Rory McIlroy (-11) started the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta as the clear leader with a record six-shot lead over second place. Eighteen holes later he still holds the lead, but the advantage has completely evaporated. He now shares the lead with Cameron Young (-11) after carding a 73, his worst Saturday at Augusta since 2016.
That’s Rory. That’s Rorylandia. He can break a historic Masters record one day and play over par on a day when 19 rounds were under 70 the next. He can finish the day with six birdies in the last seven holes or hand in a +3 through Amen Corner. It’s McIlroy in pure form. Hard to venture which version we’ll see this Sunday in the final round of the Masters. Rory has turned the finish of the first Major of the year into wonderful madness. We should be grateful for that. As much as for the immense show he put on Friday.
The Masters decided there would be birdies on moving day. A birdie bonanza and a topsy-turvy day. Receptive greens and not devilishly fast. Not even very fast. Let’s call them a bit quick. Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler were the ones who made the best of the conditions, each posting rounds of 65. That explosive cocktail of a bad day from Rory with a scoring-friendly day has pulled many players into the battle for victory.
We have the entire top 10 bunched within five shots. Sam Burns (-10) is one behind McIlroy and Young. Shane Lowry is two back. Jason Day and Justin Rose are three back. Scottie Scheffler and Haotong Li are four back. And Russell Henley, Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Reed are five back. All of them must be given a chance. The list of contenders is most illustrious. Five players already know what it means to win a Major and three others have been knocking on the door for some time. Haotong Li is the most exotic case. He can’t be considered a favourite, but it’s no surprise to see him up there. He has everything: game, attitude, bravery and plenty of boldness. Even that touch of madness necessary to believe you can win a Major.
The third round of the Masters was superb. McIlroy began by opening the door from the outset, with a bogey at the 1st and then failing to take advantage at the 2nd. It seemed the birdie at the 3rd, after getting his ball on the green with a colossal drive, would put things back in order. But it was a mirage. Today was a nasty, grinding round. His day from the tee was similar, but he found himself in more trouble and wasn’t as sharp in recovery, nor with the putter. He missed two short ones that hurt badly, at the 11th for bogey after finding the water, and at the 17th for par. That error minimised his good reaction with two birdies at 14 and 15. Up and down. A rollercoaster. Rorylandia. The best and the worst.
From now until the final round begins, Rory’s task is to decide how to think. The reality is he played badly today and lost his huge advantage, but at the same time he remains the Masters leader, even if shared. His read should be: he would have signed up for this situation on Friday morning. Let there be no doubt. Interestingly, last year’s experience fits him perfectly to overcome this. He went into Sunday as leader, lost the lead, carded a 73 and ended up winning the Masters in a playoff. Identical situations that went his way.
Cameron Young is a fierce opponent. His victory at THE PLAYERS has put him on another level. He’s one of the greats and today he showed it as greats do, not so much with his eight birdies on the day, but with his extraordinary bogey at 15 after visiting the water with his third shot. He’s a fully fledged star and, like Rory, he also posted a 73 this week, in his case in the first round.
Of course, Justin Rose’s presence again in the fight to win the Masters cannot go unnoticed. Sensational from the Englishman. No one has done more than him in recent years to try to win the Green Jacket. Likewise, Rory’s bad day has thrown Scheffler into the equation. Be very wary of the roars the course can produce if the World Number One launches an attack similar to his fabulous five-under on the front nine today.
Welcome to a final Sunday at the Masters. A Sunday full of unknowns, though mainly two: which version of McIlroy will we see — do we believe them all — and what course will the Masters prepare, will it continue the birdie-friendly approach or crank up the difficulty four or five notches to stage a survival battle for the Green Jacket?
