Rory McIlroy's monstrous lead disappears, surprise contender surges as Masters comes down to final day

In lawsuit you thought the Masters was complete aft Rory McIlroy's electrifying 2nd round, here's your reminder that thing gets started successful Augusta until nan backmost 9 connected Sunday.

And those last 9 holes are judge to beryllium breathtaking aft Saturday's third-round action that saw McIlroy's six-shot lead, nan largest ever done 36 holes, wholly evaporate.

New York autochthonal Cameron Young and nan reigning champion McIlroy will beryllium paired together arsenic nan last grouping of nan 90th playing of nan Masters, pinch some golfers astatine 11 under.

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Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young are tied for nan Masters lead going into Sunday. (Katie Goodale/Imagn Images, Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

McIlroy started his time astatine 12 under, but a bogey connected nan first mixed pinch 3 birdies by Patrick Reed saw his lead shrink rapidly. When McIlroy birdied nan third, and Reed bogeyed No. 4, McIlroy’s lead was backmost to a comfortable four. Reed yet fell down nan leaderboard, but Young changeable up it.

Young, who was 4 complete aft his first round, began nan time 8 shots backmost of McIlroy, birdied nan 16th to necktie McIlroy, conscionable seconds earlier McIlroy bogeyed 12 to autumn to 2nd place. He changeable a 7-under 65 to jump to nan apical of nan leaderboard, while McIlroy went 1 complete pinch a 73. Young birdied 8 holes to spell on pinch a bogey connected nan par-5 15th aft going water.

But McIlroy struggled connected nan backmost nine, going successful nan h2o connected 11 for a double bogey, while besides bogeying 12 and 18.

Rory McIlroy reacts aft a putt connected nan 18th greenish during nan 3rd information of nan Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club successful Augusta, Georgia, connected April 11, 2026. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)

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This tournament, though, now stretches acold beyond nan leaders, arsenic location are 20 players wrong 7 strokes, and 14 wrong six. McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood were nan only golfers wrong nan apical 20 entering Saturday to people complete par successful nan 3rd round, making Saturday's moving time rather nan preview for an electrical Sunday.

Sam Burns is unsocial astatine 10 nether successful solo third, while Shane Lowry, who benefited from a hole-in-one, is 2 back. Jason Day and Justin Rose are astatine 8 under, pinch Scottie Scheffler and Haotong Li astatine 7 nether (Scheffler, too, changeable a 65 aft starting Saturday moreover for nan tournament).

Other notables successful nan operation see Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley, and Reed astatine 6 under, Collin Morikawa astatine 5 under, and Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka astatine 4 under.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland greets Cameron Young of nan United States connected nan No. 18 greenish during nan first information of nan Masters astatine Augusta National Golf Club connected April 9, 2026. (Logan Whitton/Augusta National/Getty Images)

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After being paired together successful nan first 2 rounds, McIlroy and Young will tee disconnected together again astatine 2:25 p.m. ET, arsenic McIlroy looks to dress up for mislaid clip and go nan first golfer since Tiger Woods to triumph back-to-back greenish jackets.

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