Against all odds, it’s now Rory McIlroy’s Masters Tournament to win.
The world’s No. 2-ranked golfer, who appeared to be out of the tournament after fading Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, now carries a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round as he tries to complete the career Grand Slam. Only five golfers in history have won all four majors.
The Northern Irishman shot his second consecutive 6-under-par 66 on Saturday and is on the verge of joining that group.
Only two players in tournament history have rallied from seven shots back after the first round to win: Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2005.
McIlroy was tied for 27th place after the first round with 72, then tied for third after a second-round 66, two back at the time, and is now all alone at the top.
Adding to the drama is the fact McIlroy will be paired Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau, the man who chased him down to win the U.S. Open last June at Pinehurst, leaving McIlroy heartbroken. There is a difference this time: McIlroy and the LIV Golf Tour star will be in the same pairing. They will go off at 2:30 p.m.
Canadian Corey Connors is in third place, four shots back, after his second consecutive 70.
Justin Rose, the first- and second-round leader, is among three players tied for fourth place, six shots back. Rose struggled to 74 while 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and Ludvig Aberg, the runner-up here last year, both shot 69.
“The big thing is not to make it a rematch,” said McIlroy, who has four major championship victories, but none since 2014. “I need to stay in my little world. He’ll do what he does and I just have to stay firm.”
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion. “It will be the grandest stage we’ve had in a long time and I’m really excited about it. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
DeChambeau knew he needed to two-putt from 48 feet on No. 18 to earn a spot in the final group. Instead, he drained it, sending the gallery into a frenzy.
“It was a beautiful putt,” said DeChambeau, who said he was keeping track of the leaderboards, trying to do what he needed to do to get into the final group.
It will be an interesting dynamic because the patrons seem to be equally supportive of the pair.
“Yeah, look, it’s a pleasure to play in front of them and to have that atmosphere and that support,” McIlroy said. “Tomorrow in that final group is going to be ― it’s going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I’m just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down and, you know, sort of approach tomorrow with the same attitude that I have tried to approach the last three days.”
DeChambeau said he likes to get the crowd going because “it makes me focus more. I don’t know. It’s a fun thing that whenever I feel like I feed into the crowd, especially the patrons here, it just ― they give that energy back, and it’s a cool feeling.”
At 7,555 yards, Augusta National Golf Club is a home run hitter’s course and DeChambeau and McIlroy are the two biggest bombers in the field. DeChambeau, 31, leads the week with an average of 330 yards off the tee. McIlroy who is 35 years old, is second at 324, so it will be a battle of the long balls.
After a blistering start – birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie – McIlroy was 5 under for the round and led by four shots after seven holes. The 3-3-3-3-3 start was a first in Masters history. Through those five holes, McIlroy needed his putter just four times, thanks in part to the 18-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 2.
“Yeah, obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did,” McIlroy said. “It was such a great way to star, and you know, just to come out of the blocks like that, I think, as well, from finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it’s quite a long time. You know, there’s a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did, was amazing.”
McIlroy cooled off, making bogeys on Nos. 8 and 10, then played his final eight holes in 3 under with a birdie on the 13th and an eagle on No. 15, both par 5s.
He’s at 12-under 204. It’s the lowest 54-hole total since Dustin Johnson’s 16-under 201 in the 2000 COVID Masters that was played in November.
McIlroy hinted that an even lower score could be on tap.
The 66’s were “not that low,” he said. “It’s not as if it’s 62 or 63.”
This will be the second time McIlroy will carry a lead into the final round here. Of course, he led by four in 2011, shot 80 and tied for 15.
He also was in the final pairing for the closing round in 2018, trailing Patrick Reed by two. McIlroy shot 74 and tied for fifth as Reed went on to win.
“I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here,” said McIlroy, who is playing in his 17th Masters. “You know, I’ve got a lot of experience. 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.”
David Westin is a recipient of the Masters Major Achievement Award and has covered every tournament at Augusta National Golf Club since 1979 for The Augusta Chronicle. He also caddied at the club for a time.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Rory McIlroy one step from Masters green jacket, career Grand Slam.
