Masters 2025 highlights: Closing in on Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy takes two-shot lead into Sunday (2025)

Bryson DeChambeau set up a final-round pairing with leader Rory McIlroy with a lengthy birdie putt from just off the green at the finishing hole. He’s just two back of McIlroy after his 3-under 69. Justin Rose, who led after the first two rounds, carded a 3-over 75 to fade from contention.

After a lightning-bolt 5-under start, a wobbly middle section and then a late-round rebound, Rory McIlroy will lead a major championship after 54 holes for the first time since 2014. McIlroy was three back to start the day but now leads by three after his second straight 6-under 66. Corey Conners is four behind McIlroy after his 2-under 70.

More winner trends: The last Masters winner to overcome a 54-hole deficit of more than two strokes was Danny Willett, who was three back of Jordan Spieth entering the final round in 2016. McIlroy infamously coughed up a four-stroke 54-hole lead in 2011 with his final-round 80.

Ten of the last 11 Masters winners were in first or second place entering the final round, the lone exception being Danny Willett, who was in fifth after 54 holes in 2016. Seven of the last 11 winners and four of the last five led after play ended Saturday.

Both Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose were exceptional off the tee at the par-3 16th hole, but only DeChambeau walked away with a birdie after Rose three-putted from five feet. It was the second straight for DeChambeau, and he assumed second place by himself, three back of Rory McIlroy.

Bryson DeChambeau has saved his round today with his around-the-green and putting games, the latest example being the par-5 15th hole, when he chipped to about two feet from well off the green to pick up a birdie and get within four strokes of Rory McIlroy.

Imagine, for a second, if Rory McIlroy hadn’t double-bogeyed two of his last four holes Thursday. This would have been a two-day coronation.

Rory McIlroy carded about the most sweat-free eagle you’ll ever see at the par-5 15th hole, his approach after a clobbered tee shot landing about five feet from the hole. The putt was good, and McIlroy again opened up a four-stroke lead over Corey Conners, who could only manage par at the hole.

Death, taxes and Patrick Reed performing better than anyone expects at the Masters. His 3-under 69 put him at 6 under for the tournament, well within sight of the lead. The 2018 green jacket winner has finished 12th or better in four of the last five Masters.

Ludvig Aberg’s 3-under 69 got him right back into contention, though his missed birdie putt at No. 18 after a pretty approach probably will sting a bit.

It’s been a rare off day at Augusta National for defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is 1 over for the day and six off the lead. Scheffler has hit only 8 of 14 greens in regulation, well below his usual standard.

After a seven-hole birdie drought, Rory McIlroy finally added another to his card at the par-5 13th after he nearly drove the green in two. Corey Conners could only manage par to remain two back in solo second place.

Bryson DeChambeau couldn’t save par after his tee shot at the par-3 12th hole found the front bunker and his blast out was long. He dropped back to even-par for his round and 7 under for the tournament, two back of Rory McIlroy.

Masters rookie Matt McCarty was having the most even-steven round of the day with 12 straight pars to start. But he birdied the par-5 13th to join the pack at 6 under, three behind leader Rory McIlroy.

Ludvig Aberg is making a late charge with three straight birdies at holes 14, 15 and 16. He’s tied for fourth, just three back of Rory McIlroy. Aberg seems to be in good shape to at least approach his second-place finish as a Masters rookie in 2024.

Min Woo Lee was assessed a penalty stroke at the 13th hole, part of a 5-over round that sent him tumbling toward the bottom of the leader board.

Jason Day carded just his second bogey of the tournament at the par-3 12th hole, but he rebounded two holes later with a chip-in birdie to get within three strokes of leader Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy is leaking oil a bit but he was able to save par despite a poor chip from off the green at No. 11, his sixth straight hole without a birdie. Playing partner Corey Conners also had to labor to get up and down but made his par to stay one back.

Not to be overshadowed by playing partner Rory McIlroy’s early round excellence, Corey Conners is staying within range with three straight birdies, the latest after a sterling approach to two feet at No. 10. He and Bryson DeChambeau are now just one behind McIlroy at 8 under after the leader’s three-putt bogey, his second in three holes.

Rory McIlroy appeared likely to rebound from his eighth-hole misstep at the par-4 ninth, his gap-wedge approach settling a few feet from the cup. But he missed the short birdie putt to remain at 10 under, two ahead of Bryson DeChambeau and three up on playing partner Corey Conners.

Jason Day is working on a bogey-free 2-under round that has featured a number of nice par saves. He has only one bogey this week, at No. 18 on Friday. The record for fewest bogeys in one Masters is four, set by Dustin Johnson when he won the covid-delayed autumn Masters in 2020.

Rory McIlroy is human after all. He could not take advantage of the par-5 eighth hole, playing as the second-easiest on the course, when his tee shot found the fairway bunker. One forced layup and one skied approach later, and McIlroy dropped a shot with a bogey. He’s three ahead of Shane Lowry and Bryson DeChambeau.

Viktor Hovland was working on a nice round until the par-4 10th, when his tee shot found all kinds of vegetation off the fairway. He found his ball and tried to punch out but failed to advance it much, and he barely got the ball back on his fairway with his third shot. He’ll drop at least one shot.

