1 of 2 | Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) It wasnt the course that caught up to Rory McIlroy in the third round of the Masters as much as it was the rest of the field.
And perhaps his wayward driver.
McIlroy finally left an opening and several other players charged back into contention in the third round, setting up a potentially pulsating Sunday finish at Augusta National, where McIlroy and Cameron Young share the lead but six other players are now within four shots .
The course was obviously gettable, McIlroy said after his third-round 73 cost him what was a six-stroke lead through 36 holes. There was a lot of good scores out there, and obviously the quality of the chasing pack is obvious. There was a lot of guys that shot good scores.
Saturdays average score of 70.63 was the lowest in Masters history in a third round. But McIlroy ranks dead last in driving accuracy among the post-cut field, and that made it hard for him to continue the run of birdies that built his big lead Friday. He also hit the ball into the water on No. 11 and made a damaging double bogey.
Now McIlroy, trying to become the fourth player to win twice in a row at this tournament, will play in the final group with Young, who is seeking his first major championship.
Ill probably give myself some time to think about it right now for the next 30 minutes or so. After that, its kind of a battle of managing how you want to react to those things, Young said. To me, its just a matter of going right back to how am I going to run my day tomorrow, what time am I going to get here, so I can eat, so I can go see the physio? Its just going to be back to my routine, and thats what Im going to lean on.
McIlroy is No. 2 in the world rankings, one spot ahead of Young. The last time two of the top three players in the rankings were in the final group at the Masters was 2001, when Tiger Woods was No. 1 and Phil Mickelson was No. 2. Woods ended up winning by two strokes over David Duval.
Scottie Scheffler, the current No. 1, shot 65 on Saturday to move within striking distance, but hes four shots behind Young, who also shot 65, and McIlroy. The two leaders are at 11 under par. Sam Burns is at 10 under, followed by Shane Lowry another stroke back.
Jason Day and Justin Rose are at 8 under.
Rose shot 66 in the final round last year to force a playoff, but ultimately lost to McIlroy.
The whole field is not going to help you out, put it that way, Rose said. Its going to take a special round tomorrow, so theres a chance, which is great. Im going to try to channel a bit of last year and see what happens.
AP golf:
美联社佐治亚州奥古斯塔电 —— 在美国大师赛第三轮中，罗里·麦克罗伊（Rory McIlroy）的失利与其说是球场所致，不如说是其他选手的表现更胜一筹。
或许还有他那任性的司机。
麦克罗伊在第三轮比赛中终于露出破绽，其他几位选手趁机迎头赶上，为奥古斯塔国家高尔夫俱乐部的决赛日埋下激动人心的伏笔。目前麦克罗伊与卡梅伦·杨并列领先，但另有六名选手仅落后四杆之差。
“这个球场显然是可以征服的，”麦克罗伊在第三轮打出73杆、葬送了自己36洞后六杆领先优势后说道。“今天出现了很多好成绩，追赶军团的实力有目共睹，确实有不少选手都打出了亮眼的杆数。”
周六第三轮比赛的平均杆数70.63杆，创下美国大师赛历史最低纪录。但麦克罗伊在晋级选手中开球准确率垫底，这使他难以延续周五连续抓鸟建立的优势。此外，他还在第11洞将球击入水中，吞下致命双柏忌。
如今，麦克罗伊正力争成为该赛事历史上第四位蝉联冠军的选手，他将与首次冲击大满贯的选手扬同组进行决赛。
杨表示："我可能会给自己一点时间，大约30分钟左右来思考这件事。之后，如何应对这些事情就成了一场管理情绪的战斗。" "对我来说，关键在于重新规划明天的日程——几点到达这里才能按时吃饭、去做理疗？一切将回归日常节奏，而这正是我要依赖的。"
麦克罗伊目前位居世界排名第二位，领先杨一杆。上一次世界排名前三的选手中两人同时进入美国大师赛决赛组还要追溯到2001年，当时泰格·伍兹排名第一，菲尔·米克尔森位列第二。最终伍兹以两杆优势战胜大卫·杜瓦尔夺冠。
现排名世界第一的斯科蒂·舍夫勒周六打出65杆，成功逼近领先集团，但仍落后同样打出65杆的卡梅隆·杨和罗里·麦克罗伊四杆。两位领先者以低于标准杆11杆的成绩领跑，山姆·伯恩斯以低于标准杆10杆紧随其后，肖恩·劳瑞再落后一杆。
贾森·戴和贾斯汀·罗斯以低于标准杆8杆的成绩暂列榜首。
去年决赛轮，罗斯打出66杆的成绩，将比赛拖入加时赛，但最终不敌麦克罗伊。
罗斯表示：“这么说吧，整个赛场不会对你手下留情。明天需要一场特别的发挥才有机会，但这很棒。我会试着找回一点去年的状态，看看结果如何。”
美联社高尔夫频道：
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