By Alan M. Watson, President, GOLF+ PCB
To win one green jacket would be a career milestone for any professional golfer. Winning at Augusta – The Masters – the first major of the year – the one everyone dreams of is and always will be a career-defining achievement. Now Rory McIlroy has done it twice, and in back-to-back years no less. He joins only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Sir Nick Faldo in this illustrious club.
Sure, he will have to pick up the tab for a second year in a row at the Champions Dinner. Sure, he couldn’t put the green jacket on himself. Sure, he overcame one of the worst driving performances in major history. And on and on and on. We all feel sorry for Rory.
No, we don’t. I jest. Rory is a great champion with many worldwide wins to his name. When he donned the green jacket in 2025, it was the final piece in his career grand slam. But two in a row. Well, that’s just special. Rory is living in rarified air in this era of two tours (LIV and PGA). He’s beaten world number one Scottie Scheffler two years in a row at Augusta, along with a host of other recent winners like Justin Rose, Cam Young, and J.J. Spaun. Rory is doing what Rory does. Winning!
We celebrate this accomplishment not only because it’s a known figure in the world of professional golf but also because the pressure was on. He clearly put a pile of it on himself to repeat, as is evidenced by the fact that he admitted he had spent quite a bit of time in Georgia playing the course weeks before the tournament. Was this an unfair advantage over the other players? Maybe. But come tournament time, everyone has to play the same course under the same conditions. And the 2026 Masters was pretty benign as weather goes. No rain, and no heavy winds. The greens were a little firm and maybe even crispy due to the lack of rain, but again, everyone plays the same course. And while many great players had their chances to take it to the course, Rory was just one shot better in the end. And that’s all it takes.
So how did he do it? Putting for the most part. His putter was deadly on many holes and even when he missed, he missed close for the most part. His wedge game was solid as well. Lots of chips and full wedges that came into the correct spot on the green. Long iron play was another place where Rory had a slight edge over the field. With his amazing height, his shots don’t move as much as some people’s when they land. Rory could have lost it with the driver as in some stretches he was not hitting fairways; however, when it counted, his driver was solid enough, and he found ways to escape the trouble when he did go wayward.
Now the talk is three-peat, and for me, I say let’s put a pin in that. Maybe it’s just too early to be talking about next year. What I will wonder about though, is if Rory can win another major tournament this year in the 2026 season. Can he win enough to overtake the world number one spot? Can he win the FedEx Cup? Those are more pressing issues for 2026, but if this Rory keeps showing up to play, then the other pros are in for a long year.
Congratulations, Rory McIlroy, on your second Masters win! You deserve it.
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