McIlroy Tied with Young After Surrendering Historic Lead at The Masters

Rory McIlroy's bid for back-to-back titles at The Masters suffered a significant setback as he squandered a six-shot lead, leaving him tied with Cameron Young heading into the final day. McIlroy, who held the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, saw his advantage evaporate after a slow start to his third round, which included three dropped shots in two holes around Amen Corner. Young, meanwhile, surged into contention with a stunning seven-under 65, grabbing the clubhouse lead. McIlroy responded with consecutive birdies from the 14th 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. 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 day began with a two-shot swing at the first, as he made bogey while Burns posted a birdie-birdie start. Reed also opened with three consecutive birdies to quickly cut the advantage to two. However, McIlroy regained momentum with a two-putt birdie at the par-four third, lifting him four ahead when Reed carded successive bogeys. The lead continued to fluctuate, with Young closing in after reaching the turn in 32 and starting his second nine with a birdie. McIlroy started his second nine with a birdie but found water with his approach into the par-four 11th, leading to a double-bogey. He followed this with another dropped shot at the par-three 12th, giving Young the outright advantage for the first time. McIlroy birdied the 14th and 15th to edge back ahead, but a bogey at the par-four 17th pulled him back alongside Young. "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 included eight birdies and a lone bogey, while Burns posted a blemish-free 68 to bolster his hopes of a maiden major. Lowry became the first player to post multiple aces at The Masters, and is just two back. The final round begins at 4:30 pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Golf.