Tour Confidential: Unpacking Rory McIlroy’s historic Masters win

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Rory McIlroy’s Masters performance, Sunday’s pivotal moments at Augusta National, and more.

Rory McIlroy won the Masters to become just the fourth repeat winner in the tournament’s history. McIlroy closed with a 71 to finish 12 under and beat Scottie Scheffler by one. This all, mind you, after he was up by six after 36 holes but lost that all by Saturday night. How did this happen? What’s your takeaway from his win?

Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): Man, that was gritty. Rory obviously didn’t have his best stuff over the weekend — and he said as much during his Butler Cabin interview — but he played just well enough over the weekend to nab another green jacket. There’s something extra impressive in watching someone win without their best stuff, and Rory did exactly that this weekend. 

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): Excuse the modern parlance, but this Masters felt like a movie, with an opening act, a middle contextualization, some conflict and then a bit of late drama. Damn — it was wildly entertaining! But I think the McIlroy takeaway is that he is just such a different golfer than he used to be. He’s become the best player in the world on firm and fast conditions. He should have won the ‘22 Open at finicky St. Andrews. He wasn’t doing that early in his career, but late-career Rory is just different. More imaginative, less reliant upon conditions and draw-shots, etc. It’s impressive and makes you wonder mostly about his chances for Shinnecock.

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@jess_marksbury): When the tournament was hanging in the balance on the back nine on Sunday, Rory hit some incredible shots at exactly the right time. I’m thinking of the birdies on 12 and 13 in particular, and the amazing putt from off the green that led to the par save on 16. But he was also the beneficiary of adversaries that didn’t push him much down the stretch. This could easily have been Justin Rose’s Masters, but he faded away on the back nine, as did Sam Burns and Cameron Young. Scottie Scheffler tried hard, but his late-momentum birdies on 15 and 16, and missed opportunity on 17, ended up being too little, too late.

What was the pivotal moment on Sunday? And what did you learn from it?

Melton: I think it came earlier than the viewers might’ve thought in the moment. After a silly double on No. 4 and another shaky bogey on 6, the tournament looked to be slipping from Rory’s grasp. But on No. 7, he calmly found the fairway, hit the proper shot right over the flagstick and then rolled in a birdie putt to stop the bleeding. From then on, he was nails. When you’re a gunslinger like Rory, sometimes all you need is to see one shot go through the hoop. 

Zak: I think it was Justin Rose backing off his shot in the middle of the 11th fairway. Rose was in the lead alone at 12 under. If he pars-in, he’s in a playoff. But Rosey backed off the shot and flared his eventual approach wide, leading to bogey. He mangled the 12th hole. He three putted for par on 13. If that goes differently, everything changes. The man who could have really put pressure on McIlroy faded, and the better golfer won.

Marksbury: Totally agree with you, Sean. Justin Rose went from in command to lackluster over the course of three holes. The bogey-bogey-three-putt-par trifecta on 11, 12 and 13 sunk him. And, as the only player with life at that time in the tournament, his exit from contention changed everything.  

Don’t look now, but McIlroy suddenly has six major titles and two green jackets. Is the man to beat over the next decade at Augusta National Rory McIlroy, or is it fellow two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler? And who you got the rest of the year?

Melton: I’m still on Team Scottie. He was the best golfer in the field over the weekend — by a wide margin — as he didn’t card a bogey in Rounds 3 or 4. And he did all of that seemingly without having his best stuff with the putter. Whatever “funk” Scottie was in early on in the season seems to be behind him, and he should be the favorite for years to come at Augusta National. That said, I won’t be surprised if Rory nabs another green jacket before he decides to hang it up. He seems to have cracked the code on how to win there.

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Zak: Yeah, I’m with Zephyr and on Team Scheffler. I’m waiting for him to get some real luck to go his way in the way McIlroy has at the last two Masters. That’s not taking anything away from McIlroy’s brilliance — he’s so deserving. But I just think Scheffler has brought his B-plus game to the last two Masters and is probably on the verge of another special summer.

