McIlroy leads Masters by two to caress the career Grand Slam at Augusta
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland pumps his fist on the No. 5 green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Rory McIlroy stands on the cusp of the career Grand Slam but will face his US Open nemesis Bryson DeChambeau for Masters glory,
The Co Down man built on a meteoric start and fired a blistering six-under 66 to take a two-shot lead over DeChambeau on 12-under into the final round at Augusta.
Winless in the majors for almost 11 years and looking to become just the sixth man to win all four, the world No 2 started with an unprecedented six successive threes — birdie-eagle-birdie-par-birdie-par — to briefly lead by four shots.
He. bogeyed the eighth and 10th to see his lead reduced to just one stroke, but birdied the 13th and spectacularly eagled the 15th to stretch his lead to four shots again.
Three closing pars left him three ahead on 12-under before DeChambeau, his nemesis in the US Open at Pinehurst No 2 last year, made an outrageous 45 footer for a closing birdie for a 69 to reduce the gap to two.
Bryson DeChambeau of the United States pumps his fist after a birdie on No. 18 as playing partner Justin Rose of England reads the green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Canadian Corey Conners shot 70 to sit alone in third in eight-under with Patrick Reed and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg tied for fourth on six-under after 69s.
Shane Lowry fought hard all day to remain in touch with his pal McIlroy but bogeyed the last two holes after pulls into the trees and carded a 72 that left him seven behind in a tie for sixth on five-under with Jason Day (71), Scottie Scheffler (72) and overnight leader Justin Rose (75).
It’s McIlroy's first outright lead heading into the final round of a major since he captured the 2014 PGA Championship for the most recent of his four Major wins.
But he knows it won’t be easy with Pinhurst bogey-man DeChambeau his biggest rival.
"I think the big thing is not to make it a rematch,” McIlroy said of his duel with DeChambeau. "Stay in my own, my own little world. There's a few other people on that leaderboard that could make a run.
"So I just have to do what I've been doing, surround myself in my own little cocoon and just get into my own little bubble.
“He'll do what he does. And, you know, I just have to stay firm, and just stay in my own little world."
McIlroy made the kind of start you imagine in your dreams - six straight threes in an event where nobody (since hole-by-hole records first began 40 years ago) had started with more than four in a row.
He murdered his opening tee shot 331 yards down the middle and had only 104 yards to the green.
A 10-footer duly dropped for birdie, but the roar that greeted it paled compared to the roar for his chip-in eagle at the second, where his drive caromed off the downslope of the fairway bunker and travelled 369 yards
Now 10-under, he was two clear of Rose and DeChambeau but soon extended his lead to three with a birdie from seven feet at the third.
Shane Lowry of Ireland plays a stroke from a bunker on the No. 18 hole during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
He two-putted the fourth from just off the green but birdied the difficult fifth with a towering approach to 18 feet to become the first player to start the Masters with five successive threes.
It was a start that brought back memories of Seve Ballesteros’ start in the final round of his second win in 1983 when the Spanish maestro started birdie-eagle-par-birdie and turned in 31.
“While we were in our Chevrolets,” Tom Kite said, “Seve was in his Ferrari.”
McIlroy's run of threes was under threat at the sixth, where he ran a 50-footer from the lower tier some nine feet past. But he inevitably made the par putt to remain three ahead.
Even when he drove into the trees right of the seventh, he hoisted a wedge close to the green and made a great pitch and putt par.
His drive cost him the chance to match Jodie Mudd’s Masters record of seven successive threes in a Masters round, but it was another par, and his rivals, bar Lowry, were struggling.
While Rose and DeChambeau bogeyed the seventh to fall four behind alongside Lowry, McIlroy bogeyed the eighth, bunkering his drive before airmailing the green with his third.
“F**k,” he said as his eight-footer for par dribbled right.
The Holywood star missed a five-footer at the ninth that would have put him three ahead again, then three putted the 10th from 58 feet, never threatening the hole with his eight-footer.
His lead was just one stroke over Conners and DeChambeau with eight to play.
After digging deep to save par from seven feet at the 11th after a weak chip from the front edge, he two-putted from off the back of the 12th for par but birdied the 13th with a chip to four feet to extend his lead to two over Conners.
After chipping and putting for par from behind at the 14th following a smart recovery from the left trees, McIlroy came to the 15th, which cost him a double bogey on Thursday.
He needed something extraordinary and produced one of the shots of his life — a 205-yard six-iron to six feet that prompted a little fist pump.
He made the eagle put to go four shots clear of Conners on 12-under and five ahead of Rose, Lowry and DeChambeau.
Lowry was tied for second with DeChambeau, three behind McIlroy, as he headed down the ninth.
He had almost chipped in at the first, birdied the second and third and followed a bogey at the fourth with a two at the sixth, only to drive into the trees at the ninth and make a bogey.
He parred his way through the first four holes on the back nine before making a 10-footer at the 14th to move up to third alongside DeChambeau, three behind McIlroy.
After missing from eight feet for a birdie at the 15th, he saved par from the same distance after bunkering his tee shot at the 16th and gave a fist pump.
But he pulled his last two tee shots into the trees and finished with two bogeys to card a 72 that left him tied for sixth on five-under.
