There’s nowhere in the world like Augusta National. 

Every year, Augusta National Golf Club hosts the most prestigious event in the sport, arguably the most prestigious event in all sports. 

The Masters is also the most unique sporting event, with rules and traditions that seem crazy by modern standards. 

The biggest rule at Augusta? No cell phones. This rule is upheld, even to the players. 

Other rules at Augusta;

• They’re not called fans, they’re patrons.
• The last nine holes on the course aren’t the “back nine”, they’re the “second nine”.
• No chairs with armrests, you can buy an armless chair at the gift shop.
• No photography during tournament rounds, only during practice rounds.
• If anyone; whether they’re a patron, caddie, player, announcer, break the rules, they will be subject to ejection from the tournament

The 90th annual Masters Tournament kicked off on Thursday, April 9th, with the Par 3 Contest happening earlier in the week.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, the defending winner of the Masters, started off hot, as he was tied for the lead with Sam Burns after the first round, scoring a 67 for the day, -5 under par.

McIlroy, who already donned the green jacket last year, didn’t let up in his chase for his second win.

Round two was where Rory would dominate. McIlroy bested his first day score by two, scoring a 65, extending his lead to -12 under par after two rounds, the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.

After round two, the cut was set at 148 (+4 over par). Notable names who missed the cut were Bryson DeChambeau, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Højgaard, and Robert MacIntyre.

No ameturs made the cut, for the second consecutive year.

To start off the third round, McIlroy would be thankful for his six-shot lead, as he quickly diminished his lead, after skidding through Amen Corner with three over par, and finished the day scoring a 73 (+1 over par), bringing his overall tournament total to 205 (-11 under par).

Cameron Young, this year’s Player’s Championship winner, would catch up to McIlroy, and the two would be tied for the lead at the end of round three, as Young shot a 65 for round three.

As was the case last year, if McIlroy wanted to win the Masters, he’d need a clutch performance on Sunday. Round four, Masters Sunday, the biggest day of the tournament. To begin his chase for the green jacket, McIlroy… scored a double-bogey on the first hole, where he missed his tee shot and three-putted.

Throughout the day, one former champion would get his footing, after a slow start.

Scottie Scheffler, the #1 ranked golfer in the world, and the 2022 and 2024 Masters champion, had shot a 70 (-1) in round one, 74 (+2) in round two, and a 65 (-7) in round three to start off six under par to start off tied for seventh in round four.

At the end of the day, Scheffler would finish second. But to who?

To end the 2026 Masters, Rory McIlroy would have a short putt on hole #18 (Holly), just as it was last year. He swings, and the ball goes in the cup. Rory McIlroy is your 2026 Masters champion, the first consecutive champion since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.

McIlroy is only the fourth golfer to win back to back Masters, joining the likes of the aforementioned Tiger Woods (’01-’02), Jack Nicklaus (’65-’66), and Nick Faldo (’89-’90).

The first person to greet McIlroy just off the 18th green? His five-year-old daughter, Poppy.

Just as it was last year, the win was an emotional one for McIlroy, as his parents were in attendance at Augusta. They missed his grand-slam-clinching win last year, and with his family waiting for him at the 18th, McIlroy was visibly emotional even before he sunk the tournament-winning putt.

After the win, McIlroy stated;

“I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and all of a sudden I win two in a row.”

This is McIlroy’s sixth Major win, having already achieved the career grand-slam. In golf, a career grand-slam is when a player wins the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship in their career.

McIlroy has won the Masters (2025, 2026), U.S Open (2011), The Open Championship (2014) and the PGA Championship (2012, 2014) in his career.

With the Masters over, Augusta National will close for the summer, already preparing for next year’s tournament. Who will don the green jacket next?