Rory McIlroy heads into the final round of the 2026 Masters on Sunday tied with Cameron Young at 11 under par after giving back a six-shot lead with a third-round 73 at Augusta National. The pair will tee off in the final group at 2:25 p.m. ET, replaying the pairing that dominated the leaderboard for the first two rounds.
The Collapse That Wasn’t Quite
McIlroy started Saturday cruising. Through nine holes he was still four shots clear, and the chatter in the press room had shifted from “who catches Rory?” to “is back-to-back possible?” Then came the back nine. Bogeys at 10 and 12, a double on the par-5 13th, and a missed four-footer on 16 stopped the comfort drive dead. Young, who had been methodical all day, picked up three shots over the same stretch and walked off 18 in a dead heat.
Chasing History
Victory on Sunday would make McIlroy only the fourth man to win back-to-back Masters, joining Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. It would also complete what many consider the most dominant two-year stretch in the career of any European golfer. A loss — after the third-round stumble — would make Saturday’s collapse the defining story of his decade.
Young’s Moment
Cameron Young has been the breakout American of the 2025 and 2026 majors seasons. The Players Champion is playing in only his fourth Masters and has yet to win a major. His game — long off the tee, clinical with his putter — is tailor-made for Augusta’s back nine. Bookmakers have him at roughly even odds with McIlroy heading into Sunday’s final round, which tees off at 2:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
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