The 2025 Masters final round is underway, featuring a showdown between two greats
After three days of thrilling gameplay, the final round of the 2025 Masters tournament is here, featuring two of the biggest names in golf who are looking to make history.
On Sunday, at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, all eyes are on Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau in a captivating rematch of last year’s U.S. Open, where DeChambeau narrowly defeated McIlroy by just one stroke.
As they head into the final round, the two golfers are nearly neck-and-neck on the scoreboard. McIlroy entered Sunday 12-under par, two strokes ahead of DeChambeau. The stakes are even higher as both golfers vie for their first-ever green jacket. For McIlroy, a victory would also complete a career Grand Slam.
The 2025 Masters is the first major championship of the year, featuring 95 contenders. Notably absent from this year’s Masters is five-time green jacket winner Tiger Woods, who was unable to compete as he is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
McIlroy is in the middle of his best shot at claiming a first green jacket
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy is not just vying for a green jacket this Sunday — he is looking to cement his legacy. A win at The Masters would complete the career Grand Slam, making McIlroy one of the elite few to crush all four major golf championships: The PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and The Masters.
Only five men have achieved this feat: South African Gary Player and Americans Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, according to the PGA Tour. If McIlroy wins on Sunday, he would also become the first player to secure the career Grand Slam at a Masters tournament.
The 2025 Masters marks McIlroy’s 17th attempt to win a green jacket. But don’t let those odds fool you. So far in this tournament, the 35-year-old Irishman has played some of his best golf to date. He already made Masters history by becoming the first player to start a round with six consecutive 3s.
Additionally, before the tournament began, McIlroy and is 4-year-old daughter Poppy may have also created one of the cutest moments at a major championship when she nailed an impressive putt at the Par 3 Contest.
Poppy McIlroy converts the lengthy putt on No. 9! #themasters pic.twitter.com/6Vfkfxm3v7
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2025
DeChambeau is proving to be McIlroy’s toughest competitor
McIlroy has his work cut out for him. Close on his heels is American two-time U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, who narrowly beat McIlroy less than a year ago at the 2024 U.S. Open.
In his ninth Masters appearance, 31-year-old DeChambeau is also chasing his first green jacket and third major title. A win would make DeChambeau the second player since 1964 to claim the Masters while being the reigning U.S. Open champion, according to the PGA Tour.
So far, DeChambeau’s best finish at the Masters came last year, where he had a strong start but ultimately tied for sixth place. But this tournament, he has already flipped the script with an impressive and steadily building performance.
One of DeChambeau’s most notable moments so far in the 2025 Masters was on Saturday when he electrified the crowd with a birdie on hole No. 18.
James Comey is under investigation for his ‘8647’ Instagram post. What does it mean?
The former FBI director posted — then deleted — a picture of seashells forming "8647." Trump and his allies view it as a call for his assassination, but Comey says he was unaware of that meaning.
Labor watchdog opens investigation into DOGE whistleblower claims after NPR reporting
DOGE employees demanded the highest level of access to the labor agency's systems, according to a whistleblower and reporting from NPR. The whistleblower said sensitive data then left the agency.
From summer blockbusters to antique auctions, check out these new podcasts
Podcast releases are in bloom this month. The NPR One team gathered a few recommendations of returning favorites and fresh releases from across public media for your playlist.
Legislative session ends with debate over police immunity bill
The Alabama legislative session wrapped up this week, but not before some contentious debate in the final hours on Wednesday night. The bill at hand was one that would expand legal immunity to police officers under certain circumstances. That's where we start our final legislative update of the session with Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Yuval Raphael, a Hamas attack survivor, is representing Israel at Eurovision
The 24-year-old survived the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nova festival, and will perform a pop ballad, "New Day Will Rise." Israel's Eurovision participation has sparked protest due to the Gaza war.
Man who attacked author Salman Rushdie is sentenced to 25 years in prison
Hadi Matar got the maximum sentence for attempted murder. He was found guilty in February for repeatedly stabbing author Salman Rushdie during a 2022 lecture and wounding another person on stage.
