Rory McIlroy is one of the greatest golfers of all time. Today he can prove it
Atonement beckons for the Northern Irishman as he takes a two-shot lead into Sunday at the Masters. Bryson DeChambeau and the scars of history stand in his way
AUGUSTA — This is it, the moment Rory McIlroy has been barrelling towards since that epic collapse in 2011 when Augusta National swallowed him whole, four-shot lead and all.
Though McIlroy is in possession of four majors and more than 40 worldwide victories, he is as much defined by the epic low 14 years ago as the summits he has conquered.
Between him and atonement stands US Open nemesis Bryson DeChambeau, who birdied three of the closing four holes, including a 48-footer at the last, to counter McIlroy’s blistering start and reduce the deficit at the top of the leaderboard to two.
Bryson DeChambeau that is OUTRAGEOUS! 😲 pic.twitter.com/qDTmZdyOD6
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) April 12, 2025
If any has the mettle to squeeze McIlroy’s pips at Augusta it is the indomitable Texan, who thrives when the contest turns visceral. McIlroy was the pick of many at the start of the week, his talent presumed too deep to be denied forever around a track that might have been made for him.
That prodigious hitting was in evidence on Saturday when McIlroy accomplished what none in the 91-year history of this tournament has ever done, torching the first six holes in consecutive scores of three. That boy-racer start propelled him into clean air at the top of the leaderboard, where he closed the day two clear at 12 under par.
This game is rarely the sole property of one man, however, as DeChambeau demonstrated. Their pairing in the final group brings together the two most charismatic golfers of the age, and from either side of golf’s miserable divide. If ever the case were made for closing the chasm that separates the LIV tour, where DeChambeau plays, and the PGA Tour, host to McIlroy’s gifts, it is Sunday’s dual in the sun.
As DeChambeau himself remarked: “It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it. We both want to win really, really badly. There’s a lot of great players behind us, too. Got to be mindful of that. It’s about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
These big moments have challenged McIlroy cruelly in the past, last year’s US Open experience a reprise of the 2022 Open Championship when he held a four-shot advantage over Cameron Smith at the start of the final day only to see the Claret Jug ripped from his grasp on a bitterly disappointing afternoon at St Andrews.
McIlroy’s soaring aesthetic contrasts sharply with DeChambeau’s more methodical approach, which reduces to a rather dry appreciation of golfing mechanics. He is, however, mightily effective and thrives on the kind of big-fight energy guaranteed on championship Sunday.
Many are fearful that McIlroy will once again be burned in mano-a-mano combat, yet he has shown resilience enough this week when momentum has swung. He dropped four shots in three holes on Thursday to fall seven off the lead and on Saturday saw a four-shot advantage reduced to one following errors at the eighth and 10th holes.
He responded magnificently with a birdie at 13 and an eagle at 15 to restore his four-shot advantage, which looked like standing until DeChambeau’s late rally. And watching McIlroy rip through the opening six holes in unprecedented fashion justified the claims that he is one of the best to have played the game.
Eagle on No. 15 launches Rory McIlroy into a four-shot lead. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ri6fA5yO7O
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025
Thus is the prize greater for McIlroy since it is framed in historic terms, the chance to join the sacred five to have won all four grand slam tournaments, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Niclaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods, not to mention closing the inexplicable 11-year hiatus to his last major victory.
“I still have to remind myself that there’s a long way to go, just like I said yesterday,” he said. “I, as much as anyone, know what can happen on the final day here. I’ve got a lot of experience. I came in here talking about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer. I just have to keep reminding myself of that and that no matter what situation or scenario I find myself in tomorrow, I’ll be able to handle it.”
Overnight leader Justin Rose ran out of gas, posting two bogeys in the closing three holes to finish seven adrift of McIlroy on five under par, alongside Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry and Jason Day. Corey Connors, four off the lead, goes out in the penultimate group with 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, who shot a 69 to finish six under.
