Rory McIlroy Masters final-round meltdown fears start after just one hole

The first of the poor shots was his opening tee shot. McIlroy barely clipped the last of the fairway bunkers, leaving himself a poor lie in the sand. DeChambeau sent his shot to the left, so it wasn’t a complete disaster yet. But a brutal par attempt left him with a difficult bogey putt. He missed that, leaving the door open for DeChambeau.

On the second hole, McIlroy hit another bad drive and DeChambeau pumped one into the fairway. The latter’s length gave him an eagle try that he missed, settling for birdie. McIlroy missed his birdie, staying at 10-under while DeChambeau moved to 11. Within two holes, McIlroy’s lead was gone and he was chasing again at The Masters

The double bogey on the first hole was McIlroy’s third of the week, with the other two coming on Thursday. Those compounding mistakes are overshadowing his consecutive 66s on Friday and Saturday of The Masters. Without those miscues, this is a different tournament. But once again, he will have to fight back.

DeChambeau’s first two holes were better on Sunday than they were Saturday. His distance control with his irons is better, and the putter is still hot. With a lead, that will be difficult for McIlroy to overcome.

Ahead of the final group at the Masters is a cavalcade of major contenders. Scottie Scheffler is off to a shaky start while Ludvig Åberg started with a birdie. Things are heating up at Augusta National, and some of the biggest names in the sport are firmly in the mix.