Rory’s Win Boosts His Empire

Morning Edition

April 13, 2026

Rory McIlroy just did something only three other golfers have ever done—win back-to-back Masters titles. The victory adds to his growing legacy and keeps him climbing toward the top of golf’s all-time earnings list.

—David Rumsey

First Up

The Patriots will hold a pre-draft press conference without Mike Vrabel as fallout from the Dianna Russini controversy continues. Read the story.
CBS Sports stumbled during the closing moments of the Masters, briefly leaving viewers unsure where Rory McIlroy’s decisive shot landed. Read the story.
The Masters doubled as a hub for golf’s future, with talk of PGA Tour changes, LIV Golf deals, and evolving media and ticketing plans. Read the story.
Augusta National banned cell phones for patrons, but select insiders were still allowed to use them at the storied course. Read the story.

Rory McIlroy Makes More History With Back-to-Back Masters Wins

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

One year after completing the career grand slam at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy on Sunday became the first golfer to win back-to-back Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001-02, further elevating the Northern Irishman’s legacy and star power both on and off the course.

McIlroy, 36, earns a Masters-record $4.5 million winner’s check, increasing his career earnings to $114.69 million. That’s now just $6.3 million behind all-time leader Tiger Woods ($120.99 million). Scottie Scheffler, who finished second at the Masters, is third all-time with $105.69 million.

The second Masters title marks McIlroy’s sixth major championship, which is tied for the 12th most ever alongside golfing legends Phil Mickelson, Nick Faldo, and Lee Trevino. It’s McIlroy’s 30th career PGA Tour victory; that ties him with Harry Cooper and Horton Smith for 16th all-time.

Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) are the only other players besides McIlroy and Woods to win consecutive Masters.

Rory’s Kingdom

Since becoming just the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam, McIlroy has been staying plenty busy.

In September, he won the Irish Open and led Europe to a rare away Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black in New York.

In November, McIlroy won his seventh Race to Dubai title, the season-long points race on the DP World Tour. That was part of his booming world tour, which included playing tournaments in India and Australia.

This winter, McIlroy played in the second season of TGL—the indoor team golf league he co-founded with Woods—taking his team, Boston Common Golf, to its first playoff appearance.

McIlroy has long-term equipment and apparel deals with TaylorMade and Nike, respectively. In December, he signed a contract with Golfpass, a digital tee time service and golf content company that McIlroy co-founded in 2019.

Through that extension, McIlroy and Golfpass co-owner Versant also launched Firethorne Productions, a new studio that was behind his new Amazon Prime Video documentary, Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait.

Prices Increase This Week

Now in its third year, Front Office Sports’s flagship media franchise Tuned In returns bigger and more influential than ever. What began as a column has evolved into a must-attend summit, convening the most powerful decision-makers and media moguls across sports.

Led by senior media reporter Mike McCarthy and media and entertainment reporter Ryan Glasspiegel, Tuned In, presented by Elevate, has hosted big-league commissioners like Adam Silver and Rob Manfred, top network executives like ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus, and on-air voices including Maria Taylor, Stephen A. Smith, Greg Olsen, Noah and Ian Eagle, and more.

Year 3 will again bring together the biggest names shaping the future of sports media and the business behind it.

Get your ticket by 11:59 p.m. ET this Wednesday, April 15, to take advantage of early-registration pricing.

ONE BIG FIG

Missed Cut Payday

Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; The Masters flag stick blows in the wind as Justin Rose surveys the ninth green in the background during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

$25,000

That’s the amount of money the 37 players who missed the cut at the Masters each received this year. Even those leaving early still walked away with a handsome payout.

The figure underscores how lucrative golf’s biggest stage has become. It also comes as the tournament’s total purse reached a record $22.5 million, continuing a steady rise in prize money. Read the story.

STATUS REPORT

Three Up, One Down

Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Sergio Garcia ⬇ The 2017 Masters champion was given a code of conduct warning Sunday for his outburst on the 2nd tee box, which included Garcia slamming his driver into the ground, causing a large divot, and then hitting a cooler with his driver, which resulted in the clubhead breaking off. Augusta National competition committee chairman Geoff Yang delivered the warning to Garcia on the 4th tee box. “Obviously not super proud of it,” Garcia said after the round. “But sometimes it happens.”

Tommy Fleetwood ⬆ The Englishman capped off his 10th Masters appearance Sunday wearing a polo with an exclusive logo only available for purchase at the Augusta National clubhouse or Berckmans Place hospitality offering. Still an apparel free agent (although he signed a deal to wear the Blackstone private equity logo on his hat), Fleetwood earlier in the week wore a sweater with the primary Masters logo, available to all patrons at the tournament golf shops.

ESPN ⬆ The network’s coverage of the Masters Par 3 Contest averaged 956,000 viewers Wednesday afternoon, which was up 52% from the 2025 event. ESPN drew criticism from fans for adding Jason Kelce to its broadcast team for the par 3 contest.

Max Homa ⬆ Ranked No. 163 in the Official World Golf Rankings heading into the Masters, Homa earned an invite back to Augusta National for the 2027 tournament thanks to finishing tied for 9th place. The top 12 finishers at the Masters, including ties, earn invites back for the following year.

FOS NEWS

Alabama GM Explains Roster Building

FOS graphic

Building a championship roster at Alabama requires strict budgeting, market analysis, retention strategy, and navigating rules that seem to change every single year. Ahead of the second annual Alabama showcase, Crimson Tide football GM Courtney Morgan joins Front Office Sports to explain what it takes to run the personnel operation for one of the most storied programs in college football. Watch the full interview.