McIlroy surrendered a six‑shot lead
McIlroy’s 73 on Saturday erased a six-stroke lead he carried into the weekend, leaving Augusta’s atmosphere tense as he attempts to win back-to-back green jackets — a feat only three players have done before. ( )
Rory McIlroy takes a tied lead into Sunday at the Masters after a third-round 73 wiped out the six-shot cushion he built by Friday night. (espn.com) McIlroy opened Augusta with 67 and 65 to reach 12-under through 36 holes, the largest halfway lead in Masters history, before slipping back to 11-under on Saturday. Cameron Young shot 65 to join him at the top, with Sam Burns one back at 10-under and Shane Lowry fourth at 9-under. (espn.com, espn.com, cbssports.com) McIlroy’s Saturday card turned on the back nine: ESPN’s hole-by-hole scorecard shows a double bogey 6 at the 11th, a bogey at the 12th, a birdie at the 14th, another bogey at the 17th and par at the 18th for a 37 homeward half. He and Young are scheduled to tee off together in Sunday’s final pairing at 11:25 a.m. Eastern. (espn.com, espn.com) The stakes are unusually narrow and unusually large at the same time. McIlroy is trying to defend the green jacket he won in 2025, when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff to complete the career Grand Slam. (golfmonthly.com, espn.com) Only three men have won back-to-back Masters titles: Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and 1966, Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990, and Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. McIlroy arrived at Augusta this week as the defending champion and the tournament’s previous winner. (espn.com, espn.com) Young’s presence changes the shape of the final round as much as McIlroy’s stumble did. CBS Sports reported that the 28-year-old matched the low round among the contenders Saturday with a 7-under 65, moving from chase pack to co-leader in one afternoon. (cbssports.com) The board behind them is crowded enough to keep pressure on both leaders. Burns starts one shot back, Lowry two back, and Justin Rose and Jason Day begin Sunday at 8-under, while Scottie Scheffler’s 65 on Saturday moved the two-time Masters champion to 7-under. (espn.com, cbssports.com) Sunday now looks less like a coronation than a four-hour test of whether McIlroy can reset after his highest round of the week. He will start level with Young, one group behind Burns and Lowry, with Augusta set up for the smallest margins to decide it. (espn.com, espn.com)
