AUGUSTA, Ga. — This was a Masters moving day for the ages.

The day began with Rory McIlroy, who’d built a tournament-record six-shot, 36-hole lead that had him poised to run away and hide with his second consecutive green jacket.

The day ended, after a dramatic action under abundant sunshine that firmed up the golf course to British Open bounciness, with Sunday’s final round poised to be an epic shootout among some of the world’s top players.

McIlroy and Cam Young are tied for the lead at 11 under par entering the final round.

Sam Burns, who’s hovered around the top of the leaderboard all week, is one shot back at 10 under after shooting 68.

Shane Lowry, boosted by a hole-in-one on the sixth hole, is two shots back at 9 under after he shot 68 on Saturday.

Jason Day, who was paired with Young, shot 68 and is three off the lead at 8 under along with Justin Rose, last year’s runner-up to McIlroy.

Cameron Young of the United States looks on from the 18th green during the third round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. Getty Images

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who led the way shaking things up Saturday posting an early 65, is 7 under, as is Haotong Li.

Young, shooting a 7-under-par 65, made up eight shots on McIlroy, who stalled with a 1-over-par 73.

A native of Scarborough, in Westchester County, where learned the game growing up on the grounds of Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Young is trying to become the third consecutive Players Championship winner to capture the Masters in the same year. Scottie Scheffler did it in 2024 and McIlroy did it last year.

Young said a Masters win Sunday “would be an incredible day.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time,” he said. “I like the position I’m in. If you had said on Thursday at about noon that I was going to be within a couple of the lead going into Sunday, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.”

Young was 4 over par through seven holes in the first round with a missed cut not out of the question.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green during the third round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. Getty Images

“Anytime you’re around the lead in a major, especially here, anything can happen,” Young said. “We saw today a slow start [McIlroy] and a hot start [Young] can erase a lot. It’s just kind of a matter of keeping myself in it [Sunday] and doing the best I can to stay around the lead for as long as possible, and you see what happens at the end.”

McIlroy conceded he “didn’t quite have it” Saturday.

“This golf course has a way of … when you’re not quite feeling it, you struggle,” he said. “You have to dig deep. There are a lot of guys with a chance [Sunday]. I’m still tied for the best score … so I can’t forget that.

“I still have a great chance. I’m in the final group. But I do know I’m going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win. There’s a long way to go. I’d like to think that I’ll play a little bit freer and I’ll play like I’ve already got a green jacket, which I do.

“Sometimes, I maybe just have to remind myself of that.”

Young needs to remind himself of the way he outdueled Matt Fitzpatrick in the final round at TPC Sawgrass last month.

Scottie Scheffler walks to green on the 18th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. AP

Cameron Young waves after his putt on the 13th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. AP

“Really, what I was trying to do was get ready to be playing late on Sunday at Augusta,” Young said of his final round last month at TPC Sawgrass. “Now, I’m here with what will be a late tee time on Sunday at Augusta, and that’s the best prep I could have asked for.

“I’ll try to run much the same process, same mindset as I did that day.”

McIlroy and Young were grouped together in the first two rounds and they’ll be together again in the final pairing Sunday.

“I don’t get the sense I’ll be the fan favorite, but I feel like the support, some fans that cheer for me have gotten louder over the last year,” Young said. “It will still be lopsided, I think. Rory’s kind of a world favorite in the golf world. [But] a year ago, if I’d been in the same situation, there would have been very little [support], and now there’s probably a little more. So, I’ll take what I can get, and I’ll be happy with that.”

McIlroy called it “a comfortable group for both of us.”