McIlroy’s Masters cushion disappears as Cameron Young surges into joint lead

Augusta: Rory McIlroy’s commanding march towards one of golf’s rarest achievements turned into a tense fight to avoid the wrong side of history on Saturday, as his six‑shot lead was wiped out during the third round of the Masters.

McIlroy stumbled to a one‑over‑par 73, allowing Cameron Young to draw level at 11 under par after firing a sizzling seven‑under 65, the joint‑lowest round of the tournament. Young had started the day eight shots behind McIlroy, who had set a Masters record with a six‑shot lead after 36 holes while attempting to become only the fourth player to win consecutive green jackets.

Fourteen players will now begin Sunday’s final round within six shots of the lead, including two‑time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler matched Young’s 65 and moved to within four strokes of the leaders.

McIlroy’s advantage steadily evaporated on a day when Augusta National yielded a scoring average of 70.63. The Northern Irishman was one of only two players inside the top 20 who failed to break par.

“I didn’t quite have it today,” McIlroy said. “I’m still tied for the best score going into tomorrow, so I can’t forget that, but I do know I’m going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.”

Playing five groups ahead of McIlroy, Young methodically reeled in the leader and briefly moved ahead on the back nine. He carded eight birdies and just one bogey to equal McIlroy’s second‑round 65 and Scheffler’s early third‑round effort.

McIlroy and Young, who will form Sunday’s final pairing, hold a one‑shot advantage over Sam Burns. Ireland’s Shane Lowry sits fourth on nine under after recording the tournament’s first hole‑in‑one since 2022, acing the par‑three sixth on Saturday. Australia’s Jason Day and England’s Justin Rose are a further shot back.

“That’s wild, isn’t it?” Lowry said. “You never expect to make a hole‑in‑one. To be in the hunt at the Masters and do that is pretty cool. The walk down the sixth with everyone around was very special. I’ll remember that for a while.”

Young’s 65 was his best round in 15 career Masters rounds, improving his previous Augusta low by two strokes. After steadily chipping away at McIlroy’s lead, Young took his first outright lead of the tournament with a birdie on the 16th, while McIlroy earlier found water and double‑bogeyed the 11th.

Young parred his final two holes to reach the clubhouse at 11 under and watched as McIlroy battled home. McIlroy briefly extended his advantage to 13 under with a birdie on the 10th but slipped back with a bogey on the 12th. Back‑to‑back birdies on the 14th and 15th restored a one‑shot lead before another errant drive led to a bogey on the 17th. He narrowly missed a 25‑foot birdie putt on the 18th.

McIlroy hit eight of 14 fairways and found just 10 greens on Saturday, his lowest total of the week.

“I felt like I bounced back pretty well with the birdies on 14 and 15,” he said. “It would have been nice not to make that bogey on 17, but I still have a great chance. I’m in the final group. I just need to go to the range and figure it out a little bit.”

Young’s week had begun shakily in his fifth Masters appearance, with four bogeys in his opening seven holes leaving him four over through 11 holes on Thursday. A pair of birdies at Amen Corner sparked his turnaround, and he is now 15 under par over his last 43 holes.

He enjoyed a slice of fortune on the 13th on Saturday, when a pulled drive crossed Rae’s Creek before ricocheting back into play, setting up a birdie.

“For that ball to end up somewhere I could hit it was very fortunate,” Young said. “It’s one of those moments that keeps a round going.”

Scheffler teed off two and a half hours before McIlroy and launched his own charge with a career‑best 65 at Augusta. Having started the day 12 shots back, he now sits four off the lead and will attempt to apply pressure from ahead on Sunday.

Meanwhile, McIlroy kept perspective as he seeks to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win back‑to‑back Masters titles.

“I’d like to think I’ll play a little freer, like I’ve already got a green jacket — which I do,” he said. “Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that. The atmosphere out there will be a little easier.”