Roars, Rors and 'rematch' with Bryson
McIlroy-DeChambeau headline Sunday Masters showdown; Lowry hot about cold finish
Rory McIlroy walked off 18 with a 2-shot lead that could’ve been more (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
The 89th Masters has turned into Pinehurst revisited — but this time with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau going head-to-head in the final pairing with a very small cushion on potential chargers coming after them.
McIlroy fired his second consecutive 6-under 66 to climb to 12-under par and stake himself to a two-shot lead over DeChambeau, who rallied with three birdies on the last four holes to set up a potential duel between two of the most electric champions in golf with a Masters green jacket on the line.
It’s the same final protagonists from the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 where McIlroy faltered after taking the lead late and DeChambeau hit the long-bunker hero shot on the last to break the Northern Irishman’s heart.
“Biggest thing is not to make it a rematch and stay in my own little world,” said McIlroy.
Keeping the two lead dogs honest is a meaty lineup of potential spoilers hoping to make a Sunday charge. Canadian Corey Conners is alone in third at 8-under, with 2018 Masters champ Patrick Reed and last year’s runner-up Ludvig Åberg sharing fourth at 6-under. The quartet of major winners at 5-under includes defending champ Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Jason Day and Justin Rose.
The story of the day was McIlroy. He got off to an absolutely soaring start, picking right up where he left off on his back nine Friday that elevated him into the thick of the picture.
Starting two and one shot behind Rose and DeChambeau, respectively, McIlroy turned the opening hour of his final round into an Irish dance party as he lit up the opening holes like no player in history ever has.
McIlroy started 3-3-3-3-3 — 5-under through five holes — and turned his two-shot deficit into as much as a four-shot lead. No player in Masters history has ever made five consecutive 3s to start a tournament round. He added a sixth straight 3 at No. 6.
“Obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did,” McIlroy said. “Hit two perfect shots on 1 and converted. Felt like I hit sort of three perfect shots on 2. Three perfect shots on 3. It was such a great way to start, and you know, just to come out of the blocks like that.”
His 12-footer for birdie on the first sent an audible message to the leaders walking off the first tee behind him that McIlroy was ready to play. But it was his delicate curling pitch-in for eagle from 18 yards behind the second green that drew the kind of roar only Augusta is famous for. The course was tangibly crackling with excitement as he put himself in the lead for the first time.
After another birdie at the third and a solid par from off the edge on the fourth kept his momentum going, when he buried an 18-footer for yet another birdie on No. 5 the delirium rose another decibal level.
Lowry, who started with two birdies in the first three holes himself, said the energy was distracting.
“I got off to a great start. There was an unbelievable atmosphere out there,” Lowry said. “Rory obviously was playing good behind and the roars, you had to stand off it a little bit, wait for those to happen, wait for him to get the shots.”
To that point, McIlroy had played his last 14 holes going back to his 3-3-3-3 start on the back side Friday in 10-under par.
The potential was there to pull away with the par-5 eighth — the easiest hole on the course — in front of him, but McIlroy made his first bogey of the week instead when he caught the lip trying to escape the fairway bunker and then missed a 10-footer to save par.
On the ninth, he bombed his drive to the bottom of the hill and stuck a brilliant wedge to 5 feet of the difficult back pin only to miss the bounce-back birdie opportunity. Then on the 10th he had his second three-putt of the week for another bogey and his brief four-shot lead was down to one.
Two scrambling pars on 11 and 12 righted the ship and McIlroy had the two par-5s in front of him.
“I had that a little bit of a wobble around the turn there with the bogey on 8, the missed chance on 9 and then the three-putt on 10,” he said. “I thought that the par putt on 11 was huge, just to sort of get some momentum back. You know, to get through 11 and 12 at even par was great. And then, you know, all I was trying to do then was take advantage of the par 5s coming in, and thankfully I was able to do that.”
On 13 he got up and down for birdie. Then at 15, where his opening round went off the rails with the first of two doubles, McIlroy hit a towering 6-iron from 205 yards to 6 feet that was so pure he started walking behind it before the ball reached its apex.
