Rory McIlroy's two-shot lead after 36 holes at the Masters evaporated on Saturday as his driving accuracy, the worst in the field at 50%, was exposed. The defending champion stumbled through the front nine and double-bogeyed the 11th, allowing Cam Young to catch him at 11 under par. Young, who shot a 65, will join McIlroy in the final group on Sunday.
McIlroy's struggles off the tee have been a recurring theme; despite leading the field in driving distance, he has hit only half the fairways. On Saturday, wayward drives left him in positions he could not salvage. In contrast, Young is tied for second in driving accuracy at 88.10%.
“I knew today wasn’t going to be easy,” McIlroy said. “I would have liked to have been in a better position going into tomorrow, starting out with a six-shot lead, but I still have a great chance.” He added that he would head to the driving range to try to fix his wild tee shots.
The chasing pack includes Sam Burns one back, Shane Lowry two behind, and Jason Day and Justin Rose on eight under. World number one Scottie Scheffler is also lurking at seven under after matching Young's 65. The tournament is now set for a dramatic final round.
