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Takeaways from third round of Masters: Rory McIlroy's lead disappears; Shane Lowry makes history
Rory McIlroy. Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Takeaways from third round of Masters: Rory McIlroy's lead disappears; Shane Lowry makes history

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated Apr 12, 2026 9:01 AM ET

The third round of the Masters is in the books, and what looked to be a runaway for Rory McIlroy on Friday is setting itself up to be a frantic finish on Sunday. McIlroy struggled with his worst round of the tournament, allowing his massive lead to completely evaporate.

Here are some takeaways from Saturday's action, including some history from Shane Lowry as he adds to his impressive collection of holes-in-one throughout his career. 

Rory McIlroy's lead is gone

Things can change rapidly in professional sports, and McIlroy found that out first-hand on Saturday.

He entered the day with a six-stroke lead at the Masters and seemingly in control of the tournament. He was just the sixth golfer to have a six-stroke lead through two rounds in men's majors history, with the previous five all going on to win.

It was his to lose.

He certainly put himself in a position to do just that.

Thanks to a 73 round that left him one-over par on Saturday, he now finds himself going into the final round in a tie for the top spot with Cameron Young at 11-under.

Sam Burns is just one stroke back at 10-under. 

McIlroy bogeyed four holes on Saturday, including a double-bogey on the 11th to help open the door back up for the field and bring him back to the pack. 

It is anybody's guess what you are going to get from him at the Masters, and that is going to be especially true on Sunday. He could put it all together and shoot a 65 to regain control, or he could have a meltdown with an 80 and let it all slip away. It is going to make for some compelling viewing. 

Shane Lowry adds to his impressive collection of career aces

Shane Lowry has put together quite a list of holes-in-one throughout his career, and he added to it on Saturday by making some history at Augusta.

His ace on the par-3 sixth hole was his second ever at the Masters, making him the first person to ever record aces on two different occasions at the Masters. 

Here is a look at the drive that accomplished it.

It adds to an already-absurd list of holes-in-one throughout his career that includes the 16th at Augusta, 7th at Pebble Beach and the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. 

His ace on Saturday helped him stay within striking distance of the top spot going into Sunday's fourth round. He is just two strokes off the lead. 

Scottie Scheffler has no time for hypotheticals

Scheffler's 65 on Saturday brought him back into the competition, but he was in absolutely no mood to talk about what could have been or what it should have been.

The greens played well for Jason Day

Jason Day's 68 helped bring him back into the mix for Sunday, and he credited the greens for playing well and giving him (and a lot of other golfers) an opportunity to post some strong scores on Saturday.

“Typically sometimes you get to, you know, Saturday at Augusta and they're bouncing,” Day said. “It's really difficult to hold some shots. So I thought the green speeds were lovely. I thought the green firmness was great. It was very fair, and I think that's why you're seeing a lot of, like, decent scores out there, which brings in a lot of the crowd, which is great.”

Thanks to his 68, he enters Sunday in fifth place at 8-under, just three strokes off the lead. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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