DeChambea and patrons erupt after 48-foot birdie on 18 Saturday (Joel Marklund/Masters)
The resulting eagle lifted him back to a four-shot lead. But McIlroy failed to convert another par-breaker from there — missing a big chance from 8 feet on 17 — while DeChambeau made birdies at 15, 16 and 18 to close the gap to two shots heading into a Sunday showdown.
“Tomorrow in that final group is going to be — it’s going to be a little rowdy and a little loud,” McIlroy said. “I’m just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down and, you know, sort of approach tomorrow with the same attitude that I have tried to approach the last three days with.”
DeChambeau, whose 48-foot birdie putt on 18 extended his reputation as a serial shot-stealer on 18th holes at majors, is gung-ho for a showdown with the world No. 2.
“It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it,” he said. “We both want to win really, really badly. Shoot, there’s a lot of great players behind us, too. Got to be mindful of that and focus on … it’s about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best. … It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
Bogeys at the last two holes damaged Shane Lowry’s hopes to challenge Sunday (David Paul Morris/Masters)
Lowry runs hot without a cooldown
Shane Lowry was rightfully livid. Just minutes after a bogey-bogey finish greatly diminished his hopes of winning a green jacket on Sunday, he was struggling to articulate his disappointment as professionally as possible.
What was shaping up into a perfect day for Ireland soured on the last two holes when Lowry bogeyed 17 and 18 to finish level par 72 on the day and instead of claiming a spot in one of the last two pairings he fell into a tie for sixth.
“I felt like I let a really good day go there at the end, so I’m obviously disappointed,” said a gutted Lowry, who sits seven shots behind Rory McIlroy’s lead.
“It’s just a very unfortunate finish. I’m very disappointed, but that’s this game,” Lowry said. “If I play the way I can play, I’ll be there or thereabouts tomorrow.”
It was tough end to what was shaping up to be a great day for Irishmen on the leaderboard. McIlroy stormed to the lead while Lowry was contending for a spot beside him in the final pairing. When Lowry birdied the 14th hole, he was 7-under and just three behind McIlroy and only a shot out of second place.
But he missed an 8-footer for birdie on 15. After a huge par-save on 16 drew a fist pump from Lowry, he pulled his drive on 17 into a tree. He gave himself a good chance to recover but lipped out a 3-footer for par that was hit a little too firm.
Another pulled drive on 18 had him scrambling again and he failed to save par from a short-sided greenside bunker.
“Yeah, a lot of pain, especially those last two holes,” Lowry said. “I enjoyed every bit of today and then I hit that putt on 17 and I couldn’t believe it. I thought I did great holing one back and then just hit a very poor tee shot on 18.”
No matter how close his relationship is with McIlroy, Lowry was in no mood in that moment to talk about it.
“I’m not going to stand here and talk about Rory for 10 minutes,” he said. “I’m trying to win the tournament, as well. I know that’s what y’all want me to talk about, but I’ve just had a shit finish. I’ve got a chance to win the Masters tomorrow, and I’m going to go hit some balls.”
Media obligation and protocol has been a hot topic recently since Collin Morikawa declined to talk after losing a lead late at Bay Hill in March. Morikawa said later he “didn’t owe anything” to the media and it created a stir.
Lowry referenced that narrative even as he stood there and fielded a few questions like a pro.
“I’m going to go,” he said. “We talked about Collin Morikawa a few weeks ago. I think we need time. I think I need a half an hour now to sit there and gather my thoughts. I can’t be coming to talk to you guys straightaway. It shouldn’t be happening. I don’t agree with it.
“Tennis players have to talk to the media, but they have a half an hour or hour before they have to do it. I feel like we should have the same thing. That’s how I feel. I’m probably going to say something stupid. I probably already have said something stupid because I’m pissed off right now. I’m just going to leave, okay?”
It was a fair point, considering he was standing at the podium within a few minutes of signing his scorecard. His candor under tough circumstances was greatly appreciated.