McIlroy Tied with Young after Historic Lead Slips Away 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, struggled to maintain his momentum on Saturday, dropping three shots in two holes around Amen Corner. Young, meanwhile, charged from eight strokes behind to take the clubhouse lead with a stunning seven-under 65. McIlroy recovered with consecutive birdies from the 14th hole 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 fired a hole-in-one during his third-round 68, is among eight players within four strokes of the lead. McIlroy and Young will go out together in the final group on Sunday, with McIlroy acknowledging he needs to improve if he is to claim victory. '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.'