Justin Rose responds to Rory McIlroy’s struggles on day three at The Masters as he moves into contention

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Justin Rose has once again played his way into a strong position to win The Masters on Sunday at Augusta National.

Rose made a six-under-par 66 in the final round last year to tie Rory McIlroy at -11 before losing in a playoff hole.

The Englishman is now looking to go one better this weekend by beating McIlroy and Cameron Young to win the Green Jacket.

Rose has revealed whether McIlroy’s struggles on day three at Augusta changed his approach towards catching him.

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Justin Rose reacts to Rory McIlroy’s 73 on day three at The Masters

McIlroy entered the third round on Saturday with a record-breaking six-shot lead, and some expected him to extend his advantage.

Instead, the Northern Irishman struggled with pulled and pushed shots throughout the round and could only shoot a 73 (+1).

He remains co-leader of the tournament, but his vulnerability has given Rose and the chasing pack more hope.

However, Rose insisted in his post-round interview that McIlroy’s woes did not “change anything” about his approach.

“I just know it’s all to play for,” he said. “It wouldn’t really change anything anyway, to be honest with you.

“I felt like there were enough good players at 10, 11, and guys were getting into double digits.

“I was seven, eight, and I knew I was going to have to keep going forward and pushing, irrelevant of Rory.

“I was aware that he wasn’t kind of stretching it out, so kind of made it feel like [it was] all to play for.”

Rose is not just competing with McIlroy for the Green Jacket, meaning he will need to bring his A-game to beat the many contenders.

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Justin Rose needs another ‘special’ final round at The Masters

Rose was unfortunate not to win The Masters last year after taking McIlroy to a playoff with a final-round 66.

This time, only three shots behind the leaders, another 66 could finally be enough to get his hands on a Green Jacket.

While Rose did not provide a specific target, he knows it will take something ‘special’ to see off the world-class competition.

“It’s going to take a special round, but I think that’s a fun spot to be in,” he added. “I don’t have to lose any sleep over it.

“Tomorrow is all upside, where you are swinging freely, going for it, and trying to post a number, and have some fun along the way.

“I would love to be three better and have some better stuff, because that would give me a better chance to win, but at the same time, three back is doable.

“There are a few more guys in the mix now. Cam Young is playing great golf. Sam has stood up the last couple of days, playing in the final group today, and played well. So there are some guys to contend with.

“Sometimes if you have one guy at the front, you hope for a bit of a mistake or two, but I am going to have to move through a few guys, which won’t be easy.”

Rose might be the most popular champion at Augusta on Sunday, as the patrons feel he deserves to win after several close calls.

Read more:

• What Rory McIlroy did on the range after his third round is not a good sign for his Masters hopes
• Dan Rapaport names player who he is ‘afraid’ of on Masters Sunday after backing Scottie Scheffler to win
• Scottie Scheffler told what he needs to shoot on Sunday to win The Masters for a third time