Shane Lowry is creeping up the leader board with three birdies through eight holes. He’s tied for third with Justin Rose at 7 under par, four back of fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy. Lowry will return to Royal Portrush, site of his 2019 British Open triumph, for this year’s tournament in July.

There are no shortage of superlatives for describing Rory McIlroy’s hot start today. If he can somehow par the next two, he’d post a 5-under 31 over the front 9. Remember, he also shot a 31 on the back nine yesterday.

No player has ever shot lower than 10-under par over any 18-hole stretch of a Masters.

Rory McIlroy again dodged a bullet at the par-4 seventh hole after his tee shot went well right into the trees. But he was able to sky the woods in front of him, chipped to four feet and saved his par to stay at 5 under for the day and 11 under for the tournament, three clear of Bryson DeChambeau.

Rory McIlroy appeared to blink for the first time at the par-3 sixth hole, as his tee shot was well short and his birdie putt sailed six feet past. But his par attempt was true and he walked away with his sixth consecutive 3 to start his round, the first time that’s ever happened at the Masters.

The Masters record for low first nine is 6-under 30, a mark shared by seven golfers. Min Woo Lee is the most recent to do it, in 2022. Johnny Miller (1975), Greg Norman (1988), K.J. Choi (2004), Phil Mickelson (2009), Gary Woodland (2014) and Tony Finau (2019) are the others.

My goodness. Rory McIlroy hadn’t birdied the difficult par-4 fifth hole in eight years, but he calmly sank a 15-foot putt for a 3 to continue his absurd start. It was only the third birdie of the day at No. 5. He’s now three strokes clear of the pack.

Bryson DeChambeau could not take advantage of the easy par-4 third hole, as he mishit his approach and ended up with only the third bogey of the day at the hole. He dropped back into a tie for second with Justin Rose.

Sungjae Im has now chipped in from off the green twice, the latest coming at the par-4 seventh hole. He’s 3 under on the day, four strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy:

Rory McIlroy’s birdie-eagle-birdie start was only the fourth such opening trio in Masters history. He parred No. 4, however.

Rory McIlroy continued his smoking play to start the third round with another birdie at the par-4 third hole, the end result of a six-foot putt. He’s now 4 under for the day and 10 under for the tournament, two clear of Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau.

Augusta National’s second and third holes traditionally are two of the easiest on the course, and that certainly is holding true on Saturday, with 33 birdies and three eagles between them so far. Rory McIlroy took advantage of the par-5 second and has another good look at birdie now at No. 3.

Here’s the putt that briefly gave Bryson DeChambeau a share of the lead:

Bryson DeChambeau hit a long, double-breaking putt for birdie at the first hole to move into a first-place tie with Justin Rose, but that lead lasted about 30 seconds, because Rory McIlroy chipped in from off the green at No. 2 to take the outright lead at 9 under. Real fun stuff here.

After clobbering his drive 371 yards down the first fairway — 50 yards longer than any other drive Saturday — Rory McIlroy needed just a gap wedge to get within 10 feet and sank the putt for an opening birdie. He’s just one back.

Leader Justin Rose and second-place Bryson DeChambeau both are on the course, with Rose finding the fairway bunker and DeChambeau finding the fairway. That pairing boasts three U.S. Open titles.

Scottie Scheffler had to lay up at the par-5 second hole after his tee shot trundled into a fairway bunker. But his third shot nestled about three feet from the cup, and he’s now only two off the lead after his first birdie of the day.

Rory McIlroy, author of a sizzling 6-under 66 on Friday, cleared the bunkers on the right side of the No. 1 fairway, a promising start. Corey Conners also found the short grass with his tee shot, which is hardly surprising after he missed only three fairways over his first two rounds.

Sungjae Im carded the second eagle of the day at the par-5 second hole, chipping from off the green, up the hill and into the cup. He’s now tied for fifth, three strokes back of leader Justin Rose, and his Augusta track record (two career top 10s) suggests he could contend.

This is the third time Justin Rose has led the Masters after 36 holes (remarkably, Tiger Woods led after 36 holes only once). In 2004, he shot himself out of the tournament with a 9-over 81 on Saturday. In 2021, he shot an even-par 72 in the third round to fall four back of eventual winner Hideki Matsuyama.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler sent his opening drive about two inches off the fairway and into the second cut down the left side. Playing partner Tyrrell Hatton went much further left and will face a second shot amid the trees. Hatton was one of three golfers to hit all 14 fairways on Friday.

There are a few low scores on the course, starting with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson at a blazing 7 under for the day through 16 holes (his best-ever Masters round is 4-under 68). Johnson has skyrocketed into a tie for fifth place. Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner and Johnson’s playing partner, is 4 under.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau had turned in one of day’s best performances, outdriving everyone in the field and needing only 24 putts to get through his opening round of the Masters. So what did he do next? DeChambeau reported right to the driving range Thursday evening for some post-round practice.

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Hello, friends. We’re back for Moving Day at the Masters. The wind that pestered the late finishers on Friday is all but gone, and temperatures are in the upper 60s with sunny skies. the upper echelon of the leader board is beginning to tee off, so keep it here for all the updates.