Cameron Young surges at Masters, ties Rory McIlroy for lead

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Masters one-man show gave way to an open chase for the green jacket, with a stunning turn of events that forced Rory McIlroy to remember where he was at the end of Saturday instead of where he started.

The six-shot lead disappeared in 11 holes. Instead of just two players within six shots of him, there were nine players within six shots of McIlroy and co-leader Cameron Young at the end of the day.

“There are a lot of guys who have a chance tomorrow. I’m still tied for the best score for tomorrow, so I can’t forget that,” McIlroy said. “But I know I’m going to have to be better if I want to have a chance of winning.”

It was as if the coronation had begun when McIlroy entered the Masters record book with the largest 36-hole lead in history, even though the defending champion warned: “I know what can happen here, good and bad.”

The property belonged to Young, who showed a mix of power and composure that carried him to a 7-under 65, and Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player and two-time Masters champion, whose 65 took him from 12 shots behind to suddenly in the mix, just four behind.

The evil?

McIlroy was in the trees, in the water, in all sorts of places he’d rather not be, including sharing space at the top of the leaderboard. He finished with a 73, surprising only because it was the lowest average (70.63) ever recorded for a third round at Augusta National.

“I didn’t make it today,” McIlroy said before heading to the range to figure out what was wrong. He is last in the field in driving accuracy among the 54 players who made the cut, hitting just 21 of 42 fairways in three rounds.

Young set his own Masters record, becoming the first player to hold at least a share of the lead through 54 holes by starting eight shots behind.

But he was steady and brilliant, birdieing the par-3 fourth, converting a huge break when his tee shot at the par-5 13th crashed out of the tree and into the fairway, even recovering a bogey with a daring wedge from the same spot where he had just missed and into the water at the par-5 15th. He briefly took the lead with a 20-foot birdie on the 16th.

“You’re constantly aware that this place can bite you,” Young said. “So, to me, it’s just a very, very clear mandate that an easy par is never bad. And if you play that well, you’re going to work your way back to a few birdies at some point.”

They were at 11-under 205, one ahead of Sam Burns, who played bogey-free for a 68. Shane Lowry, who had a hole-in-one at the par-3 sixth hole to become the first player to have a pair of aces at the Masters, carded a 69 and was two shots behind. Jason Day and Justin Rose are three returning.

And suddenly, very much in the picture was Scheffler, who shot his lowest round ever at the Masters with a 65 despite failing to birdie the par 5s on the back nine for the third day in a row.

“We’ll see what happens this afternoon. I don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament,” Scheffler said.

What happened? Pretty much everything.

McIlroy was trudging along with pars when he holed his shot at the 10th for birdie. But his journey through Amen Corner might have made him want to say a few choice words.

His shot in the 11th went to the left and rolled into the water; he missed a 5-foot putt and made his first double bogey of the tournament. He shot his wedge on the par-3 12th over the green and chipped poorly, missing a par attempt from 15 feet. His drive on the par-5 13th sailed into the trees on the right for the third day in a row; his corner became long and he had to fight for par.

“There’s certainly no sure path,” Young said. “But at the same time, Rory loves being here. I don’t think anyone would have been surprised if he came out and shot 65. But if he opens the door, you have to take advantage of it.”

McIlroy at least stabilized after losing his mind. He made a 20-foot birdie on the 14th green to tie Young, then hit a beauty at the 15th to set up a two-putt birdie. But he was in the trees again on the 17th, left of the fairway, hit with a shot that crossed the green, and he fell back to par.

The top eight in the rankings, separated by four shots, include five major champions and four players who have been world No. 1.

Among those five shots off the lead are former Masters champion Patrick Reed, although he had to settle for a 72, and Patrick Cantlay, who opened the Masters with a 77 and became the first player in seven years to play bogey-free on consecutive days with rounds of 67-66.

McIlroy still has a good chance of joining Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as back-to-back winners at Augusta National. Young is trying to have the winner of the Players Championship win the Masters for three years in a row.

“I’m not owed anything. My past results don’t dictate what I do tomorrow,” Young said. “I have to earn everything I get from tomorrow, and the best way I know to do that is to try to attack the day like I did the last three.”

It was the second time a career Grand Slam champion lost a big lead on Saturday at the Masters. Jack Nicklaus led by five shots in 1975 when he shot 73 and fell one shot behind, only to win in what is considered one of the most exciting Sundays in Augusta National history.

Maybe another chapter will be in the works on Sunday. There is no shortage of suitors.