Masters: Rory Tied

Rory McIlroy’s six-shot Masters lead is gone, and he will start Sunday tied with Cameron Young at 11 under after a third-round 73. (pgatour.com) Young made the move Saturday with a 7-under 65, eight shots better than where he started the day relative to McIlroy. McIlroy shot 1 over, and both men finished 54 holes at 205. (espn.com) The leaderboard tightened behind them, too. Sam Burns is one shot back at 10 under, Shane Lowry is fourth at 9 under, and Scottie Scheffler’s 65 moved the defending champion to 7 under. (espn.com) McIlroy had entered Saturday with the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history at six shots. By the end of the round, Augusta National had turned a runaway into a final-round chase. (pgatour.com, cbssports.com) The stakes for McIlroy are familiar at Augusta. He won the 2025 Masters for his first green jacket, and another victory Sunday would make him the tournament’s first back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods won in 2001 and 2002. (pgatour.com, espn.com) For Young, Sunday is a chance to win his first major after years of near-misses. The 28-year-old American had never led the Masters after any round before Saturday’s charge. (pgatour.com) Young’s round had both control and fortune. He made eight birdies, and on the ninth hole his approach bounded off a patron and stayed on the green, helping him save par. (pgatour.com) McIlroy’s round went the other way. The Associated Press report carried by PGA Tour said his ball found the Georgia pines and the water during a 73 that came on the lowest-scoring third round in Augusta National history, with the field averaging 70.63. (pgatour.com) Sunday’s final round at Augusta National now starts with two names at the top instead of one. After 54 holes, the Masters is no longer about protecting a margin; it is about who handles the last 18 better. (cbssports.com, espn.com)