The old saying about the Masters is that the tournament doesn’t truly begin until the back nine on Sunday.
That might never be truer than this 2026 edition.
Englishman Justin Rose – a three-time runner-up at this tournament – has taken the lead amid the jockeying field. But there’s a lot of golf to be played and Augusta is already wreaking havoc and leading to a volatile situation on the leaderboard.
Lurking behind Rose is Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young in second-place after both birdied the eighth hole. Right behind the duo are Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
What once looked like McIlroy’s romp to a repeat has turned into one of the most wide-open final rounds in years as 11 players started the afternoon within five shots of the lead. The first nine holes of Sunday hardly narrowed the field – five top competitors are within three strokes of Rose’s lead as the tournament heads toward a dramatic conclusion.
Given Augusta National’s penchant for giving up low scores this week, and its historic habit of devouring potential champions on the final day, a potentially classic day is taking place in eastern Georgia.
So far, four different men have had at least a share of the lead with Augusta’s intimidating back nine looming in the late afternoon.
McIlroy has spoke all week about the comfort he feels knowing that the weight on his shoulders — the career grand slam and a first Masters title — was removed last year. But the erasure of his six-shot lead on Saturday brought back some difficult memories in the minds of his fans, if not in the Northern Irishman himself.
“I’d like to think that I’ll play a little bit freer and I’ll play, you know, like I’ve already got a green jacket, which I do. Sometimes I maybe just have to remind myself of that, but I think as well that the stakes in terms of, like, the pairing will be just a little bit easier. You know, the atmosphere out there will be a little bit easier,” McIlroy said Saturday of what he expects from the final round.
“Yeah, I’m not worried about that at all. I wish I was a few shots better off, but I’m comfortable.”
The difference between feeling comfortable and being comfortable on the scoreboard is often what defines the mindset of a Masters champion.
The pressure of the final round at Augusta is legendary. The roars of the patrons echo around course and it’s hard to ignore what other players are doing when the big charges come. The leaders will not be in any doubt if one of their competitors is suddenly nipping at their heels — or grabbing the lead themselves.
“It’s not easy to go out and go after it when you’re at the top of the leaderboard,” Lowry said Saturday. “Not that it’s easy to do it. But when you’re down the field and you’re just having a go at it, it makes it a little bit easier and you can play a bit more freely. When you are out there in the hunt you need to be a little bit more protective of what you are doing.”
The best players find another level on these kinds of days, Scheffler said.
“That’s what great players and great competitors do is they’re able to rise to the occasion. I think when you look at the biggest tournaments, you’d be hard-pressed to find another tournament that’s bigger than this one, especially for myself,” he said.
“When you come here, I think that’s why it’s such a great test too, because not only do you have to conquer this golf course, you have to conquer changing conditions, a difficult country club golf course, but you also have to conquer your nerves as well to get it done around here.”
This is a breaking story and is being updated.