Rory McIlroy's march to a Masters title and the career Grand Slam hit a major snag midway through the back nine at Augusta National.
The world's No. 2 player led by four shots over Bryson DeChambeau at the turn Sunday, but a bogey at the par-4 11th and a stunning double bogey at the par-5 13th dropped him from 14 under to 11 under and into a tie with Justin Rose, who mounted a furious rally after starting the day at 5 under.
On the 13th hole, McIlroy laid up in two shots but put his wedge into Rae's Creek and then two-putted for the 7.
Entering the final round of the Masters, McIlroy, in his quest for the career Grand Slam, led DeChambeau by two strokes.
Exiting the second hole, McIlroy trailed by one.
The Northern Irishman opened with a double bogey and then parred the 2nd; however, DeChambeau birdied the 2nd after saving par on the 1st despite a wayward tee shot.
It wouldn’t be long, though, until McIlroy jumped back to the top of the leaderboard.
He birdied the next two holes, sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 3 before knocking his tee shot on the par-3 4th inside 10 feet. Meanwhile, DeChambeau bogeyed both of those holes.
For those keeping score, that’s three two-shot swings in the first four holes.
With McIlroy’s lead back at three, he and DeChambeau had matching pars on Nos. 6-8. And McIlroy had one of the tournament’s best shots on No. 7.
Hitting his tee shot left, the world No. 2 had two trees blocking his line to the green from 154 yards out. No problem, though. McIlroy hit his shot through a tiny gap and nearly holed it with the ball settling 8 feet from the cup.
Walking to the green, his grin was palpable.
Rory's reaction says it all. pic.twitter.com/PJ3LF0YSHu
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 13, 2025
Then, a birdie on No. 9 extended McIlroy’s lead to four at 13 under. He played the first nine at one under. DeChambeau was 1 over.
But as DeChambeau and McIlroy went at it, several players below them on the leaderboard made a push.
Ludvig Aberg tied DeChambeau at nine under with a birdie on 10. Justin Rose, who led after the first two rounds, also got to T2 with a birdie on the par-3 12th. Plus, 2018 champion Patrick Reed and Corey Conners were at eight under making the turn while defending champion Scottie Scheffler was seven under.
Rose birdied 13 to get to 10 under, solo second.
The Masters, however, doesn't start until the second nine on Sunday, as the famous saying goes. So buckle up for the finish.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Sees Big Lead Vanish Midway Through Back Nine at Masters.
