Are we suffering from deja vu? Going into the final round of the 90th Masters Tournament, I feel like this, mostly because of the guy at the top.
Rory McIlroy entered the weekend with the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history, taking the lead by six strokes with a total of 12 under. By Saturday evening, he had fallen to 11 under and tied for joint lead with Cameron Young.
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With the lowest third-round average score in Masters history (70.630), most of the players in contention took advantage of it, with the exception of McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, who both shot 1-over 73s.
Once again, he faces a final round pairing with McIlroy, but this time it’s Young instead of Bryson DeChambeau.
So who wins? Well, the past nine Masters champions came out of Sunday’s final group. Going back further, only five of the past 35 champions have not made it into the final group in the final round.
The last player from outside the final group to win was Danny Willett in 2016. He was in the fourth to last group. In this Masters Sunday Cheat Sheet, this race feels very open, so that’s what we’ll cover. Here’s a quick look at the top eight players for each combination.
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Final bracket (2:25pm ET): Rory McIlroy (-11) & Cameron Young (-11)
mcilroy
Saturday snapshot: McIlroy took the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history, shooting a 1-over 73, and yet somehow still holds joint lead at 11 under. Jack Nicklaus told McIlroy earlier this week that he didn’t need a double bogey. Now, on the par-4 11th hole, his second shot went into the water, and it ended up being his first double of the tournament. There were signs of a fine 7-under 65 from the previous day, including some good putts and approach shots, but McIlroy said he needs to calm down Sunday, adjust his driver and remember he’s already earned the green jacket — something he has to remind himself of.
Here’s what winning means: McIlroy becomes the fourth player in Masters history to appear in back-to-back matches, joining Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. When he finally won at Augusta last year, it was like a pressure cooker, his first release in almost 11 years. It’s just a matter of how many more games he can win and further solidify his status as one of the greatest players of all time. This is his 30th win on tour.
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Key quote after round 3: “I think I’m going to play a little more freely and play like I already have the green jacket, which I actually do. Sometimes I might have to remind myself of that, but I also think it’s going to make betting just a little bit easier in terms of pairings and things like that. You know, the atmosphere there will be a little easier. No, I’m not worried about that at all. I wish I could hit it a little more, but it’s comfortable. I played with Cam for the first two days. I’ll play with him again tomorrow. I think it’s a comfortable group for both of us. ”
young
Saturday snapshot: Young entered Saturday’s round with an eight-stroke lead over McIlroy. After shooting a 7-under 65, he became the first player in Masters history to overcome a 36-hole lead of eight strokes or more to at least share a 54-hole lead. This is in stark contrast to the first nine holes of the tournament on Thursday, when Young was 4-over. Tiger Woods (1997) is the only player in Masters history to win by hitting 40 or higher in the first nine holes of the first round. The reigning Players champion had a mostly clean card, except for a bogey on No. 15 in the third round. His eight-birdie bonanza began on the par-4 third, highlighted by a chip-in on the fourth and a long putt on the 16th to tie for the lead.
Here’s what winning means: This is Young’s first major victory and third on tour. He also becomes the third consecutive player to win The Players and also win the Masters in the same season, joining McIlroy (25) and Scottie Scheffler (24).
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Key quotes after round 3: “I don’t think I’m going to be a fan favorite (tomorrow), but I certainly feel the support. Some of the fans who support me have gotten louder over the past year. I think it’s still lopsided. Lowry is kind of the world’s favorite in the golf world. If I was in the same situation a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have had much, and now I probably would have a little more. So I’m going to take what I’m getting. I’m going to be content with that.” ”
Penultimate Pairing (2:14 PM EDT): Sam Barnes (-10) & Shane Lowry (-9)
Burn
Saturday snapshot: Burns was the only player besides McIlroy and Young to reach double digits under par on Saturday, but Burn was slower with a 4-under 68. While McIlroy appeared to be fraying his pairing, Burns made some half-hearted par saves and escaped with a clean card. A slow burn isn’t bad, but with McIlroy and Young in front of him and stars like Justin Rose and close friend Scheffler breathing down his neck, Burns will need another similar round, and perhaps more, to be the last one standing.
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Here’s what winning means: This was Burns’ first major victory and his sixth on tour. He hasn’t won in 1,113 days since Match Play in 2023.
