Rory McIlroy shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club to secure his second straight Masters victory. The now six-time major champion was clearly the biggest winner of the weekend after officially sealing his place as the greatest European golfer of all time, but many big names left Augusta with feelings of sorrow or embarrassment.
Now that the dust has settled from the 2026 Masters, let’s break down the biggest losers from the first major championship of the year.
Justin Rose
GettyJustin Rose suffers yet another Sunday heartbreak at the Masters.
Another year, another devastating result for Rose at Augusta National.
After losing to McIlroy in a playoff last season, Rose once again found himself in contention at the 2026 Masters. The veteran Englishman made three consecutive birdies on seven, eight and nine to take a two-shot lead entering his second nine, but it all fell apart from there. Rose made back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes after two poor iron shots. Then, he sealed his fate with a short miss for par on 17, dropping him back to a tie for third.
Rose has now finished second or third at the Masters four times since 2015. He’s about to turn 46 in a few months, so he knows his days of contending for major championships are fleeting. This was another golden opportunity for the fan-favorite Brit to secure his coveted green jacket, but he squandered it yet again.
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm
LIV Golf entered the 2026 Masters with two of the top favorites to win the green jacket, but both DeChambeau and Rahm flamed out in epic fashion.
DeChambeau made two triple bogeys in his first two rounds—including an embarrassing effort from the bunker on his final hole of the tournament. He shot 76-74 to miss the cut on the number. Rahm barely squeaked through to the weekend after his first-round 78, but a T38 finish wasn’t what he envisioned after a dominant start to the LIV season.
There was no excuse for DeChambeau and Rahm to play this poorly, given how well they performed leading into the tournament.
Hot-Headed Sergio Garcia
Garcia put up a masterclass on how to embarrass yourself at the classiest golf tournament on the planet. On the second hole on Sunday, the 2017 champion smashed his driver into the ground after a poor drive. As if that wasn’t enough, he proceeded to slam the club into a cooler, breaking the shaft and leaving himself driver-less for the rest of the round.
After the round, Garcia showed no remorse while speaking with reporters. Stay classy, Sergio!
Shane Lowry
Lowry has built up an unfortunate reputation as a Sunday choke artist, and his final round at Augusta National will only stoke the flames of that narrative. Entering Sunday just two strokes back of McIlroy and Cameron Young, the Irishman shot an 8-over 80, highlighted by three double bogeys and only three birdies.
This came just over a month after Lowry rinsed two balls in the water late in the final round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches to blow a three-shot lead. The 39-year-old is a great player, but his last solo PGA Tour victory came all the way back in 2015. He’s had dozens of Sunday meltdowns since then, and his final round from Augusta National added another to the growing list.
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