Rory McIlroy secured victory at the Masters, shooting a one-under 71 in the final round to claim the championship. His earnings for the win were £3.3 million ($4.5 million), part of a record Masters prize fund of £16.6 million ($22.5 million) in 2026. The total tax bill for the entire 2026 Masters field is estimated at £6.9 million ($9.4 million), highlighting the significant financial stakes at Augusta National.
Cameron Young shot a seven-under 65 in the third round to capture the outright lead at 11 under par, brilliantly reeling in the defending champion. His 65 was tied with Scottie Scheffler for the lowest round of the day, as the Players Championship winner hunted his first major championship. McIlroy will go into the final round of the 2026 Masters with a share of the lead alongside Young at 11 under par, setting up a dramatic pairing. Young blasted a 333-yard shot off the 3rd tee during his round, which landed on the green, facing a 29-footer for eagle, showcasing the power that propelled him to the top.
I feel like I did a good job of resetting. I had a good conversation with [sports psychologist] Bob Rotella this morning, mostly around not pushing too hard too early and trying to get those shots back straight away.
Scottie Scheffler shot a 65 on Saturday, seven under par, marking his best round ever at the Masters, which included an eagle at the 2nd hole. He finished runner-up at the Masters, one stroke behind Rory McIlroy, with earnings for second place of £1.7 million ($2.43 million). Scheffler faces a tax liability of over £739,000 ($1 million) on his Masters earnings, according to multiple reports. He is a two-time Masters champion and finished at 7 under, one of nine players within five shots of the lead heading into Sunday's final round. During his third round, Scheffler hit his approach at the 11th to eight feet from 200 yards out, part of a stretch where he made four birdies from the past five holes to tie for second on the leaderboard at 6 under.
Haotong Li was on the verge of withdrawing from The Masters on Friday morning due to illness, according to multiple reports. He shot a three-under 69 on Saturday to soar to seven-under par, heading into the final round at Augusta four shots off the lead. Li is paired with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for the final round, after making an eagle three at the eighth hole on Saturday. However, he found Rae's Creek with his second shot on the 13th hole on Saturday, a moment of adversity in an otherwise strong recovery.
And you can see how I started today with eight pars and a birdie on the front nine. I just tried to stay really, really patient.
Tyrrell Hatton shot a 66 on Friday to reach four under par and briefly share the clubhouse lead, hitting every green in regulation during that round. His 66 was his lowest round at Augusta National, featuring seven birdies, though he three-putted the 18th hole for bogey on Friday. Hatton recovered from driving a shot into the bunker to make par for the second time this round, demonstrating composure under pressure. He earned £798,000 ($1.08 million) for sharing third place, along with Russell Henley, Justin Rose, and Cameron Young.
Justin Rose shot a 69 on Friday to reach five under par, but reports conflict on his leaderboard position; some indicate he remained the leader going into the weekend at eight under par, while others show McIlroy and Young led at 11 under into the final round. Rose had a strop on Friday, tossing his putter and showing frustration, according to multiple reports. He is a former runner-up three times at the Masters, and both he and former winner Patrick Reed started their third rounds six shots back at 6 under par, safely on the fairway off the first tee. Also included in a group of morning starters was Rose, runner-up to Rory McIlroy a year ago, on two under, adding to the tournament's competitive depth.
I feel like that patience was rewarded with a nice little stretch there in the middle of the round.
Jason Day shot a four-under 68 in the third round to climb to eight under par, one shot off the clubhouse lead, making four consecutive birdies on the back nine (holes 12-15). He found the water on the 15th hole but made birdie after his ball stayed out, a fortunate break that aided his charge.
Wyndham Clark moved into the top 10 during the second round, beginning the day level par but chipping his third shot to four feet at the par-five second to get his round up and running. Former US Open champion Clark made his move early on the second day with three birdies in his first four holes to close to within two of overnight leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns. His 295-yard shot on the 2nd hole landed just off the green, and an excellent third shot set up Clark for a 5-foot putt for birdie, marking his second time this tournament recording a birdie on that hole. Clark has only one other top-10 finish in 16 majors and whose best at Augusta is tied 46th, but he showed what could be done by taking advantage of the softer early morning conditions, with sources noting he did the best job of preparing by practicing the shots that actually matter.
I don't think I proved anything. If anything, I just backed up the belief that I have in myself that I'm as resilient as anyone else out here.
Other notable performances included Rory McIlroy as the joint-overnight leader after the first round, extending his lead to seven under par during the second round, though contradictions exist: some reports say he roared back into contention and was just two strokes off the lead, while others indicate he shared the lead at 11 under into the final round. Scottie Scheffler was even-par for the tournament after 36 holes, 12 shots off Rory McIlroy's lead, with further discrepancies in his score after the second round—some sources place him in a cluster at five under, while others note he finished at 7 under. Aaron Rai finished at one over par after the second round, safely inside the cut line, and Bob MacIntyre was looking to save his tournament after a first-round 80 included a quadruple-bogey nine at the par-five 15th. The defending champion squandered his record six-shot lead after yesterday’s second round by carding a 1-over 73, according to research sources, offering hope to players like former champions Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, and Scheffler who were due out early.
Weather conditions posed a potential challenge, with McIlroy in the penultimate group out at 1.44pm (6.44pm BST) but afternoon conditions predicted to be more difficult. Temperatures were due to reach 28 degrees Celsius with the threat of scattered showers and potential thunderstorms forecast, though the exact impact on play during the later rounds is not detailed.
I've been really proud of how resilient I've been the whole way throughout my career, and I think today was just another example of that.
The tournament structure saw dynamic leaderboard shifts, with Rory McIlroy's drive on the first tee slightly wayward but only into the short first cut to the right of the fairway, while Sam Burns, his closest challenger, didn't get as much length but was gun-barrel straight down the middle. McIlroy's bogey-free six-under 66 was the lowest round on Friday, and world number one Scottie Scheffler was in a cluster of players at five under at one point, though his final standing showed variation.
Reactions to key moments included McIlroy's reflection on his resilience and patience during the tournament. He also commented on the volatility of championship golf and the importance of staying composed under pressure.
Overall, I'm just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night. I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday, and I wasn't going to let two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week.
Implications for future tournaments and player careers include McIlroy's victory bolstering his legacy with a major win, while Cameron Young's surge signals a rising contender for future majors. The financial rewards, with Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose, and Cameron Young each earning £798,000 ($1.08 million) for sharing third place, underscore the lucrative nature of top finishes. Scheffler's tax liability highlights the complex earnings landscape for professional golfers, and Wyndham Clark's improved performance at Augusta may boost his confidence in majors going forward.
Unknowns persist, including the specific illness Haotong Li suffered from that nearly caused his withdrawal and how weather conditions, such as scattered showers and thunderstorms, impacted play during the later rounds. Additionally, the detailed tax implications and calculations for other top finishers beyond Scottie Scheffler are not fully outlined, nor are the specific strategies or adjustments players like Cameron Young or Justin Rose employed to improve their performances.
Championship golf can be volatile. The conditions can be tough. You can just start -- and the momentum can start to go the wrong way on you. But we're all great players. We're playing in the Masters. You know, we're all capable of shooting good scores.
I rushed out of here to get home to see [his daughter] Poppy before she went to bed. So that was sort of nice to get to see her before she went to sleep.
I guess that's something that I didn't have a few years ago, to be able to get home and have that sort of, you know, take my mind off the golf a little bit.once I left the property last night, I just sort of tried to leave what had happened here.