Cameron Young reels in Rory McIlroy with pack on their tails for Masters finale

Rory McIlroy began this Masters in the company of Cameron Young and will finish it in the company of Cameron Young. McIlroy arrived at this tournament as the holder of the Green Jacket. By Sunday night he will …? Goodness only knows. Day three proved predictions are a fool’s errand at the Masters.

Such drama played out at Augusta National on Saturday that by close of play it was extraordinary to see McIlroy’s name still atop the leaderboard, albeit now with Young for scoring company. Both are 11 under par. From holding a six-shot lead at the start of the round – and eight over Young – McIlroy inexplicably wobbled. His 73 was one involving intense struggle. “I knew today wouldn’t be easy,” said McIlroy. “I didn’t quite have it today. I’ll need to be better tomorrow.”

Events of 2025 matter in this context. Were McIlroy not already a Masters champion, there would be reason to worry about the impact of his 36-hole lead evaporating. Instead, while McIlroy is desperate to retain his title he is at least playing with house money. Unlike Young – and Sam Burns, who is one adrift – McIlroy has emerged successfully from this movie before.

Young’s standing here is incredible. He was four over par after the front nine of his first round. He has played his subsequent stretch in 15 under. He displays an unflappable attitude that will prove useful on Masters Sunday. Helpful, too, will be Young’s Players Championship success only last month.

Rory McIlroy looks frustrated and perhaps relieved after his par on the 18th hole. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

“I like the position I’m in,” said Young after his 65. “If you had said on Thursday at about noon that I was even going to be within a couple of the lead going into Sunday, I would have taken it in a heartbeat, especially given the fact that I was watching Rory play.

“Out here that’s so much of the battle. You’re going to get good breaks, you’re going to get bad ones. You’re going to hit a bad shot or two. The ability to just swallow it and move on and go hit your next shot, the emotions of it, the frustration, whatever it may be, I think this place really punishes you if you play angry or impatient.”

McIlroy’s woes started on the opening hole. An overhit approach shot left a putt into the grain from the fringe. He was too delicate, with a bogey the consequence. Up ahead, Patrick Reed was reaching nine under to McIlroy’s minus 11 courtesy of three birdies in a row. McIlroy steadied himself by collecting a shot on the 3rd but an elite pack was hovering. McIlroy played the remainder of the front nine in even par, thanks to some acts of escapology that Paul Daniels would applaud.

At the 10th, McIlroy hit a terrific approach to set up a birdie. Things took a conspicuous twist on the next hole, where McIlroy clipped a tree with his drive and found water with his second. A double bogey cut his lead over Young to only one. McIlroy’s issue looked a technical one rather than between his ears; a pulled short iron to the 12th meant a cry of “Oh no!” and a bogey, which left the reigning champion behind. Young had reached the leaderboard’s summit with a birdie on the 16th.

McIlroy needed a spark. It failed to arrive at the 13th, where he drove into pine straw and had to scramble a par. Instead, McIlroy matched Young’s score with a converted putt from 19ft on the 14th. The birdie felt significant; with two towering strikes, he was on the dancefloor at the par-five 15th. With a four, he was the man to beat again. This was exhausting, exhilarating stuff.

Shane Lowry accepts the crowd’s acclaim after his hole-in-one on the 6th. He is on nine under par, two shots off the lead. Photograph: Ashley Landis/AP

McIlroy’s 16th was noneventful. His drive flew right on the penultimate hole. “Give me back my son!” roared a member of the crowd, who presumably will be propping up a bridge over the I-20 to Atlanta by tomorrow morning. McIlroy’s second cleared the green, from where he could not rescue par. He cut a rueful figure on the final green as more than five hours of toil concluded. Burns, alongside McIlroy, signed for an impressive 68. McIlroy was the only player among the top 19 names on the board to score over par. No wonder he headed for the practice ground.

General chaos was playing out elsewhere. Rafa Nadal, again part of the galleries, looked enthralled. Li Haotong, very much a part of this conversation at seven under, topped his ball into the water on the 15th. “I had some negative thoughts on my backswing,” said Li. Shane Lowry became just the seventh man in history to ace the 6th. The hole-in-one inspired Lowry, who is only two from the lead. “I thought if Rory could shoot a 68 today he might run away with the tournament,” Lowry said. But he did not and he did not.

Lowry added: “We all know it’s all about tomorrow. Obviously it matters today, but when we get to tomorrow, that’s when we’ll see what everyone is made of.”

Jason Day rolled back the years with a 68 to sit one shy of Lowry. Justin Rose is also eight under after a 69. Scottie Scheffler took umbrage with an “awful” question – which was actually perfectly valid – from a member of the media in the aftermath of his 65. Scheffler is at minus seven alongside Li. It would be daft to write off the world No 1. Reed’s chances were perhaps fatally harmed by a bogey at the last, which slid him back to six under.

As dust settled, it was worth remembering this was only Saturday. Scriptwriters should turn to Augusta National for lessons.