What is the Masters course record? Rory McIlroy makes final-round history with hole-out on 18

Rory McIlroy entered Sunday's action at the Masters 1 over par for the tournament. He was 10 strokes back of leader Scottie Scheffler when he teed off, and it didn't look like he would have a realistic shot at earning his first green jacket.

Still, McIlroy did everything he could to position himself to win if Scheffler faltered. He was the hottest golfer on the course Sunday and rocketed up the leaderboard by carding an 8-under par round. His strong performance culminated in a hole-out birdie from the bunker on the 18th hole.

What a way to finish. McIlroy holes out on No. 18 to put pressure on the leader. #themasters pic.twitter.com/L5fWWbR9cj

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2022

That shot put McIlroy within three strokes of Scheffler and made him the clubhouse leader when he exited the course. It also gave him a score of 64, which marked the second-lowest 18-hole score at a major of his playing career and his best mark since his 63 at the 2010 Open Championship.

McIlroy knew that it was unlikely that he would catch Scheffler despite his excellent day, but he still came away feeling great after his performance.

"It's what you dream about, right? You dream about getting yourself in position," McIlroy told the CBS broadcast after his round ended. "I wasn't quite close enough to the lead, and Scottie's playing really well, but to play as well as I did today, to finish like this is just absolutely incredible."

Indeed, McIlroy's finish was "absolutely incredible." In fact, it was one of the greatest performances on the final day of the Masters in tournament history and was very nearly an outright course record.

MORE: Where Scottie Scheffler ranks among youngest Masters winners

What is the Masters course record for a single round?

The Masters course record for a single round is 63. Nick Price was the first golfer to accomplish that feat, doing so during the third round of the 1986 Masters. He rode that strong performance to a fifth-place finish in the tournament, the best of his career.

A decade later, Greg Norman was able to match Price with a 63 during the first round of the 1996 Masters. That gave him a two-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson at the time. Norman led the tournament after both 36 and 54 holes but a final-round 78 ultimately doomed him. He finished second to Nick Faldo as a result of his final-round collapse, and that marked his highest-ever finish at Masters.

MORE: Where Scottie Scheffler's Masters win ranks among largest of all time

What is the Masters course record for the final round?

While McIlroy didn't tie the overall course record at the Masters, he did match the final-round record of 64 with his stellar outing.

McIlroy became the eighth player to log a 64 on the final day of play at the Masters. He is just the third to accomplish the feat since 2000 and recorded the second-highest overall finish of the low-scoring group.

Below is a look at the elite company that McIlroy joined thanks to his bunker shot on the 18th hole:

Interestingly enough, Player is the only golfer to shoot a 64 on the final day of the Masters and win the tournament. He overcame a seven-stroke deficit by shooting 8-under par to win the tournament in 1978. That marked the South African's final major win. 

MORE: Who has the most Masters wins in tournament history?

Lowest overall Masters scores

The lowest overall score at the Masters was carded by Dustin Johnson in 2020. He finished the tournament in just 268 strokes and ran away with it as a result. His 20-under par mark broke the tournament record of 18-under par that had previously been held by Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

Below is a look at the golfers who have carded 273 or fewer strokes during four days at the Masters Tournament. All won the tournament the year they achieved their scoring milestones.