AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rory McIlroy never seems to make anything easy at the Masters.
Year after year, for more than a decade, the Northern Irishman threw away chances at completing the career grand slam. When he finally accomplished the feat last year, McIlroy did it only after recovering from a ball put in the water on the back nine and a bogey at the 18th hole in regulation, eventually beating Justin Rose in a playoff for the coveted green jacket.
In other words, that record 36-hole lead of six that McIlroy carried into the third round on Saturday? It meant nothing.
And nothing is exactly what it was shortly after he made the turn.
McIlroy’s roller coaster round included three bogeys, four birdies, and a double-bogey for a score of 73, which dropped him to 11 under for the tournament. More importantly, hot rounds by just about everyone else on the leaderboard put the pressure on, with Cameron Young’s third-round 65 putting him at 11 under as well, leaving McIlroy paired with him for the final round on Sunday.
“You know, there’s a lot of guys in with a chance tomorrow,” 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.”
Indeed, McIlroy and Young will have to worry about more than just each other.
Sam Burns is one shot back, while Shane Lowry rode his second career Masters ace to a 68 that left him at 9 under. Rose and Jason Day are another shot back, while Scottie Scheffler’s round of 65 put him at 7 under and in the hunt for a third green jacket.
“There’s certainly no lead that’s safe out here,” Young said, “but at the same time, Rory loves it here, and he’s obviously playing some great golf. I don’t think anybody would have been surprised if he went out there and shot 65 today. It’s one of those things where if he does open the door, you have to take advantage of it.”
McIlroy tried to take all the drama out of this edition of the Masters when he paired an opening 67 with a 65 on Friday.
But drama is precisely what he brings to Augusta National every year.
There was 2011, when McIlroy led by three making the turn, pulled his tee shot left of No. 10 into the cabins, made triple bogey, and went on to shoot 80. There was 2016, when he played in the final round with Jordan Spieth but shot 77 and finished tied for 10th. And there was 2018, when he was in the final pairing with Patrick Reed and wound up finishing six shots back.
Last year, it seemed that McIlroy had finally buried his Masters demons with his playoff victory.
They surfaced yet again on Saturday.
It started with an inauspicious bogey at the first hole, but McIlroy quickly recovered with a couple of birdies to reach 13 under. The real trouble began at the 11th, when he was standing in the middle of the fairway with momentum on his side. His approach shot bounced in front of the green, took a left turn, and plopped into the pond, leaving quiet ripples across the water.
McIlroy’s eventual bogey putt did a 90-degree lip-out, and the double bogey sent him falling back to the field.
“Yeah,” he said later, “this golf course has a way of — you know, when you’re not quite feeling it, you struggle.”
McIlroy followed with another bogey at the par-3 12th, when he pulled his tee shot left of the green and was unable to save par. And when it looked as if he had regained his composure with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14 and 15, he proceeded to pull his tee shot at the 17th into a stand of pine trees, leading to another bogey that dropped him into a tie with Young at 11 under.
“I thought if Rory could shoot a 68 today he might run away with the tournament,” said Lowry, his good buddy. “But the thing is, it’s not easy to go out and go after it when you’re at the top of the leaderboard.”
McIlroy was still at the top of the leaderboard, though, after a wild third round Saturday at Augusta National.
It’s where he’ll start the final round on Sunday, too.
“I have to look at the positives, even though there aren’t that many to take today,” McIlroy said. “You know, I did bounce back. I hit some good shots coming in. But yeah, I’m in great position. I just know I need to be better tomorrow to have a chance.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
