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Rory McIlroy now faces the tradition-bound responsibility of caring for his Green Jacket following his impressive second consecutive Masters victory.
McIlroy made history as the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters tournaments, holding his composure during a tense final round at Augusta National. Starting the day tied for the lead with Cameron Young, McIlroy shot a 71 to finish 12-under par and successfully defend his title.
Despite strong challenges from Scottie Scheffler, who climbed the leaderboard with a low round, and Justin Rose, McIlroy maintained control down the stretch to secure his sixth major championship. Meanwhile, CBS faced criticism for its broadcast handling of the final hole.
The iconic Green Jackets are reserved exclusively for Augusta National Golf Club members and Masters champions, with strict rules governing their use. Only the reigning Masters champion is permitted to take the jacket off club grounds-and that privilege lasts only until the following April when the new champion is crowned. At that point, the jacket must remain at Augusta.
Exceptions are few and typically require official permission. Past champions may wear their jackets away from the course only when representing Augusta National or the tournament in an official capacity.
Ahead of the final round, Augusta National prepares a selection of jackets in various sizes for potential winners. However, the jacket presented immediately after the victory is usually temporary. The champion is measured afterward and later receives a custom-tailored jacket made specifically for them.
One cherished Masters tradition is that the previous year’s winner presents the Green Jacket to the new champion. However, when a player wins consecutive titles, this duty falls to the Augusta National chairman, currently Fred Ridley. This rare occurrence has happened only three times before: with Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90), and Tiger Woods (2001-02).
In 1966, Nicklaus famously had to place the jacket on himself after his second straight win-a practice originally suggested by Masters co-founder Bobby Jones. By 1990, tournament officials decided that self-presentation lacked the ceremony’s proper formality, so the chairman took over the role when Faldo defended his title.
Looking ahead, McIlroy will host the Champions Dinner again next year and aims to achieve a historic milestone by attempting to win three consecutive Masters titles-something no player has ever done at Augusta.