McIlroy Tied with Young After Surrendering Historic Lead at The Masters

Rory McIlroy's hopes of a consecutive Masters title suffered a significant setback after he squandered a six-shot lead, leaving him tied with Cameron Young heading into the final day. McIlroy, who had made history with the largest 36-hole lead in the tournament, saw his advantage evaporate after a slow start to his third round, which included dropping three shots in two holes around Amen Corner. Young, meanwhile, charged from eight shots behind to grab the clubhouse lead with a stunning seven-under 65. McIlroy responded with back-to-back birdies but bogeyed his penultimate hole, pulling him back alongside 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 and is one of eight players within four strokes of the lead. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler also charged back into contention with a 65, matching Young's score. McIlroy immediately lost ground with a two-shot swing at the first but regained momentum with a birdie at the third. However, he struggled to maintain his advantage, scrambling pars on several holes and failing to birdie the par-five eighth. Young, playing five groups ahead, closed the gap by 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 that he needs to improve his game to win. '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 here and try to figure it out. I'll need to be better tomorrow.'