Key quotes after round 3: “I can’t control what other people do. The only thing I can control is how I behave and my attitude. That’s what I want to focus on.”
lowry
Saturday snapshot: Lowry got a boost Saturday with a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole. Exactly the 7th hole in Masters history. He was able to pick up two more strokes besides his ace, posting a 4-under 68.
Here’s what winning means: This is Lowry’s second major title after the British Open in 2019. This is also the second consecutive victory for a player from the Emerald Isle. Lowry is for Ireland, while McIlroy is for Northern Ireland. The two are close friends and Lowry was there last year to celebrate McIlroy’s win. Lowry has won three times on tour, the last time partnering with McIlroy to win the 2024 Zurich Classic.
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Key quotes after round 3: “Maybe it’s just me (laughs)” — when asked what he thought about him and holes-in-ones (he made one on the 16th in the final round in 2016).
Third-to-last pairing (2:03 PM EDT): Jason Day (-8) & Justin Rose (-8)
day
Saturday snapshot: The third round of the day started and ended with a bogey, but he made six birdies during that time and moved up to 8 under par. He finished T-8 in 2025, his best finish since finishing runner-up in his Masters debut in 2011.
Here’s what winning means: This is Day’s second major title after winning the 2015 PGA Championship. He has won 13 times on tour, the last time coming in 2023 at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
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Key quotes after round 3: “My goal is to get into the lead into the (first) nine innings tomorrow. If I can do that, great. Then I’ll try to position myself somewhere near the lead on the backside and give myself a chance.”
rose
Saturday snapshot: Rose improved by three strokes through Saturday’s round. It was a clean card with three consistent birdies. He has typically gotten off to a strong start at Augusta with a 70-69-69 record, but a three-shot deficit to start Sunday means he will have to adopt Day’s philosophy of cutting into the lead early and coming back on the second shot.
Here’s what winning means: Rose lost in the Masters playoffs a year ago. Although it is not often talked about, roses are also experiencing a major drought. It’s been about 13 years since he won his only major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose, 45, will become the second-oldest Masters champion in history after Nicklaus, who was 46 in 1986, and ahead of Woods, who was 43 in 2019.
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Key quotes after round 3: “I’m comfortable here, but I’m never satisfied here. I feel like there’s always something to learn, something to push forward. You always have to respect the golf course, and I think you’ll see that again this year…If you enjoy your experience here Monday through Wednesday, I don’t think you’ll be able to enjoy another golf shot the rest of the week, because there’s high risk and high reward on every shot you hit here.”
Fourth-to-last pairing (1:52 p.m. ET): Scottie Scheffler (-7) & Haotong Li (-7)
Schaeffler
Saturday snapshot: The world No. 1 player started the day at even par, but ended up on a tear and finished at 7 under par. He took an eagle on the second hole and made five birdies, but the new father of two is firmly on the team after a round of 65.
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Here’s what winning means: First, a win would likely absolve the storyline of Scheffler’s game being in a slump. This is his fifth major victory and third Masters victory in five years (2022, 2024). Scheffler won the American Express in January, his first start of the season, but he hasn’t been able to produce a winning streak in his five starts since then, but his worst finish is still just T-24. It was Scheffler’s 21st career win on tour, and coincidentally the second time Scheffler won the Masters in the same year she gave birth to her child.
Key quotes after round 3: “I think the thing about great players and great competitors is that they can rise to the occasion. If you look at the biggest tournaments, I think it’s hard to find one bigger than this, especially for me.” Honorable mention: When asked what color he would call his putting surface, Scheffler replied “grass” and laughed.
Lee
Saturday snapshot: Lee’s score dropped to 9 under at one point in the third round, but he sank into the water twice on the 13th and 15th holes. Somehow, he carded only bogeys both times, finishing with a 3-under 69. This was mainly due to my eagle on the par-5 8th.
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Here’s what winning means: Li becomes China’s first Masters champion. It was his first major title and came less than a year after he finished T-4 at the 2025 British Open, his best result in a major. Interestingly, he was part of the final round pair with Scheffler in that tournament, and Scheffler went on to win.
Key quotes after round 3: “I’m still fighting. I didn’t expect a really great result today.” — when asked how he was feeling after dealing with stomach issues Thursday through Friday.
