Rory McIlroy on the Brink of History at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy is just 18 holes away from etching his name into the annals of golfing history. The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland is poised to seize the coveted green jacket at the 89th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. After a stellar performance on Saturday, McIlroy carded a 6-under 66, propelling him to 12 under after 54 holes and securing a two-stroke lead heading into the final round.
For McIlroy, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As the world No. 2, he is on the cusp of joining an elite group of golfers—Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods—who have completed the career Grand Slam in the Masters era. This marks McIlroy’s 11th attempt to achieve this feat, and it might just be his best shot yet.
“I think I still have to remind myself that there’s a long way to go, just like I said yesterday, 18 holes,” McIlroy reflected. “I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here.”
Standing in McIlroy’s way is LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau, who is hot on his heels. DeChambeau made a dramatic 48-foot putt from the fringe of the 18th green, closing the gap to just two strokes. With birdies on three of the last four holes, he posted a 3-under 69, setting the stage for a thrilling final round.
McIlroy and DeChambeau are set to tee off in the final pairing at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. This showdown is a rematch of their final-round duel at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, where McIlroy’s missed putts allowed DeChambeau to clinch his second major title.
“It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it,” DeChambeau said. “We both want to win really, really badly. You know, shoot, there’s a lot of great players behind us, too. Got to be mindful of that and focus. It’s about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best.”
Behind the leading duo, Canada’s Corey Conners sits in third at 8 under, while 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg are tied for fourth at 6 under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, after an even-par 72 on Saturday, is among four golfers tied for sixth at 5 under.
McIlroy’s round on Saturday was a rollercoaster of emotions. After a birdie-eagle-birdie start erased his two-stroke deficit, he took the outright lead. However, bogeys on the par-5 eighth and par-4 10th cut his advantage to one. But McIlroy regained control with a birdie on the par-5 13th and a second eagle on the par-5 15th, extending his lead to four strokes over Conners and five over Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and DeChambeau.
Despite a rocky start with double bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17 in the first round, McIlroy has rebounded spectacularly, going 12 under in his past 36 holes. He is only the sixth golfer in Masters history to post consecutive 66s in the same tournament. If McIlroy clinches the title on Sunday, he will tie the largest comeback through 18 holes by a Masters winner, a record held by Nick Faldo (1990) and Woods (2005).
“There’s obviously pressure, but he has pressure every single week,” said Jason Day, who is tied for sixth after a third-round 71. “He seemed very focused, determined to obviously accomplish that. It doesn’t look like he’s focusing on it, that’s the thing. I know it’s in the back of his mind, but I think he’s running off so much confidence, and he has so much belief in his game that it’s almost like he knows it’s going to happen. And when you’re playing like that, it’s very dangerous.”
McIlroy is also aiming to end a decade-long drought without a major championship victory. This is his 39th start in one of the big four since his last triumph at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
His start on Saturday was nothing short of spectacular. In just three holes, he erased a two-shot deficit to Rose, making a 10-footer for birdie on No. 1, chipping in from 54 feet for eagle on No. 2, and rolling in a 7-footer for birdie on No. 3 to take the outright lead at 10 under. According to ESPN Research, McIlroy became just the sixth player in Masters history to go 4 under over the first three holes.
“Yeah, obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did,” McIlroy said.
However, the round wasn’t without its challenges. After a bogey on the eighth and a missed birdie on the ninth, McIlroy made the turn at 4-under 32, two strokes ahead of DeChambeau and three in front of Rose and Conners. On the 10th, a three-putt dropped him to 9 under, only one ahead of DeChambeau and Conners, who made three straight birdies to tie for second.
“I think when he plays his best golf, it’s hard to catch him,” Åberg said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of guys in this world that can catch him when he plays at his best.”
McIlroy’s track record is promising. Each of his four previous major championship victories came when he had the outright lead after 54 holes. The only time he faltered was at the 2011 Masters, where he collapsed with an 8-over 80 in the final round, finishing 10 strokes behind winner Charl Schwartzel.
Fourteen years later, McIlroy has the chance to finally put those demons to rest. “You know, I’ve got a lot of experience,” he said. “I came in here talking about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer, and you know, I just have to keep reminding myself of that and remind myself that no matter what situation or scenario I find myself in tomorrow, I’ll be able to handle it.”
Originally Written by: Mark Schlabach
