McIlroy's second consecutive Masters victory in 24 years since Woods "Realizes that winning the championship itself is difficult."

*This content was translated by AI.

The main character of the Masters Tournament (total prize money of $20 million), called the "Myeongin Yeoljeon," was Rory McIlroy (37, Northern Ireland). For the fourth time in history, he has won two consecutive games, making him one of the legendary players.

McIlroy tied five birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey in the final fourth round of the tournament at Augusta National Golf Course (par 72) in Georgia on the 13th (Korea time) to write a 1-under 71.

He recorded 12-under 276 overall, beating "world No. 1" Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. with 11-under 277 by one stroke to achieve his second consecutive victory.

There have been only three consecutive Masters wins, including Jack Nicklaus (USA) from 1965 to 1966, Nick Faldo (England) from 1989 to 1990, and Tiger Woods (USA) from 2001 to 2002. McIlroy has joined the ranks that are colorful just by name.

He won his first victory of the season at the Masters. It was all the more meaningful because it was the 30th trophy of the PGA Tour.

McIlroy tied for second at the Genesis Invitational in February, but was later hampered by injuries. He withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to back pain and was also sluggish in the Players Championship, tied for 46th.

He had no choice but to have a different mindset when he played in the Masters. From the first day of the tournament, when he competed as the defending champion, he took the lead with amazing iron shots and elaborate putting, and eventually finished first.

McIlroy, who started in the championship group with Cameron Young (USA), birdied the third hole (par 4), but made a double bogey on the fourth hole (par 3) to lose the lead to Young.

He also made a bogey in the sixth hole (par 3), but he lost one stroke and was trailing by two strokes, but eventually tied with consecutive birdies in the seventh hole (par 4) and the eighth hole (par 5). Since then, he has become the sole leader by reducing the number of pars in succession in the 12th and 13th holes (par 3) and after that, he has maintained the gap until the end despite the pursuit of Scheffler and Young.

Scheffler, who came out on top of the tournament in 2022 and 2024, trailed McIlroy by 11 shots in the third and fourth rounds, but failed to close the final shot, shaking his head.

After the match, McIlroy said, "I thought it was difficult to play last year's career Grand Slam at the Masters Tournament. This year, I realized that winning the Masters Tournament itself was difficult, he said. "Last year, my parents couldn't attend. During the round, I thought of my parents several times, but I repeated, "Not yet." I persuaded him to come this year. I'm happy to be with you like this," he said.

The legend's story helped. "I've had a lot of conversations with Jack Nicklaus every year. It is important to arrive early to prepare and practice for major competitions. "You don't just look around the course, you have to actually play it," he said, "and you go out with just one ball and score points, and that's how it goes. "I practiced with just one ball for four days and recorded the score," he said, explaining his special secret.

Lim Sung-jae (28) lost five shots on the day, finishing 46th with a final total of 3 over 291, while Kim Si-woo (31, CJ) finished 47th with a final total of 4 over 292.

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*This content was translated by AI.