McIlroy–Young deadlock

Rory McIlroy’s six-shot cushion is gone. He and Cameron Young start Sunday’s final round of the Masters tied at 11-under and paired together in the last group. (pgatour.com) Young erased an eight-shot gap on Saturday with a 7-under 65, making eight birdies and one bogey to reach 205 through 54 holes. McIlroy shot 1-over 73 after opening the tournament with 67 and 65. (espn.com, espn.com) The final pairing is scheduled to tee off at 2:25 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, April 12, at Augusta National Golf Club. Sam Burns begins the day alone in third at 10-under, one shot back. (ajc.com, espn.com) Two days earlier, McIlroy had built the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history at 12-under after a second-round 65. Golfweek reported that margin at six shots heading into the weekend. (golfweek.usatoday.com) McIlroy is the defending champion after winning the 2025 Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, and Sunday gives him a chance to become the fourth player to win back-to-back green jackets. Golf Channel said that history is 18 holes away if he closes. (golfweek.usatoday.com, golfchannel.com) Young is chasing a different first. ESPN reported that he started Saturday eight back, surged into a share of the lead, and now has a direct 18-hole matchup with the defending champion. (espn.com) The leaderboard behind them is crowded enough to keep pressure on both players. Shane Lowry is fourth at 9-under, while Jason Day, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler and Haotong Li are among the players still within four shots. (espn.com) Sunday’s setup is simpler than it looked on Friday night: McIlroy no longer has a coronation lap, and Young no longer needs help. They tee off side by side with the lead shared and the green jacket still unsettled. (cbssports.com, pgatour.com)