Masters final showdown

Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young went to Sunday tied for the lead at 11 under, with the final pairing set to tee off at 2:25 p.m. Eastern at Augusta National. (espn.com) Sam Burns began the day one shot back at 10 under, Shane Lowry was two back at 9 under, and Jason Day and Justin Rose started at 8 under. Scottie Scheffler opened the round four shots off the lead at 7 under after a third-round 65. (espn.com) The leaderboard tightened after McIlroy lost a six-shot advantage on Saturday, when he shot 73 and Young matched the low round among contenders with a 7-under 65. CBS Sports said 12 players finished within six shots of the lead entering the last round. (cbssports.com) McIlroy arrived at Augusta as the defending champion after winning the 2025 Masters and completing the career Grand Slam, the sweep of golf’s four major championships. Golf.com said he also came in as the host of this year’s Champions Dinner. (golf.com) Sunday’s chase was built around pairings in twosomes off the first tee, starting at 9:06 a.m. Eastern with Aaron Rai and Charl Schwartzel. The final three groups were Jason Day with Justin Rose at 2:03 p.m., Sam Burns with Shane Lowry at 2:14 p.m., and Young with McIlroy at 2:25 p.m. (nbcsports.com) Television coverage shifted to CBS for the weekend, with NBC Sports listing the final-round broadcast window from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. NBC Sports also listed early “On the Range” coverage from 10 a.m. to noon on CBS Sports Digital, CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. (nbcsports.com) Streaming options were broader than the main television window. Golf.com said wall-to-wall coverage was available through Masters.com, the Masters app, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, DirecTV and the ESPN app, including featured groups, featured holes and “Every Shot, Every Hole.” (golf.com) The Masters is the first men’s major of the year, and Augusta’s Sunday finish still runs through the same late-afternoon television slot that has defined the tournament for decades. By the time the leaders reached the back nine, the field behind them had already posted numbers that kept pressure on every missed fairway and short putt. (cbssports.com) McIlroy’s task was simple on paper and hard at Augusta: hold off Young and a crowded pack over 18 holes to keep the green jacket. The last tee time belonged to the two co-leaders, and the tournament was set up to be decided in front of them. (espn.com)