McIlroy–Young deadlocked

Rory McIlroy’s six-shot cushion is gone, and he and Cameron Young will start Sunday’s final round of the Masters tied at 11-under at Augusta National. (apnews.com) McIlroy shot a 1-over 73 on Saturday after beginning the third round with the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history at Augusta. Young came from eight shots back with a 7-under 65, the low round among the leaders, to pull even. (apnews.com, pgatour.com) Sam Burns begins Sunday one shot back at 10-under, and Scottie Scheffler is four back at 7-under after his own 65 on Saturday. ESPN’s tournament page listed nine players within five shots of the lead after 54 holes. (sports.yahoo.com, espn.com, nytimes.com) The shift turns what looked like a runaway defense into a two-man final pairing on Sunday, April 12, at the 90th Masters. USA Today’s Sunday tee sheet listed McIlroy and Young together in the last group at 2:25 p.m. Eastern. (usatoday.com, sportsbrackets.net) McIlroy is trying to win back-to-back Masters after taking his first green jacket in 2025. USA Today noted that a repeat would put him with Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to win consecutive Masters titles. (usatoday.com) Young is chasing his first major championship after putting himself in position with eight birdies on Saturday. The PGA Tour reported that one of his key pars came at the ninth, where his approach took a bounce off a patron before settling on the green. (pgatour.com) Saturday’s collapse and charge also reopened the field behind them. The Associated Press reported that McIlroy’s lead was gone within 11 holes, and by day’s end there were nine players within six shots of the co-leaders. (apnews.com) Sunday now starts where Saturday was supposed to end: McIlroy still controls a share of the lead, but Augusta’s final round is no longer a coronation. (apnews.com, pgatour.com)