AUGUSTA — The 89th Masters is in the books. Rory McIlroy is seeing green, Justin Rose added a fresh near-miss to his substantial Augusta resume and oh, by the way, the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow begins in 32 days. But before we turn the page, it’s time to anoint the winners and losers from Sunday. We call ‘em like we see ‘em here. They are:
2025 Masters Final-Round Winners
Rory McIlroy: It wasn’t pretty, but then again, what did you expect? In the end the job is done, green jacket secured, career slam complete. And given his reaction on the final green and in following interviews, no one can question what it meant to him. Sweet.
Justin Rose: What a fight by the Englishman, starting seven shots back and shooting 66 to post an 11-under score that McIlroy ultimately had to beat. He’s now a three-time runner-up at Augusta National and has a case as the best Masters player without a green jacket. Also exhibited his trademark class by showing graciousness in defeat.
Scottie Scheffler: No, he did not win, but it was still a spirited defense from the two-time Masters champion and top-ranked player in the world. He should leave feeling great about his form, with the PGA Championship four weeks away.
The 16th Hole: It says here that the traditional 16th hole Sunday pin, where anyone who hits the middle of the green catches the slope ends up with 6 feet or less for birdie, needed a little breather. Sunday’s new back-right pin location was an homage to Nicklaus’s win in 1975 and an inspired choice. It created fresh suspense, as Rose birdied it and McIlroy missed a makeable birdie putt. Let’s keep this location in mind for another Sunday soon.
The Masters App: The live broadcast, the stats, the photos, the stories. It’s just a seamless user experience, and we look forward to opening it again in about 355 days.
2025 Masters Final-Round Losers
Bryson DeChambeau: Started the day two shots back in the final pairing, the perfect setup to take down McIlroy for the second time in three majors—and DeChambeau snagged the solo lead after two holes. But in a surprise it was DeChambeau who cracked first, struggling to hole putts on the front and finally caving for good with a splash-down double on 11. He’ll be back, but this was a missed opportunity.
Ludvig Åberg: For 70 holes it was heck of an encore to his runner-up last year in his Masters debut. But tied for the lead late, Åberg needed another birdie, but finished bogey-triple bogey to place seventh.
LIV Golf: The majors will continue to be referendums for the rival league and LIV’s best showings were Patrick Reed’s rally for third and Bryson DeChambeau’s disappointing T5. Season points leader Joaquin Niemann was never a factor, finishing even par and T29 for the week, and former Masters champs Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson missed the cut after coming in with good form.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 Masters Winners and Losers: Rory McIlroy Gets the Job Done, Bryson DeChambeau Falters.