McIlroy Tied with Young After Historic Collapse at The Masters

Rory McIlroy's bid for back-to-back Masters titles suffered a significant setback as he squandered a record six-shot lead, leaving him tied with Cameron Young heading into the final round. McIlroy, who held the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, saw his chances slip away with a slow start to his third round, dropping three shots in two holes around Amen Corner. Young, meanwhile, surged from eight strokes behind to take the clubhouse lead with a stunning seven-under 65. McIlroy responded with consecutive birdies from the 14th but bogeyed his penultimate hole, pulling him level with Young on 11 under after a third-round 73. Sam Burns is just a shot off the pace in third, ahead of Shane Lowry, who fired a hole-in-one during his third-round 68. Lowry is one of eight players within four strokes of the lead, with Justin Rose and Jason Day sharing fifth place. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler also charged back into contention with a 65. McIlroy's round was marked by a two-shot swing at the first, where he made bogey and Burns posted a birdie-birdie start. McIlroy regained momentum with a two-putt birdie at the par-four third but struggled to maintain his advantage. Young closed the gap with a strong start, reaching the turn in 32 and starting his second nine with a birdie. The pair will go out together in the final group on Sunday, with McIlroy acknowledging he needs to improve to claim the title. 'I would have wanted to be in a better position going into tomorrow, starting with a six-shot lead, but I still have a great chance,' McIlroy said. 'I'm in the final group, which is exactly where you want to be. I wish I had a little bit more of a cushion, but I'm going to go to the range and try to figure it out. I'll need to be better tomorrow.' Young's 65 was marked by eight birdies and a lone bogey, while Burns posted a blemish-free 68 to bolster his hopes of a maiden major. Lowry's hole-in-one made him the first player to post multiple aces at The Masters, leaving him just two strokes off the lead.