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If you thought the Masters was over after Rory McIlroy’s electrifying second round, here’s your reminder that nothing starts at Augusta until the last nine on Sunday.
And the final nine holes are sure to be exciting after Saturday’s third-round action saw McIlroy’s six-shot lead, the largest ever through 36 holes, disappear completely.
New York native Cameron Young and reigning champion McIlroy will be paired together as the final grouping of the 90th game of the Masters, with both golfers at 11 under.
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Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young are tied for the Masters lead heading into Sunday. (Katie Goodale/Imagn Images, Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
McIlroy started his day on 12 under, but a bogey at the first combined with three birdies by Patrick Reed saw his lead shrink quickly. When McIlroy birdied the third and Reed bogeyed No. 4, McIlroy’s lead was back to a comfortable four. Reed eventually fell down the rankings, but Young shot it up.
Young, who was 4 over after his first round, started the day eight shots behind McIlroy, birdied the 16th to tie McIlroy, just seconds before McIlroy bogeyed 12 to drop to second place. He shot a 7-under 65 to jump to the top of the leaderboard, while McIlroy went 1 over with a 73. Young birdied eight holes to go along with a bogey on the par-5 15th after going water.
But McIlroy struggled on the back nine, bogeying 11 for a double bogey while also bogeying 12 and 18.
Rory McIlroy reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on April 11, 2026. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)
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This tournament now extends well beyond the leaders as there are 20 players within seven strokes and 14 within six. McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood were the only golfers in the top 20 entering Saturday to score over par in the third round, making Saturday’s moving day something of an electric Sunday.
Sam Burns is alone on 10 under in solo three, while Shane Lowry, who benefited from a hole-in-one, is two back. Jason Day and Justin Rose are at 8 under, with Scottie Scheffler and Haotong Li at 7 under (Scheffler also shot 65 after starting Saturday himself for the tournament).
Other notables in the mix include Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley and Reed at 6 under, Collin Morikawa at 5 under, and Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka at 4 under.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland greets Cameron Young of the United States on the 18th green during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2026. (Logan Whitton/Augusta National/Getty Images)
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After being paired together in the first two rounds, McIlroy and Young will start together again at 2:25 PM ET as McIlroy looks to make up for lost time and become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back green jackets.
