Young’s 65 on Moving Day

Cameron Young shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday at Augusta National and wiped out Rory McIlroy’s six-shot Masters lead in one round. (pgatour.com) Young began the third round eight shots back and finished tied with McIlroy at 11-under 205. McIlroy shot 1-over 73 after taking the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history into Saturday. (pgatour.com) Young made eight birdies and one bogey, with the lone mistake coming at the par-5 15th when his wedge spun back into the water. He still took the outright lead with a 20-foot birdie putt at 16 before McIlroy pulled back level by the finish. (pgatour.com) The tournament looked far more settled after 36 holes than it did by sunset on April 11. By the end of the round, nine players were within five shots of the lead, with Sam Burns one back at 10-under and Shane Lowry two back at 9-under. (pgatour.com) Saturday also played easier than Augusta National usually does in contention. The third round produced the lowest-scoring Saturday in course history at 70.63, which helped turn McIlroy’s cushion into a crowded board. (pgatour.com) For Young, the charge put him one round from the biggest major result of his career and extended a spring run that already included a win at The Players Championship. The PGA Tour said that recent stretch has come with a more patient approach after earlier years when he was often close without closing. (pgatour.com) His round also included two breaks that kept momentum alive. A drive on the 13th hit a pine and kicked back into play, and an approach on the ninth caromed off a patron and stayed on the green, allowing him to save par. (pgatour.com) McIlroy’s position did not disappear, but it changed. He told reporters, “Didn’t quite have it today,” and said he would need to play better Sunday to win, even though he still ended the day tied for the lead. (pgatour.com) The final round now starts with McIlroy and Young level at 11-under instead of with McIlroy protecting a record margin. One Saturday 65 turned a possible runaway into a two-man tie and a nine-player chase. (pgatour.com)