Releasing Rory McIlroy’s historic Masters victory: Tour Confidential

Check in every week for the unfiltered views of our writers and editors as they analyze 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 highlights at Augusta National, and more.

Rory McIlroy won the Masters to become the fourth player in the history of the tournament. McIlroy closed with a 71 to finish 12 under and beat Scottie Scheffler by one. All this, mind you, after he got up to six after 36 holes but lost it on Saturday night. How does this happen? What is your take on his win?

Zephyr Melton, game development editor (@zephyrmelton): Man, that was bad. Rory clearly wasn’t at his best over the weekend – and he said as much during his interview with Butler Cabin – but he played well enough over the weekend to pick up another green jacket. There is something very impressive about watching someone win without their best stuff, and Rory did just that this weekend.

Sean Zak, senior author (@sean_zak): Excuse the modern language, but these Portals felt like a movie, with an opening act, a central scene, some conflict and some drama at the end. Damn – it was so much fun! But I think the takeaway for McIlroy is that he’s a very different golfer than he used to be. He became the best player in the world with hard and fast conditions. He it should won the ’22 Open at finicky St. Andrews. He didn’t do that early in his career, but young Rory is different. More thinking, less reliance on situations and drawing pictures, etc. It’s surprising and makes you wonder more about his chances at Shinnecock.

Jessica Marksbury, editor-in-chief (@jess_marksbury): When the tournament hung on the back 9 on Sunday, Rory hit some amazing shots at the right time. I think of the birdies on 12 and 13 in particular, and the incredible putt from the green that led to a par save on 16. But he was also the beneficiary of enemies who did not push him too far down. This could have been Justin Rose’s Masters, but he finished in the back nine, as did Sam Burns and Cameron Young. Scottie Scheffler tried hard, but his late birdies at 15 and 16, and a missed opportunity at 17, ended up being too little, too late.

What is the important time on Sunday? And what did you learn from it?

Melton: I think it came earlier than viewers would have thought at the time. After a silly double on No. 4 and another bogey on No. 6, the tournament looked like it was slipping out of Rory’s grasp. But with No. 7, he calmly found the fairway, hit the right shot right over the flagstick and rolled in a birdie putt to stop the bleeding. From then on, he was a nail. When you’re a shooter like Rory, sometimes all you need is to see one shot go through the hoop.

Zak: I think it was Justin Rose backing his shot down the middle of the 11th fairway. Rose was the lone lead at 12 under. If he passes, he’s in the playoffs. But Rosey backhanded the shot and chipped his way to the finish, resulting in a bogey. He bogeyed the 12th hole. Three par on 13. If that goes differently, everything changes. The man who could have really pressured McIlroy faded, and the better golfer won.

Marksbury: I totally agree with you, Sean. Justin Rose went from dominating to needing within three holes. A bogey-bogey-three-putt-par trifecta on 11, 12 and 13 sunk him. And, as the only player alive at the time in the tournament, his exit changed everything.

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

Melton: I’m still on Team Scottie. He was the best golfer on the course over the weekend – by a wide margin – as he didn’t card a bogey in Round 3 or 4. And he did it all without seeming to have his best stuff with the putter. Whatever “funk” Scottie had early in the season appears to be behind him, and he should be a favorite for years to come at Augusta National. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rory picks up another green jacket before he decides to hang up. He seems to be far from the codes on how to win there.

Zak: Yes, I’m with Zephyr and Team Scheffler. I’m waiting for him to get real lucky to go the way McIlroy did in the last two Masters. That doesn’t take anything away from McIlroy’s brilliance – he’s a great fit. But I 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 don’t know guys, I find Rory’s Augusta stats very compelling. Scottie has five straight 10-game hitting streaks dating back to 2022, including two wins. But Rory has had nine top-10 finishes since 2014, including two last-place wins. The latter bias points to Rory for me. But choosing Rory apparently means signing up for a roller-coaster ride that Scottie rarely puts you on.

McIlroy came out late, but a number of talented runners – Scheffler, Rose, Young, Burns, etc. – he was still down there. Which player kicks himself the most for what could have been?

Melton: It has to be Scottie. That Friday 74 was no match for Scottie, and it sent him into a state of despair heading into the weekend. If he takes off even an even round, he’s the one wearing the green jacket tonight, not Rory.

Zak: You don’t agree! I think it’s Rose. It you have it was Rose. A man without a jacket. A man who earned his own living! Scheffler never touched a lead all week. He also has 20 more Masters in the future. Rosey may not have more than a few.

Marksbury: Rose for sure. He it was necessary it! It slipped away. Again! There is no doubt that it stings.

The popular Masters’ Par-3 Contest received some criticism for what some felt was too much celebrity involvement and strayed too far from the long-standing “traditional” standards of the Masters. WHAT DO YOU THINK? And how does the Masters evolve without straying too far from what makes it unique?

Melton: I could do without cameo appearances from Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce, but I won’t clutch my pearls too much. The par-3 competition should be interesting. As long as that stupidity doesn’t make it into the actual competition, I’m not too worried.

Zak: My strong take on the par-3 … I wonder if the players are surprised by Thursday’s conditions on the main course because they’re so comfortable writing their Wednesdays to the par-3 course. There was so much surprise in the course conditions that I don’t think we’re seeing in other major courses this Wednesday break. Still, I don’t completely hate the ANGC strategy. It’s not for ME, but I play golf like everyone else in the world. There is a natural pursuit of all dominant themes in all games, as the children say, they are not common. I think they – or maybe more than ESPN – won some of that audience.

Marksbury: The Masters is revered for its culture and decorum for a reason. I think a lot of people watch or attend this tournament with that kind of eagerness. So while I don’t think it’s necessary for the competition to evolve in any way, I can understand why it feels like it’s important to try new things to reach new demographics. And, if those efforts create new golf fans, that’s a win for everyone.

Who leaves Augusta National the most disappointed, and who has a week without a win?

Melton: Justin Rose must be very disappointed. He’s been so close at Augusta National so many times, and again he just couldn’t do it. The clock on his career is ticking, and he’s getting more cracks in the green jacket. If you’re heading to the back 9 with a lead, you have to close the door. He may go down as the greatest “maybe” of his generation at the Masters.

Zak: I think Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau feel very disappointed. They were two very worthy favorites going into the week and they never matched. In fact, they seem more confused than anything at the moment. It can’t be a good headspace!

As for who won the week that didn’t win the jacket, I think Collin Morikawa deserves the honor. He grinded out a bad back all week, made seven birdies on Sunday and scored a top 10. That was very impressive. He said it would be one of his best tournaments of all time.

Marksbury: The most disappointed: Bryson and Jon don’t choose the good ones, Z. Justin Rose too, for the reasons discussed above. I will also add Cameron Young, as the leader who faded, and Haotong Li, who suffered three quintuple attacks to completely disrupt his competition.

Those who won for the week: I’ll add anyone who got their hands on a gnome, as well as players who finished T12 or better to secure a spot at next year’s Masters.

What did you learn during Masters week?

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

Zak: I read that Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed will be value additions to the PGA Tour as they return to that post-LIV life. Reed is one helluva player, we knew that, but he needed to secure that win from the Middle East in January with a big game, and he did. Koepka is on his way to something this summer. You hear it. You will be in contention soon. That pretty much sums up the Tour.

Marksbury: Augusta National remains undefeated when it comes to Sunday’s nine-game drama.

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