Defending champion Justin Rose maintained his spot atop the Masters leaderboard on Saturday, but Rory McIlroy took over in a heart-racing and lead-changing finish at Augusta National. The Northern Irishman drilled a wedge into 3 feet on the final hole to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as major winners with his first green jacket.
After a rough start, McIlroy hit his stride with birdies on Nos. 9 and 10 to move into the lead at four under. A bogey on the par-3 16th shook his confidence, but he came back with a birdie at 17. McIlroy then played the 18th safe and was rewarded with a five-foot putt for birdie to take a two-shot lead.
Bryson DeChambeau shot a four-under 68 to stay within striking distance of McIlroy, but he could face some trouble when the leaders are paired together in Sunday’s final round. The two-time U.S. Open winner will be joined by Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler at seven under as they chase their first green jackets.
Nick Dunlap made a huge turnaround after shooting a disastrous 18-over 90 in his Masters debut Thursday. He improved by 19 shots on Friday, but he still missed the cut. The 21-year-old is the youngest player in Masters history to shoot a 90.