Masters in a Tie

Rory McIlroy’s six-shot lead is gone, and he began Sunday’s final round at Augusta tied with Cameron Young at 11-under par. (espn.com) Young forced the tie with a third-round 65 on Saturday, while McIlroy followed his opening rounds of 67 and 65 with a 73. Sam Burns started Sunday one shot back at 10-under, and Scottie Scheffler opened the day four back at 7-under. (pgatour.com, espn.com) Round 4 was underway on Sunday, April 12, at Augusta National Golf Club, with McIlroy and Young listed in the final pairing at 11:25 a.m. Eastern time. ESPN’s live leaderboard showed Shane Lowry at 9-under and Jason Day and Justin Rose at 8-under when play began. (espn.com) The shape of the tournament changed in one day. What looked like a McIlroy runaway after 36 holes became a crowded Sunday board with eight players within four shots of the lead. (golfchannel.com, espn.com) That matters most for McIlroy because he entered the week as the defending Masters champion. A second straight green jacket would put him in a smaller club at Augusta, but by Sunday morning he no longer had room for a cautious round. (usatoday.com, theathletic.com) For Young, the final round offered a chance to turn a charge into his first major title. The PGA Tour said his 65 included a par save at the ninth after his approach caromed off a patron and back onto the green. (pgatour.com) The weekend field had already been trimmed on Friday. The Masters cut settled at 4-over par, with the tournament keeping the low 50 players and ties for the final two rounds. (sportingnews.com, espn.com) By Sunday, the story was no longer whether McIlroy could protect a cushion. It was whether he could beat Young head-to-head over one last round at Augusta. (espn.com, pgatour.com)