walked off with the consoling arm of Shane Lowry’s daughter Iris – who also went close to hitting the putting surface – round his shoulders.
“I think more than anything the pressure is on me to keep making the Masters until he reaches the green on the ninth,” said father Tommy, who continues his quest this week for a first major title following several top-five finishes.
Fleetwood tuned up his short game with a hole-in-one which made the patrons roar, with American trio Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley also carding aces to dial up the entertainment factor.
Bradley, who was the US captain in their Ryder Cup defeat by Europe last year, is first player in the history of the 66-year competition to land holes-in-one in consecutive years.
The noise in the galleries is likely to be matched this week as the sporting drama intensifies, but the chaos inside the ropes – toddlers sliding down bunkers and babies crawling across putting surfaces – will make way for the cordiality of the main event.
Father-of-five Jason Day jokingly described the occasion as “a circus”, with Clark adding: “As a man with no kids I’ll say it’s great birth control but it’s a lot of fun.”
Celebrity stardust came in the shape of comedian Kevin Hart, who caddied for two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau, and former NFL star Jason Kelce in a roving reporter role on the course.
Their presence came hours after Augusta chairman Fred Ridley discussed the ongoing battle for the Masters to find the balance “between respecting tradition and innovating”.
On this evidence, the Par 3 Contest is treading the line nicely as the Masters looks to ensure it – and golf – remains relevant for generations to come.
When major champion Gary Woodland walks on to the first tee of Augusta National on Thursday he will be checking where the security is as much as where he needs to land his opening drive.
The 2019 US Open champion has organised extra security to help him deal with the anxiety and stress that playing golf can cause him since he had brain surgery in 2023.
He announced last month that he had been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder since the operation to remove part of a brain tumour, although the mental health condition was only diagnosed about a year ago.
In late March he won the Houston Open – his first victory since becoming a major champion seven years ago – to qualify for this week’s Masters.
With the added pressure of playing in a major and in front of larger crowds – Woodland will play the opening two rounds alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre – he is naturally taking a cautious approach this week and, just as at PGA Tour events, has organised extra security.
“The whole deal for me is it’s visual,” he said. “If I can see somebody, then I can remind myself that I’m safe constantly.
“So I have a good idea now where security is on every hole. The big deal for me, my caddie knows too, so he can constantly remind me.”
The 41-year-old American, who is playing in his 13th Masters tournament, never knows what might cause an episode.
“I don’t have control when this thing hits me, and it’s tough,” Woodland added.
“It can be a fan. It can be a walking scorer. It can be a camera guy running by me, just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly.
“Knowing where the security is, is a constant reminder that I’m safe.”
