Rory McIlroy announced his intentions Saturday with a 371-yard drive on the first hole at Augusta, and by the time the dust had cleared, he stood two clear of Bryson DeChambeau after three rounds at the Masters.
The four-time major champion exploded out of the gates in Round 3 with a birdie-eagle start that erased the three-shot deficit with which he entered. The opening six-hole stretch was the stuff of legend, with McIlroy becoming the first man in Masters history to start his round with six straight 3s on the card.
He added a second eagle of the day after a majestic 205-yard approach to the par-5 15th, a moment that made it look like the lead could be three or four heading to Sunday.
However, DeChambeau had other ideas with birdies on the 16th and a walk-off 48-footer on No. 18 that cut McIlroy's edge to just two and set up a blockbuster final pairing.
| Place | Player | Round 3 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | 66 | -12 |
| 2 | Bryson DeChambeau | 69 | -10 |
| 3 | Corey Conners | 70 | -8 |
| T-4 | Patrick Reed | 69 | -6 |
| T-4 | Ludvig Aberg | 69 | -6 |
| T-6 | Justin Rose | 75 | -5 |
| T-6 | Jason Day | 71 | -5 |
| T-6 | Scottie Scheffler | 72 | -5 |
| T-6 | Shane Lowry | 72 | -5 |
| T-10 | Xander Schauffele | 70 | -4 |
| T-10 | Zach Johnson | 66 | -4 |
| T-10 | Nico Echavarria | 69 | -4 |
| T-10 | Sungjae Im | 71 | -4 |
It was immediately clear that McIlroy hadn't cooled off from Friday's 66 and was bringing even more juice to the course for Round 3. His opening two drives totaled 740 yards Saturday.
"Yeah, I was fast on the range," McIlroy admitted, according to ASAP Sports. "You know, that's - talking about even that anxious energy that built up, I was probably three or four miles an hour faster on the range than I have been all week, which is nice. So I knew I didn't have to worry about the bunker on one or two if I just made a good swing."
McIlroy carried that energy throughout the round, with his only stumble being bogeys Nos. 8 and 10. The par 5s on the closing nine offered him another chance to hit the gas with a birdie on 13 and the incredible eagle on 15.
McIlroy will go into Sunday holding the lead at a major for the fifth time in his career. The 35-year-old has converted on four of those occasions. Of course, the only one he didn't finish off happens to be at the same course where he's currently playing, as a 21-year-old McIlroy shot a final-round 81 at Augusta in 2011 to fall back to 15th place, allowing the relatively unknown Charl Schwartzel to jump up and win the green jacket.
But that won't be the case Sunday with DeChambeau as the main chaser.
The two-time major winner put on a short-game exhibition for the ages, getting up-and-down time and again Saturday to overcome some serious issues with his irons and remain within shouting distance. He bookended his round with birdie putts of 45 and 47 feet on the first and 18th holes.
"It was a 47-footer, playing like 45 feet, and I hit a 45-footer about four feet left of the hole and saw it track right on my line. I'm, like, 'Oh, my gosh, this might go in, too,'" DeChambeau told ASAP Sports. "And they both went in. Sometimes they go in. Sometimes they don't. It's just one of those things. These greens are really good out here. So it's fun seeing a ball roll and track on line and do what it's supposed to."
The entire golfing world was enthralled by the finish to last year's U.S. Open, where two late misses by McIlroy with the putter allowed DeChambeau to claim the title after an all-time-great bunker shot on the 72nd hole. However, the two didn't play together in the final group in that event. That changes Sunday, with a showdown for the ages on deck.
"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, and it's - you know, shoot, there's a lot of great players behind us, too. Got to be mindful of that and focus on - it's about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best."
