Rory McIlroy is Masters king and Augusta royalty, a choke artist no more | Opinion

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AUGUSTA, GA — He’s a golf legend now. He goes from being a Masters winner to Masters royalty.

That’s what this championship means.

He’s not a Masters choke artist anymore. That’s so passe.

Rory McIlroy rules Augusta National, and he’ll keep the crown, thank you kindly.

Rory repeat. Rory rules. Rory renaissance.

And, across the course, you could hear Rory roars from the gallery once he got cooking on the second nine.

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Rory McIlroy wins it in Amen Corner

McIlroy once went more than a decade between major championships. Now, he’s got two here in 12 months, and his game looks as sharp as ever, his nerves steelier than ever.

Two rounds into this tournament, it looked like McIlroy might run away with this. Nobody was better in Round 1. Nobody was better in Round 2. Plenty were better in Round 3.

McIlroy put in the legwork Thursday and Friday to establish a six-stroke lead, but his moving day wobble meant he'd need to be good on Sunday.

That he’d wind up having to fight to defend his turf makes the repeat all the more impressive.

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Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler came for the North Irishman’s Richmond County throne. They didn’t have enough juice – in part, because McIlroy started putting red ink on the card in Amen Corner, after a roller-coaster front nine.

With this Masters hanging on the high wire, the defending champion stuffed a 9-iron to 7 feet on No. 12. The putt, pure. Birdie.

His birdie putt on No. 13 swirled the back of the cup and dropped. And all the Rors fans said, amen.

McIlroy’s triumph here last year changed his status at Augusta National. He got a green jacket, a parking spot in the Mercedes-filled champions parking lot next to the clubhouse. He got a stall inside the champions locker room and a seat at the annual champions dinner.

That victory meant everything to McIlroy. He so adores this course and this major’s history and traditions. A green jacket unlocked access to bits and bites of Augusta National for which McIlroy pined.

With access to the champions dinner now perpetually secure in his back pocket, McIlroy looked the perfect blend of confident but relaxed all week.

No matter what happened in this encore, he owned a green jacket, and he had the career Grand Slam.

This win won’t change his access here. It does elevate and enshrine his status, though.

McIlroy repeat makes him a Masters legend

Dozens of players have won a Masters championship.

Fewer than 20 have won it twice.

McIlroy is now one of them.

Tradition here says the previous Masters winner slips the green jacket on the new winner’s shoulders.

Traditions sometimes require a backup plan, because there is no new winner. McIlroy joins Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods – that’s a who’s who of golf. McIlroy has a spot in that who’s who.

With hat tip to Faldo – you were brilliant, Sir – McIlroy probably deserves acclaim as the best golfer in Europe’s history.

He’s even with Faldo’s six majors. He’s tied with Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino, too.

Jack Nicklaus was 46 years old when he got his final Masters win. Tiger was 43.

McIlroy referred to himself “a wily old veteran” this week, and when you consider this was his 18th career start on this plot of land, that’s true. And still, at 36 years old, he’s in his prime.

McIlroy can do this again. That’s what you must realize. Perhaps, he can do it again here more than once.

Put this bee in your bonnet 12 months out: Nobody’s won the Masters three years in a row.

Before the tournament, McIlroy said that of the four majors, he thought he was best suited to win the Masters again at some point in his career.

Who knew he meant this year?

He spoke as if the pressure was less in this repeat than in the original, when he successfully exorcised the demons tormented him in 2011 and '18. If he’d squandered another lead in 2025, the Augusta choker label would’ve been gotten firmly affixed to him.

No matter what happened this week, "I know I can go to the champions locker room, put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day," McIlroy said days before the tournament.

He probably meant that, too, but the 38 Regular must feel great on his shoulders as a two-time victor, and the post-round beverage that much sweeter.

Now, nobody can dispute McIlroy is a master of the Masters and forever a legend of golf.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rory McIlroy stays Masters royalty with sixth major. He's a legend now