AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Only three players have won the Masters in back-to-back years.
Jack Nicklaus believes Rory McIlroy has a good shot to become the fourth this week at Augusta National.
“Rory’s got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat,” Nicklaus said Thursday after serving as the Masters' honorary starter.
After years of heartbreak and close calls at Augusta National, McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a playoff last April to complete the career Grand Slam in his 17th Masters start.
Nicklaus was the first to repeat at the Masters, winning in 1965 and 1966. Nick Faldo (1989–90) and Tiger Woods (2001–02) matched his feat, but nobody has been able to repeat since.
Nicklaus said it's not easy.
He broke the Masters scoring record with a 17-under 271 in 1965, then returned the following year to find a course with a much different feel.
Nicklaus finished 17 shots worse at even-par 288, but still won in a playoff.
“You had totally different conditions, and that’s what you put up with,” said Nicklaus, who has won a record six Masters. “If you’re going to win two years in a row, you’ll find conditions you like and maybe you don’t find conditions you like, but you’ve got to adjust to both of those. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that.”
The 36-year-old McIlroy, who is set to open his title defense on Thursday when he tees off at 10:31 a.m., said this week he's more relaxed entering this year's tournament following the 2025 victory.
“Yeah, it’s completely different," McIlroy said. "I feel so much more relaxed. I know that I’m going to be coming back here for a lot of years, going to enjoy the perks that the champions get here. It doesn’t make me any less motivated to go out there and play well and try to win the tournament, but yeah, just more relaxed about it all.”
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