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Rory McIlroy green jacket row: Who will award blazer at Masters? Interesting Tiger Woods angle emerges
Rory McIlroy has etched his name into Masters history, successfully defending his title at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy has etched his name into Masters history, successfully defending his title at Augusta National after a tense but controlled finish on Sunday. The Northern Irishman sealed the win in dramatic fashion, navigating a tricky closing stretch before calmly finishing the job on the green. The 36-year-old's victory places him among an elite group, becoming just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles.
A nervy finish, but no collapse
The closing moments weren’t without tension. McIlroy’s approach found a greenside bunker, briefly raising the stakes.
“McIlroy was aiming over the patrons when he hit that shot.”
“The contact was good, he looked happy with it but it's ended up in the bunker at the front left of the green.”
Despite the setback, he remained firmly in control of the leaderboard.
“He's out of big trouble for now, though, and has three shots from here to win.”
Moments later, he steadied himself with a composed recovery shot.
“No messing about there.”
“McIlroy clips his ball out of the bunker and he has two putts from around 10 feet or so to win the Masters.”
“He's going to do it again.”
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With a cushion over Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy avoided any late drama.
“He's two shots clear of Scheffler at the moment so anything less than a double bogey will mean he's the winner and avoids a nerve-shredding playoff.”
The green jacket dilemma
While the victory itself was historic, it also sparked an interesting tradition-related question: who presents the green jacket when a player wins back-to-back?
Typically, the defending champion helps the new winner into the iconic blazer. Last year, Scheffler had that honor when McIlroy first claimed the title.
However, in the case of a repeat champion, the responsibility shifts.
If McIlroy retains his title, as he now has, the ceremony is expected to be handled by Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters. A similar precedent was followed in 2002 when Hootie Johnson presented the jacket to Tiger Woods after his consecutive win.
