It’s back-and-forth atop the Masters leaderboard in a dramatic final round at Augusta

By Kyle Feldscher, Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — The old saying about the Masters is that the tournament doesn’t truly begin until the back nine on Sunday.

The time of testing is here and the famously difficult course at Augusta National will have some sorting to do as there’s a logjam at the top of the leaderboard.

Englishman Justin Rose – a three-time runner-up at this tournament – was tied for the lead with defending champ Rory McIlroy amid the jockeying field. But Rose struggled heading around the famous Amen Corner and two consecutive bogeys on holes 11 and 12 now see McIlroy back on top.

However, there’s a lot of golf to be played and Augusta is already wreaking havoc, leading to a volatile situation on the leaderboard.

Lurking behind the leaders is Cameron Young, 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 tightest final rounds in years. Eleven players started the day within five shots of the leader and the first nine holes of Sunday hardly narrowed the field – eight top competitors are within three strokes of the 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.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.