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 began the weekend with the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, struggled to maintain his momentum, dropping three 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 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, while Shane Lowry, who carded a hole-in-one during his third-round 68, is among eight players within four strokes of the lead. McIlroy's collapse began with a two-shot swing at the first, where he made bogey as Burns birdied. Reed also cut into McIlroy's advantage with three consecutive birdies to start his round. However, McIlroy regained momentum with a two-putt birdie at the third, only to see Young close the gap with a strong start to his round. Lowry jumped into the group tied for second with a hole-in-one at the sixth, while Li also pushed into contention with a tap-in eagle at the eighth. McIlroy scrambled pars on the fourth, sixth, and seventh but failed to birdie the eighth, allowing Young to close the gap. Young reached the turn in 32 and started his second nine with a birdie, applying pressure on McIlroy. McIlroy started his second nine with a birdie but found water with his approach into the 11th, leading to a double-bogey. Young took the outright lead with a 25-foot birdie at the 16th, only for McIlroy to edge back ahead with back-to-back birdies from the 14th. However, McIlroy bogeyed his final hole to slip back alongside Young, setting up a thrilling final-round showdown. "I would have liked to be in a better position, but I still have a great chance," McIlroy said. "I'm in the final group, which is where you want to be. I wish I had a cushion, but I'll need to be better tomorrow." Young's 65, which featured eight birdies and a lone bogey, has put him in prime position to challenge for his maiden major. Burns, meanwhile, bolstered his chances with a blemish-free 68, while Lowry became the first player to post multiple aces at The Masters. The final round begins at 4:30 pm on Sunday, with full coverage available on Sky Sports Golf.