While Rory McIlroy is still very much in the mix heading into the final round of the Masters, he is not quite in the dominant position that many expected him to be after the first two days of the tournament.

McIlroy would carry a six shot lead into Saturday’s third round, the largest ever after two rounds at the Masters. However, that gap would evaporate over the hours that followed.

The 36-year old was not at his best, shooting a one-over round of 73. Cameron Young would manage to tie the lead after carding a 65, with the pair level heading into the final round.

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Rory McIlroy has odd media interaction at Masters

Rory McIlroy knows how difficult it is to win at Augusta, finally getting over the hump in 2025. Most expected him to repeat that feat on the back of the first two rounds this year, something that led to a bit of a strange vibe during his post-round press conference.

On the No Laying Up podcast, Chris Solomon pointed out that McIlroy’s press appearance almost felt like that of the winner in the aftermath of Friday’s round. His co-presenter Neil Schuster pointed out that this was likely down to the player’s victory in 2025.

Solomon: Did you guys watch his presser last night? Did that not feel like a winner’s press conference last night?

He talked for what felt like an hour on the Golf Channel. It was so long, it was in the press building, he was extremely relaxed.

I was like man, is it over over? It kind of feels like everybody thinks this is over…

Schuster: The guy has battled for 16 or 17 years to win this golf tournament. I think there was a little bit of like ‘man this is way more fun, having a six shot lead and everybody talking about how great this is’.

Neither presenter suggested that Rory McIlroy had already convinced himself that he was going to win the tournament, something that clearly was not the case. However, it seems as though some members of the media may have thought that he already had both hands on the green jacket.

That could yet turn out to be the case, but this year’s Masters is likely to have a much tighter finish than many would have anticipated after the first two rounds.

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