Rory McIlroy strikes fear into Masters rivals with seven-word comment after £3.3m win | Golf | Sport

Rory McIlroy has already set his sights on further Masters glory after becoming only the fourth man to clinch back-to-back victories at Augusta National. The man from Northern Ireland made history by winning golf’s most prestigious tournament on Sunday night, successfully defending the title he claimed last year. It saw him join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus in the exclusive club of repeat champions.

McIlroy had surged into a six-shot lead heading into the final two days, but was reeled back in by Cameron Young as the tournament neared its climax. However, he prevailed under pressure to claim a one-shot victory over runner-up Scottie Scheffler and retain the Green Jacket. His manner of victory was more straightforward than last year, when he overcame Justin Rose in a nail-biting playoff.

It took McIlroy a decade to complete his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in 2025 and with the 36-year-old now on six major titles, he remains hungry for more success, striking fear into his rivals by saying: “I certainly don’t want to stop here.”

He added: “It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it. I’m not putting a number on it.”

McIlroy’s victory, which saw him scoop the £3.5million jackpot, was made even more special by the presence of his parents, who missed his maiden triumph at Augusta last year.

“It’s really cool to have them here,” he added. “They missed it last year and the first thing I wanted to do was fly home to see them because I obviously wouldn’t be sitting up here if it wasn’t for them.

“I had to sort of convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t here.

“When the ball trickled by and I marked it there from two inches or whatever [at the last], I just looked at the back of the green because I saw my mum and dad and Erica [his wife] and Poppy [his daughter].

“I was just like: ‘I can’t believe I’ve just done it again’. Not as emotional [as last year], but just, wow, it’s amazing. I can’t believe I did it again.

“I said on the putting green that I’m glad we proved that wrong, so they can keep coming as long as they want. It’s amazing to have them here. I’m excited to celebrate with them tonight.”

It comes after McIlroy suggested before the tournament that he could play on for at least another decade in search of more major titles.

Speaking after hosting the Champions Dinner, he said: “I think the story as it relates to me is what do I do from now onwards? What gets me going? What do I still want to achieve in the game?

“I think that’s the story now. There’s still a lot that I want to do. You think every time you achieve something that you’ll be happy, but then the goalposts move, and they just keep nudging a little further out of reach.

“I think what I’ve realised is, if you can just really find enjoyment in the journey, that’s the big thing because honestly I felt like the career Grand Slam was my destination, and I got there, and then I realised it wasn’t the destination.

“I feel like I’m still young, but I’m very experienced. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I feel like I’ve got another 10 good shots at this.

“Not that I don’t at the other majors, but I just think that everything here is a little more predictable. You know the golf course and the more experience you have here, the better. That’s why I think here.”

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