For a moment, it looked like a disaster for defending champion Rory McIlroy after hitting his second shot into a bunker on the last hole of the 2026 Masters Tournament. However, he recovered, winning his second consecutive Masters and beating American Scottie Scheffler by one shot.
From April 9 to April 12, one of the largest golf championships of the year took place: The Masters Tournament. McIlroy from Northern Ireland won both this year and last year, becoming the fourth player to win the Masters back-to-back.
Every year since 1934, the Masters Tournament creates a competition for the highest performing golfers from around the world. This year, 91 players competed over the course of four days and 72 holes to win the iconic green jacket, one of the prizes for winning. The tournament took place in Augusta Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club and serves as one of four major championships in professional golf.
For many Jews, golf is a popular sport to watch and play. However, a Jewish athlete has yet to win the Masters. This year, two Jewish players played in the tournament. The most successful Jewish player was Max Homa from the United States, who placed ninth this year. He was eight under par for the tournament. The other Jewish player, Daniel Berger from the United States, failed to make the cut for the second half of the tournament.
Homa did not perform as well as he would have liked in the first days of the tournament, but was able to make enough of a comeback on Sunday to secure his ninth-place spot. He was glad to make the top 12, securing an automatic invitation to next year’s Masters tournament.
“I would like next time to be in contention earlier, not needing a miracle on Sunday,” Homa said while speaking to a group of reporters after finishing his final round, as reported from the PGA tour. “But it feels good to be relevant.”
In contrast, McIlroy took the lead early on in the tournament and stayed among the leaders until the end. He started strong and had a good first day on the course, coming in five-under-par, shooting a 67. He ended the day at the top of the leaderboard.
“I felt like I got the most out of my play today,” McIlroy said to a group of reporters in a post-round conference. “To be honest, the way I hit it, I probably should’ve shot a 70. But the freedom I feel after finally getting that first one [the Green Jacket] last year is a massive advantage. I’m not chasing a ghost anymore; I’m just playing golf.”
On Friday, the second day, McIlroy set a Masters record with a six-shot lead over the rest of the players going into the third day. On day three, he had a worse day, going one over par with a 73. McIlroy went into the final day tied with Cameron Young from the United States.
In the first half of his final round, McIlroy was trailing behind fellow Brit Justin Rose, but was able to finish strong. McIlroy finished one stroke ahead of Scheffler to win at 12-under par. He is the sixth Masters champion to hold the lead after all four rounds, joining golf legends Jordan Spieth, Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Craig Wood.
“I feel like this win is just a part of the journey,” McIlroy said in a press conference after his win, as reported by The Masters. “And, I still have things that I want to achieve, but I still want to enjoy it as well. I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and all of a sudden, I went two in a row.”
