Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Rory McIlroy proved all haters wrong as he won the 2026 Masters Tournament with a one-shot lead over the runner-up, Scottie Scheffler. He became the first golfer after Tiger Woods to secure the Masters Tournament in two consecutive seasons. And soon after he putted Holly with a bogey, congratulations began pouring, and the first one to do so Phil Mickelson.
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Despite missing out on the Masters because of a family health issue, Phil Mickelson didn’t back away from watching the world number two winning his second consecutive Masters title. To celebrate the win, Mickelson set aside all their differences and congratulated McIlroy through an X post. He wrote, “Congrats to [Rory McIlroy] for an exciting [Masters Tournament] win. Back to back is simply remarkable. 👏👏”
The relationship between Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson hasn’t really been smooth. Back in 2022, when Mickelson decided to join LIV Golf, McIlroy expressed his disappointment. As a golfer, he claimed to have the utmost respect for Mickelson. But the disappointment stemmed from him joining a rival league. But Mickelson fired back, claiming that he was going to evolve and earn more.
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Nevertheless, Mickelson did give McIlroy some rare praise whenever he deserved it. In February 2025, he praised McIlroy for his choice of joggers at the Genesis Invitational. Although they kept staying true to their side of the story regarding the LIV Golf and PGA Tour feud.
However, Mickelson still helped McIlroy practice for the big win at Augusta National. About 15 years ago, the duo played a practice round together. That’s when Mickelson told McIlroy that one of the reasons he loved Augusta National is because he felt he could be aggressive on the course. On the other hand, McIlroy felt something different. He believed that he had to be careful to avoid the bad spaces. But now, he seemed to know what Mickelson meant.
With an immense trust in his short game, McIlroy didn’t really care too much about his inaccurate drives. He made only 31 out of 56 fairways through the four rounds, while his average putts per green in regulation went to 1.54 putts and 2 three-putts. That’s how he managed to win the tournament this time.
Congrats to @McIlroyRory for an exciting @TheMasters win. Back to back is simply remarkable. 👏👏
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 12, 2026
But what did the others have to say about McIlroy’s big win?
Golfers start pouring tributes for Rory McIlroy after he won his second Masters Tournament
Fellow golfers quickly rushed to social media to wish McIlroy the best. And the highlight was Luke Donald, the European Ryder Cup captain. He wrote, “Tying Seve with 2 green jackets will mean a lot to Rory. He is undoubtedly the best European golfer of all time now. Congratulations [Rory McIlroy].”
The Ryder Cup brotherhood was also a spectacle on the course. Following the dominant win, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood rushed to hug Rory McIlroy. Even though Fleetwood and Lowry finished below T30, their joy for McIlroy’s big finish was remarkable.
Justin Rose, after finishing T3 and two shots behind McIlroy, took to X and shared a few glimpses from the final round at Augusta National. In the caption, he went for a subtle challenge as he congratulated McIlroy. He wrote, “I’ll just keep knocking on that 🚪See you next year, Augusta! Congratulations [Rory McIlroy] going back-to-back. Thank you for all the support #Team.”
Then came Byeong Hun An, the captain of the Korean Golf Club at LIV Golf, who wrote, “Congrats to Rory for being the first golfer to win the grand slam.” Despite their differences, the LIV Golfers did seem to have immense respect for the world number two.
Dan Rapaport wasn’t one to back down. He went live on X and wrote, “So Rory is the best European ever and top 10 all-time now, right? Poetic that it’s Augusta National—the course that tortured him more than any other—where he’s jolted his major count back into life.”
Soon after the win, the famed broadcaster, Piers Morgan, also took to X and posted a picture of himself alongside McIlroy. In the caption, he wrote, “Congrats to Rory’s caddie Harry Diamond too – both such great guys, so deserving of their success.”
Later, Kai Trump went to her Instagram Stories and shared a picture of herself posing with Rors. She wrote, “Let’s go!!! Huge congrats [Rory McIlroy].”
The American football defensive end for the LA Raiders, Maxx Crosby tagged McIlroy on X, and wrote, “Back To Back.” That followed the 4x NBA champion, Andre Iguodala, writing, “Back to back!!! Vamos!!!” CC Sabathia, the 2025 first ballot MLB Hall of Famer, congratulated McIlroy on X and wrote, “RORY!!! BACK-TO-BACK 🔥🙌.” However, the baseball star also gave a shoutout to Scheffler.
Even the trickshot team on YouTube, who often indulge in golf trickshots, Dude Perfect, shared their photograph and wrote, “congrats brother [Rory McIlroy],” followed by a couple of golf hole emojis.
And as the wishes continue to pile up, why don’t you add to the wishes by taking to the comments and congratulating McIlroy?
Written by
Edited by
Riya Singhal