It’s coming up on one of my favorite annual sports milestones, and a clear signal that winter is in the rearview: The Masters. One of golf’s four majors, it begins the week of April 6 with first round play on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Last year, we kicked off the Sandman Green Jacket Rewind series by highlighting past champions and their careers, starting with Scottie Scheffler and then, of course, Tiger Woods. This year, we continue the series by revisiting Rory McIlroy’s long road to the green jacket.
It was April 13, 2025, when McIlroy walked into Butler Cabin for golf’s ultimate mic drop moment, the green jacket placed on the winner’s shoulders. Scottie Scheffler, the 2024 champion, helped him into it, and the win represented far more than a trophy. It was the long-awaited final piece of the career Grand Slam.
Why it mattered, and why everyone felt it
Let’s call it what it was: Rory winning the Masters was a cultural sports moment, not just a Sunday leaderboard update. The Masters was the only major missing from his resume, and that storyline had followed him since 2014, when he last won at The Open Championship.
Only six players have completed the career Grand Slam. With the 2025 victory, McIlroy joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. It’s the difference between being one of the best of an era and being permanently etched into the all-time conversation.
The win also snapped an 11-year gap between majors for McIlroy, the longest span from first major to last among Grand Slam winners. That’s a long time to stay elite while carrying one unfinished storyline.
The way it happened: messy, honest, and very Rory
This was McIlroy’s 17th start at Augusta, and the win did not come easy. He had worked extensively with sports psychologist Bob Rotella, and that mental work paid off after a rocky final round. A bogey at 18 forced a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose, but McIlroy answered with a clutch approach on the first playoff hole and converted the birdie to win.
He dropped to his knees on the green, not in relief from a fairy tale ending, but from finally completing a long and demanding pursuit.
That’s why the celebration hit differently. It wasn’t a wire-to-wire cruise. It was the full McIlroy skill set, power, imagination, and the ability to reset after mistakes when everything is tightening around him.
A quick Rory highlight reel
Even before 2025, McIlroy’s résumé was already among the best of his generation. He won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012, and then added The Open Championship and another PGA Championship in 2014.
He now has 29 PGA Tour wins and more than $110 million in career earnings, making 243 of 275 cuts across a 16-year PGA career.
He enters 2026 in solid form after a difficult close to 2025. A T14 at Pebble Beach followed by a T2 at The Genesis has him off to a strong start, including a $2.1 million early-season haul.
Rory by the numbers
If you want to understand why McIlroy is always a threat at Augusta, start with his profile.
He averages 313.9 yards off the tee, ranked No. 22 on Tour, giving him a major edge on par 5s and long par 4s. His approach play remains elite, ranking No. 1 on Tour, while his greens in regulation rate sits at 75 percent, good for No. 12.
His putting average is 1.694, ranked No. 17, and he converts 88.36 percent of his attempts inside 10 feet, 129 makes in 146 tries. When tournaments come down to five-footers, those are the numbers that sustain contention.
What’s next: defending Augusta with a different kind of pressure
Here’s the subtle shift for McIlroy. The Masters question is gone. That doesn’t eliminate pressure, because Augusta never allows anyone to relax, but it changes the narrative. He’s no longer chasing. He’s defending.
This year’s course will play slightly longer, with the par-4 17th extended from 440 to 450 yards, pushing the total yardage to 7,565. Augusta’s way of saying, “Nice job last year, now do it again.”
For a repeat, the formula is simple. Keep the driver aggressive but under control, and keep the inside-10-foot putting sharp for all four rounds. His length will always create opportunities. The key is how often he converts them.
Betting read: 2026 Masters futures
As of February 25, 2026, DraftKings lists McIlroy at +600 to win the Masters, with Scheffler as the favorite at +300. FanDuel has Scheffler at +300 and McIlroy at +700. Bryson DeChambeau sits at +1400, Jon Rahm at +1600, and Tommy Fleetwood at +1800.
It’s still early to make a call. A Rory repeat would be a great storyline, but only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Nick Faldo have won back-to-back Masters.
I want to see how Scheffler’s form settles and how Gotterup builds off his early-season wins. Twenty-one first-time players have 2026 invites to Augusta, including Gotterup, Ben Griffin, Ryan Gerard, and Jacob Bridgeman, all of whom have shown strong early form.
Series recall
We’ll continue the Green Jacket Rewind series throughout the golf season. Let us know which past Masters champion you want us to dive into next.
If this was your kind of read, you’ll like what’s next. Get The Sandman Ticket, our free, weekly newsletter with picks, insights, and a little bit of everything we love about sports.
