Rory’s Road to Winning the Masters

After winning the Masters in 2025, Rory McIlroy was granted automatic entry into the 2026 Masters. Rory made history by winning back-to-back Masters, and joined Jack Nicklaus (1965–66), Nick Faldo (1989–90), and Tiger Woods (2001–02) in winning the masters twice in a row. Let’s take a closer look at how he played through the 18 holes of round 4.

Hole #1

To start off the masters, was hole 1 with a straight 445-yard par 4. Rory hit a straight 283-yard drive, putting him down the fairway with 155 yards left. Rory proceeded to hit the green with a 159-yard shot, leaving 11 feet to the pin. His putt for birdie was left just short, and then he finished the hole with a tap-in putt for a solid par. 

Hole #2 (E)

Up next was a 585-yard par 5 that is curved to the left. Rory tried to go down the fairway with a 327-yard drive but hit it into a bunker with 287 yards left. He then hit a 186-yard shot back onto the center of the fairway, putting him 96 yards away from the pin. From there, he hits a nice wedge onto the green, leaving him 9 feet from the hole. Rory missed the 9-foot putt just left and then tapped it in for another par.

Hole #3 (E)

Hole 3 was a bunker-heavy par 4 with a 350-yard shot to the green. Rory hit a 348-yard shot going for the green but landed left of the green and into a bunker 17 yards away from the pin. Then he hit a chip onto the green, leaving him with a 9-foot putt for birdie. Rory was able to sink the 9-foot putt for birdie, putting him 1 under.

Hole #4 (-1)

Hole 4 is a 240-yard par 3, with bunkers almost surrounding the green. Rory hit a 237 far left of the green, avoiding a bunker but landing in the rough 26 yards away from the pin. Right after he chipped it onto the green, missing just a little left of the hole. On a 10-foot downhill putt, Rory just barely missed the hole to the left again. Now on an incline, he hit a putt that lipped out to the right. Rory finished the hole frustrated with a double bogey, putting him now 1 over par.

Hole #5 (+1)

Moving onto hole 5, a long 495-yard par 4 that is slightly curved to the left. Rory hit a 308-yard drive straight down the fairway, giving him a clear 208-yard gap to the green. On his 2nd shot, Rory hit the green with a 29-foot putt to the pin. Rory made a nice read but overshot it just a tad, and then two-putted it for par.

Hole #6 (+1)

Next up is a short 180-yard par 3. But Rory overshot the green and hit a 202-yard shot into the crowd. In rough terrain and downhill, Rory tried to putt it from the rough onto the green, but barely made it onto the green, leaving him with a 12-foot putt. With a 12-foot putt, Rory leaves it just right and then taps it in for a bogey, putting him 2 over par.

Hole #7 (+2)

Hole 7 is where Rory began to have a turning point. Hole 7 was a 450-yard straight par 4 with the green completely surrounded by bunkers. Rory hit a straight 325-yard drive down the fairway, leaving him with only 118 yards left to the pin. On his second shot, Rory was able to hit a 121-yard shot onto the green with some backspin to bring the ball closer to the pin, which left him a 7-foot putt. Rory sank the 7-foot putt in for birdie, leaving him only 1 over par.

Hole #8 (+1)

Hole 8 is a stretched-out, long 570-yard par 5, curved with a slight zigzag pattern. Rory hit a 339-yard drive landing left on the fairway just short of the rough, creating a 227-yard gap from the pin. Rory tried to go for the hero shot and hit it over some trees and tried to land on the green, and he successfully did, which left him with a 26-foot putt for eagle. He then made a nice putt, leaving the ball just short of the hole for birdie. Rory was able to tap it in for a birdie, putting him back at even.

Hole #9 (E)

This next hole is a 460-yard par 4 with a left turn towards the green near the end of the fairway. Giving himself a nice, clear shot of the green, Rory hit a 317-yard drive straight down the fairway with 136 yards left. With this opportunity, Rory is able to make it onto the green with a 135-yard shot and leaves it 6 feet away from the hole. Rory’s putt clips the edge of the hole but goes past it, forcing him to tap it in for par.

Hole #10 (E)

Hole 10 is a 495-yard par 4 with a slight bend to the left and a big bunker right before the green. Rory hit a 302-yard shot down the fairway, landing in a spot with a straight shot to the green 221 yards away. For his second shot, he hit a 228-yard shot onto the green, but landed at the very top of the green, 12 yards away from the pin. Rory then two-putted for a par.

Hole #11 (E)

A long 520-yard par 4 with a lot of twists and turns was next up. A 355-yard drive gave Rory a slight chance at hitting the green that was 199 yards away. Rory then proceeded to make it onto the green with a 194-yard shot, leaving him with a 58-foot putt for birdie. Rory’s next putt was left short, 13 feet. He then tapped it in for an even par, his third in a row.

Hole #12 (E)

Hole 12 is a very risky 155-yard par 3 with a long water hazard separating the green and the fairway. Rory was able to make it on the green, and only with a 7-foot putt left. On his second shot for birdie, Rory sank the putt for a birdie, putting him 1 under par.