Young’s 65 erased cushion

Cameron Young turned Rory McIlroy’s six-shot cushion into a dead heat Saturday, shooting 7-under 65 to pull even at 11-under entering the Masters final round. (pgatour.com) Young began the third round eight shots behind McIlroy and made eight birdies against one bogey at Augusta National. McIlroy shot 1-over 73 after starting the day with the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history. (sports.yahoo.com) The share of the lead was not settled until late. McIlroy briefly got to 12-under at the 15th hole before giving that stroke back at the 16th and finishing the day tied again. (usatoday.com) Saturday changed the shape of a tournament that had looked close to over on Friday night. Instead of protecting a runaway lead, McIlroy goes into Sunday trying to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters in a final pairing with the player who erased his margin. (golfchannel.com) The leaderboard tightened behind them too. Sam Burns sits one shot back at 10-under, and Shane Lowry is two back at 9-under, with several players still within range if the leaders stall. (jsonline.com) For Young, the position is new territory at Augusta. He is still chasing his first major title, while McIlroy is the defending champion and has spent the week trying to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to defend a Masters title successfully. (espn.com; golfchannel.com) The two co-leaders are scheduled in the final pairing Sunday at 2:25 p.m. Eastern. After three rounds, the Masters that seemed headed for a procession is set up as an 18-hole chase. (golfdigest.com)