Masters tied at the top

Rory McIlroy’s six-shot cushion is gone, and he and Cameron Young started Sunday tied at 11-under at Augusta National. (espn.com) Young erased an eight-shot gap on Saturday with a 7-under 65, while McIlroy followed his opening 67 and 65 with a 73. Sam Burns began one shot back at 10-under, and Shane Lowry opened Sunday at 9-under. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The final pairing of McIlroy and Young was scheduled to tee off at 2:25 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, April 12. CBS carried the broadcast from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern, with streaming earlier in the day on Paramount+ and Masters digital feeds. (cbssports.com) (golf.com) (golfweek.usatoday.com) McIlroy is not just chasing another major. He arrived as the defending Masters champion after winning at Augusta in 2025, a victory that completed the career Grand Slam, and a second straight green jacket would put him with Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as back-to-back Masters winners. (usatoday.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Young is chasing a different milestone. The 28-year-old from Scarborough, New York, turned professional in 2019 and entered the week with two PGA Tour wins, both in 2026, but no major title. (pgatour.com) (espn.com) The leaderboard stayed crowded behind them. Scottie Scheffler opened Sunday seven shots under par after a third-round 65, and seven players were within five shots of the lead when the final round began. (espn.com) (nytimes.com) There was also a record payday in play. Augusta National announced a $22.5 million purse for the 2026 Masters, with $4.5 million to the winner. (golfchannel.com) By Sunday morning, Augusta had gone from coronation to chase. McIlroy still had the lead, but he no longer had it alone. (espn.com)