AUGUSTA, Ga. — Among the many traditions of the Masters is the previous year’s winner putting the green jacket on the newest champion. But what if the newest champion is also the previous champion?
In other words, if Rory McIlroy — the defending champion who enters this weekend with a 6-shot lead, the largest 36-hole advantage in the history of the tournament — wins, who would put the jacket on him?
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That distinction would go to the chairman of Augusta National, Fred Ridley.
The scenario has only happened three times in the previous 89 editions of the Masters: Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02).
Tiger Woods gets his second consecutive green jacket from Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson in 2002. (Photo by Roberto SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
(ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images)
McIlroy, of course, spent nearly two decades trying to win this tournament before finally breaking through last year. The win not only ended his cursed history at the event, but completed his career Grand Slam.
He came into this year’s tournament as a bit of a question mark, considering he hadn’t played in the weeks leading into the tournament as he dealt with an injured back. Scottie Scheffler, not McIlroy entered as the favorite.
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But that injury has been nowhere to be found this week at Augusta National, as McIlroy finished tied for the lead after Round 1, then used a six-birdie-in-seven-holes barrage to finish Round 2 to give him the monster lead.
Heading into Round 3, McIlroy is the overwhelming betting favorite at -275, per Bet MGM. Next closest — Patrick Reed at +1600.
And while large leads can be lost at Augusta National — Jordan Spieth famously held a five-shot lead heading into the back nine on Sunday only to cough it up in 2016 — the likelihood that Ridley — not McIlroy — is doing the green jacket honors late Sunday afternoon is very, very high.
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