The Masters 2026 at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy went back to back at Augusta in April, holding off Scottie Scheffler by a single shot to win the 2026 Masters. We look at how the year first major played out and what it means for the game heading into 2027.
McIlroy does it again
The 2026 Masters, played at Augusta National from 9 to 12 April, ended with Rory McIlroy slipping into a second consecutive green jacket. He finished at 276, twelve under par, one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler in a Sunday that asked far more of him than the scoreboard had suggested it might.
A year on from completing the career grand slam at the same course, McIlroy arrived as a man with nothing left to prove and proved it anyway. Back to back Masters titles are the rarest of feats, and he made them look, for two days at least, almost routine.
The largest lead in Masters history
Through 36 holes McIlroy held a six shot lead, the largest halfway margin in the history of the tournament. Augusta being Augusta, the cushion did not last. A sluggish start on Sunday let Scheffler and the field back into the conversation, and for a stretch of the back nine the green jacket looked genuinely up for grabs.
What separated the champion was the same thing that has always defined the best at Augusta: the ability to stop the bleeding and make the putt that had to be made. McIlroy steadied, Scheffler could not quite force a playoff, and a one shot win that felt anything but comfortable was sealed on the 18th green.
Where it sits in history
By winning in 2025 and again in 2026, McIlroy joined a tiny club. Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods had previously won the Masters in consecutive years. It is the kind of company that reframes a career, and it cements Augusta National as the stage on which McIlroy wrote the defining chapter of his story.
For Scheffler, a second place finish continued a remarkable run of Augusta form and set up an intriguing rivalry for the years ahead. The tournament rarely lacks a narrative, and the 2026 edition delivered one of the better ones in recent memory.
Looking to 2027
The Masters returns to Augusta National in April 2027, and on this evidence the questions almost write themselves. Can anyone deny McIlroy a third in a row? Will Scheffler turn his near misses into a second jacket? Augusta in spring remains the most anticipated week on the golfing calendar.
For the rest of us, the tournament is also an annual reminder of why we travel to play. You cannot buy a tee time at Augusta, but the spirit it represents, firm, fast, strategic golf on beautiful ground, is exactly what we chase on the courses you can play.
Our take
Augusta National is the great closed door of golf, and watching the Masters is the closest most of us will get. The good news is that the golf it celebrates is everywhere you can actually book. If the green jackets have you dreaming of a trip, start with our ranked list of the world finest courses and our United States guides, and we will turn the inspiration into an itinerary.
Chase the Augusta dream where you can play
You cannot book Augusta, but you can play the firm, strategic golf it stands for. Tell us what inspired you and we will build a United States golf trip around it.
Questions
Who won the 2026 Masters?
Rory McIlroy won the 2026 Masters at Augusta National, finishing at twelve under par, 276, one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler. It was his second consecutive Masters title.
Has anyone won the Masters in consecutive years?
Yes, but rarely. Before Rory McIlroy in 2025 and 2026, only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods had won the Masters in back to back years.
When is the 2027 Masters?
The Masters returns to Augusta National in April 2027. Augusta is invitation only and cannot be played by the public, but the golf it celebrates can be found on many bookable courses.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Result and records verified June 2026 from official tournament records. Last reviewed June 2026.