PGA TOUR
Rory McIlroy made a four-foot birdie putt to defeat Justin Rose on the first playoff hole, ending his 17 year quest to win the Masters and his 11th attempt at completing the career Grand Slam. It was the 18th playoff in Masters history and the first since 2017 when Rose also lost on the first extra hole to Sergio Garcia who made birdie. McIlroy seemed poised to slay his Augusta demons until he lost a four-shot lead over the course of three holes on the back nine including a wedge into the tributary of Rae’s Creek on No. 13. He bounced back with a birdie on No. 17 to lead by one heading to the final hole knowing Rose was in the clubhouse at 11-under after pouring in a 20-foot birdie putt. After finding the bunker, he had a 5-foot par putt for the win but slid it just past the hole to force a playoff. On his return trip down 18 for the playoff, McIlroy showed no ill-effects of his missed opportunity, hitting a booming drive and this time finding the slope of the green with his wedge shot to leave him four feet away from winning the green jacket. For Rose, he joins Ben Hogan as the only players to lose the Masters twice in a playoff. Patrick Reed finished solo third for his best result in a major since his Masters victory in 2018. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished fourth for his fourth consecutive top-10 finish at Augusta. …Corey Conners – who was making his 200th PGA Tour start this weekend – recorded his fourth top-10 finish at the Masters in the last six years. It’s also his fifth top-10 result of the season, one more than in all of 2024. Conners also recorded his best opening round score at Augusta (68) which equalled the lowest opening round by a Canadian at the Masters, tied Mike Weir for the lowest 36-hole score by a Canadian and became just the third Canadian in history to be in the top three on the leaderboard after 54 holes. …Nick Taylor made the cut for the second time at Augusta in his third Masters start. …Taylor Pendrith missed the cut in his Masters debut in what was his seventh appearance at a major in his career.
| POS | SCORES | TOTAL | |
| T8 | Corey Conners | 68-70-70-75 | -5 |
| T40 | Nick Taylor | 73-71-74-73 | +3 |
| MC | Mike Weir | 75-73 | |
| MC | Taylor Pendrith | 77-75 |
NEXT EVENT: RBC Heritage (Apr 17)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor
NEXT EVENT: Corales Puntacana Championship (Apr 17)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Cougar Collins, Adam Svensson, David Hearn (alternate)