Marksbury: I dunno guys, I find Rory’s Augusta stats extremely compelling. Scottie has five straight top-10 finishes since 2022, including two wins. But Rory has nine top-10 finishes since 2014, including the last two wins. Recency bias points to Rory for me. But picking Rory apparently also means signing up for a roller-coaster ride that Scottie rarely puts you through. 

McIlroy pulled away late, but a handful of capable chasers — Scheffler, Rose, Young, Burns, etc. — were still in it down the stretch. Which player is kicking themselves the most about what could have been?

Melton: Gotta be Scottie. That Friday 74 was so un-Scottie-like, and it really put him in desperation mode heading into the weekend. If he scraps together even an even-par round, he’s the one putting on the green jacket this evening and not Rory. 

Zak: Disagree! I think it’s Rose. It has to be Rose. The man without the jacket. The man who was in the lead by himself! Scheffler never touched the lead all week. He also has another 20 Masters in his future. Rosey may not have more than a few. 

Marksbury: Rose for sure. He had it! It slipped away. Again! No doubt that stings.

The Masters’ popular Par-3 Contest received some criticism for what some thought was too much celebrity involvement and strayed too far from the Masters’ long-standing “traditionalist” values. What do you think? And how does the Masters evolve without straying too far from the things that make it unique?

Melton: I could do without the cameo appearances from Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce, but I won’t clutch my pearls too much. The par-3 contest is supposed to be fun. So long as that silliness doesn’t spill over into the actual competition, I’m largely unbothered. 

Zak: My strongest par-3 take is … I wonder if players were a bit more surprised by the Thursday conditions of the big course because they’ve grown so comfortable writing off their Wednesdays to the par-3 course. There was such universal surprise at the course conditions that I don’t think we see at other majors with this Wednesday intermission. Anyway, I don’t totally hate the strategy by ANGC. It’s not for ME, but I’m as into golf as anyone in the world. There’s a natural pursuit of all governing bodies in all sports of, as the kids say, the casuals. I think they — or maybe more so ESPN — achieved some of that audience.

Marksbury: The Masters is revered for its traditions and decorum for a reason. I think most people watch or attend the tournament eager for that experience. So while I don’t think it’s necessary for the tournament to evolve in any way, I can understand why there is a feeling that it’s important to try new things to reach new demographics. And hey, if those efforts create new golf fans, that’s a win for everyone.

Who is leaving Augusta National most disappointed, and who won the week without actually winning the week?

Melton: Justin Rose has to be the most disappointed. He’s been oh so close at Augusta National many times, and once again he couldn’t quite get it done. The clock on his career is ticking, and you only get so many cracks at the green jacket. When you head to the back nine with a lead, you’ve got to close the door. He may go down as his generation’s biggest “what-if” at the Masters.  

Zak: I would reckon Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau feel pretty disappointed. They were two of the most deserving favorites entering the week and were never once relevant. Frankly, they seem more confused than anything right now. Can’t be a great headspace! 

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As for who won the week without winning the jacket, I think Collin Morikawa deserves some recognition. He grinded through a bad back all week, made seven birdies on Sunday and garnered a top 10 finish. That was wildly impressive. He said it’ll be one of his best tournaments forever.

Marksbury: Most disappointed: Bryson and Jon are good picks, Z. Justin Rose also, for reasons discussed above. I will also add Cameron Young, as a leader who faded, and Haotong Li, who suffered a triple-quintuple to completely derail his tournament.

Those who won the week: I’ll add anyone who got their hands on a gnome, and the players who finished T12 or better to guarantee themselves a spot in the Masters for next year.  

What did you learn during Masters week?

Melton: I learned (or rather, remembered) that I love Haotong Li. What a character. 

Zak: I learned that Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are really going to be value-adds to the PGA Tour as they return to that life post-LIV. Reed is one helluva player, which we knew, but he needed to sort of validate those wins from the Middle East in January in a major, and he did. Koepka is circling toward something this summer. You can sense it. He’ll be in contention soon enough. That bodes well for the Tour.

Marksbury: Augusta National remains undefeated when it comes to back-nine Sunday drama.