Rory McIlroy's dream of back-to-back Masters victories took a dramatic turn on Saturday as his commanding six-stroke advantage vanished in a single round at Augusta National.
The Northern Irishman struggled to a third-round 73, opening the door for Cameron Young and several other contenders to surge back into the mix. McIlroy and Young now share the lead at 11-under par heading into Sunday's final round.
"The course was obviously gettable," McIlroy said after his disappointing round. "There was a lot of good scores out there, and obviously the quality of the chasing pack is obvious. There was a lot of guys that shot good scores."
McIlroy's troubles stemmed largely from his wayward driving, as he ranks dead last in driving accuracy among players who made the cut. His struggles reached a crescendo on the par-4 11th hole, where he found the water and carded a costly double bogey.
While McIlroy faltered, Young capitalized with a brilliant 65 to match the leader. The American is seeking his first major championship and will play alongside McIlroy in Sunday's final group.
"I'll probably give myself some time to think about it right now for the next 30 minutes or so. After that, it's kind of a battle of managing how you want to react to those things," Young said. "To me, it's just a matter of going right back to how am I going to run my day tomorrow, what time am I going to get here, so I can eat, so I can go see the physio? It's just going to be back to my routine, and that's what I'm going to lean on."
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler fired a 65 to move within four shots of the leaders at 7-under. Sam Burns sits one stroke behind the leaders at 10-under, while Shane Lowry follows at 9-under.
Jason Day and Justin Rose round out the contenders at 8-under par. Rose, who forced a playoff with McIlroy last year before ultimately losing, shot 66 and remains optimistic about his chances.
"The whole field is not going to help you out, put it that way," Rose said. "It's going to take a special round tomorrow, so there's a chance, which is great. I'm going to try to channel a bit of last year and see what happens."
McIlroy enters Sunday's final round attempting to become just the fourth player in Masters history to win consecutive green jackets. However, his driving struggles will need immediate attention if he hopes to hold off a talented field.
The pairing of McIlroy and Young marks a rare occurrence at Augusta National. Both players rank among the world's top three, with McIlroy at No. 2 and Young at No. 3. The last time two of the top three players shared the final group was in 2001, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played together, with Woods ultimately prevailing by two strokes over David Duval.