Against all odds, it’s now Rory McIlroy’s Masters Tournament to win.
The world’s No. 2-ranked golfer, who appeared to be out of the tournament after fading Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, now carries a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round as he tries to complete the career Grand Slam. Only five golfers in history have won all four majors.
The Northern Irishman shot his second consecutive 6-under-par 66 on Saturday and is on the verge of joining that group.
Only two players in tournament history have rallied from seven shots back after the first round to win: Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2005.
McIlroy was tied for 27th place after the first round with 72, then tied for third after a second-round 66, two back at the time, and is now all alone at the top.
Adding to the drama is the fact McIlroy will be paired Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau, the man who chased him down to win the U.S. Open last June at Pinehurst, leaving McIlroy heartbroken. There is a difference this time: McIlroy and the LIV Golf Tour star will be in the same pairing. They will go off at 2:30 p.m.
Canadian Corey Connors is in third place, four shots back, after his second consecutive 70.
Justin Rose, the first- and second-round leader, is among three players tied for fourth place, six shots back. Rose struggled to 74 while 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and Ludvig Aberg, the runner-up here last year, both shot 69.
“The big thing is not to make it a rematch,” said McIlroy, who has four major championship victories, but none since 2014. “I need to stay in my little world. He’ll do what he does and I just have to stay firm.”
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion. “It will be the grandest stage we’ve had in a long time and I’m really excited about it. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
DeChambeau knew he needed to two-putt from 48 feet on No. 18 to earn a spot in the final group. Instead, he drained it, sending the gallery into a frenzy.
“It was a beautiful putt,” said DeChambeau, who said he was keeping track of the leaderboards, trying to do what he needed to do to get into the final group.
It will be an interesting dynamic because the patrons seem to be equally supportive of the pair.
“Yeah, look, it’s a pleasure to play in front of them and to have that atmosphere and that support,” McIlroy said. “Tomorrow in that final group is going to be ― it’s going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I’m just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down and, you know, sort of approach tomorrow with the same attitude that I have tried to approach the last three days.”
DeChambeau said he likes to get the crowd going because “it makes me focus more. I don’t know. It’s a fun thing that whenever I feel like I feed into the crowd, especially the patrons here, it just ― they give that energy back, and it’s a cool feeling.”
At 7,555 yards, Augusta National Golf Club is a home run hitter’s course and DeChambeau and McIlroy are the two biggest bombers in the field. DeChambeau, 31, leads the week with an average of 330 yards off the tee. McIlroy who is 35 years old, is second at 324, so it will be a battle of the long balls.
After a blistering start – birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie – McIlroy was 5 under for the round and led by four shots after seven holes. The 3-3-3-3-3 start was a first in Masters history. Through those five holes, McIlroy needed his putter just four times, thanks in part to the 18-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 2.
“Yeah, obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did,” McIlroy said. “It was such a great way to star, and you know, just to come out of the blocks like that, I think, as well, from finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it’s quite a long time. You know, there’s a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did, was amazing.”
McIlroy cooled off, making bogeys on Nos. 8 and 10, then played his final eight holes in 3 under with a birdie on the 13th and an eagle on No. 15, both par 5s.
He’s at 12-under 204. It’s the lowest 54-hole total since Dustin Johnson’s 16-under 201 in the 2000 COVID Masters that was played in November.
McIlroy hinted that an even lower score could be on tap.
The 66’s were “not that low,” he said. “It’s not as if it’s 62 or 63.”
This will be the second time McIlroy will carry a lead into the final round here. Of course, he led by four in 2011, shot 80 and tied for 15.
He also was in the final pairing for the closing round in 2018, trailing Patrick Reed by two. McIlroy shot 74 and tied for fifth as Reed went on to win.
“I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here,” said McIlroy, who is playing in his 17th Masters. “You know, I’ve got a lot of experience. 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.”
David Westin is a recipient of the Masters Major Achievement Award and has covered every tournament at Augusta National Golf Club since 1979 for The Augusta Chronicle. He also caddied at the club for a time.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Rory McIlroy one step from Masters green jacket, career Grand Slam.
