Scottie Scheffler gets back into hunt with exceptional Moving Day at the Masters

Scheffler added two more birdies on the back nine, the final on the par 3 No. 16 when he knocked in a 10-foot putt.

Scheffler's surge has given him a puncher's chance of becoming the fastest golfer to three Masters win, doing so in his seventh tournament.

In a post-round interview with CBS, Scheffler said, "I don't feel like I'm out of the tournament.

"I put myself in position," he added.

Scheffler entered Saturday tied for 24th, shooting par through the first two rounds. While he treaded water, McIlroy, the defending champ, got off to a blistering start, heading into the weekend at 12-under par. But by the time Scheffler ended his round, he had cut the deficit by more than half.

If he plays as well during Sunday's final round as he did on Saturday, McIlroy and the rest of the field will have to bring their A-game to keep Scheffler from finishing with the lowest score.

Metrics show the four-time major champ has a decent chance of shrinking the lead further. Per Masters.com, Scheffler has hit 69 percent (37-of-54) greens in regulation, six percentage points higher than the field. The gap was even wider (nine percentage points) in Round 3, when Scheffler reached 14 out of 18 greens in regulation (78 percent). He's also hit fairways on pars 4 and 5 at a higher rate (79 percent) for the tournament than his competition (71 percent).

With 18 holes remaining, Scheffler is in a spot few expected him to be heading into the day. If he can carry over that rhythm into Sunday, Scheffler may be able to cap one of the more epic comebacks in Masters history.