“Seven people have a real chance of winning.”
That’s the assessment of three-time Masters winner Sir Nick Faldo as he looks ahead to Sunday’s thrilling final at Augusta National, with six players within four strokes of co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young.
Extend that to six strokes (the very lead McIlroy lost on Saturday) and there are 12 players within range.
“I think Rory’s game was a little inconsistent, as we saw today,” Faldo added. The defending champion struggled, especially off the tee, as he shot a 1-over 73 on Saturday.
“If he can find the switch and fix it, he’ll have a chance to do something special.
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Rory McIlroy shot a 1-over-par 73 in the third round of the Masters, blowing a historic 36-hole lead overnight heading into Sunday’s final round.
“But I have to look at Cam Young. He’s just come through the week like crazy after a bad start. He’s obviously got a lot of confidence with his win at The Players. There’s less negativity in his game.”
“Maybe Shane (Lowry). I think he wants to do something. Jason Day has an opportunity and Justin Rose has a mission after last year (2nd of 3rd).”
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Shane Lowry hit an incredible ace on the 6th hole at Augusta. Nationwide
“Scottie Scheffler, remember what he did at the Olympics when he was no more. I mean, he’s a serious danger.”
Given Faldo’s assessment, here’s a little more detail on the seven players he might consider to be the biggest candidates for the Green Jackets on Sunday.
Rory McIlroy (-11)
The defending champion held a record six-stroke lead through 36 holes at the halfway stage and appeared to have successfully defended his Masters title.
After just a few holes, he was down to two places as he bogeyed the first hole and fell back to 11 under, where he would ultimately end the day, while Patrick Reed started the round with three straight birdies and was at 9 under.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy today,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “The quality of the chasing group was very evident and a lot of guys went out and played some great golf.
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Rory McIlroy reflects on a disappointing third day at the Masters as he lost a six-shot lead before the final round
“I wasn’t feeling great at all today. Even from the first hole, I hit that soft bogey. I was trying my best. I scrambled a lot on the front nine.”
“I wanted to be in a better position tomorrow as I start with a six-shot lead, but I still have a big chance.
“It’s great (to get the chance). That was the goal here. I still have a big chance, but if I’m going to win tomorrow I’m going to have to be a little bit better than I was today.”
Reed eventually fell back, finishing at 6 under, but far behind McIlroy’s only challenger…
Cameron Young (-11)
Young, who was crowned The Players Champion a month ago, is certainly in great shape heading into Sunday. And not just because it was the biggest win of his career to date.
Young was 4 over through the first seven holes of the opening round. That means he’s 15 under at Augusta National since Thursday’s dismal start.
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Cameron Young shoots a 65 in the third round of the Masters to earn a share of the lead
Also in his favor is the fact that Scheffler and McIlroy, the past two Masters champions, both won at TPC Sawgrass before donning their green jackets. Perhaps an omen?
“I like where I’m at,” Young said after Saturday’s poor performance, which matched his round of 65. “If you had told me around noon on Thursday that we would be within a few points by Sunday, I would have accepted it in a heartbeat.”
Sam Barnes (-10)
Burns has won five times on the PGA Tour and represented the United States in two Ryder Cups, but he is still new to the majors, finishing in the top 10 only twice, both at the U.S. Open in the past two years.
At last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, Burns held a one-stroke lead and was in the final group, but he shot a 78 on Sunday and took a big step back.
Sam Burns takes a lead at the Masters on Sunday
He will be the penultimate pairing at Augusta, but his game was remarkable when he faced McIlroy in the final group on Saturday, firing a 68 to cut into McIlroy’s advantage and move him just one place off the lead.
“I feel like I played a really solid round,” Burns said. “I felt like I was holding back.
“Tomorrow I’m just going to go out there and execute. You can’t control what other people do. The only thing you can control is how you conduct yourself and your attitude. That’s what I’m going to focus on.”
Shane Lowry (-9)
Hole in one.
When summarizing Lowry’s 4-under 68 in the third round, that’s where you have to start. Lowry was just two behind the leader at 9 under par. Maybe they needed another ace on Sunday to make up for it?
Lowry holed out on the par-3 sixth tee, prompting a memorable celebration from the Irishman. And not for the first time. We’ve been to Augusta National before, including in 2016 when Lowry finished 16th in the final round.
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Shane Lowry added another hole-in-one to his catalog when he aced the Masters
Add to that a growing list of hits that also includes a hole-in-one on the famous 17th island green at TPC Sawgrass and the 7th green at Pebble Beach.
“I never expected to get a hole-in-one. I couldn’t believe it,” Lowry said. “Obviously, you’re out there, you’re hunting at the Masters, you’re getting a hole-in-one, that’s pretty cool.
“Walking down the sixth hole with all these 16-year-olds was so special. I’ll remember it for a while.”
Already a big winner with his famous win at Royal Portrush in 2019, how much he would like to add a green jacket to his CV, especially considering his great mate McIlroy will be helping him out.
Jason Day (-8)
The former world No. 1 and 2015 PGA champion managed to sneak onto the top page of the leaderboard with a late surge on Saturday.
Jason Day improved to 8 under with a birdie surge in the closing stages, closing in on the lead by three.
Paired with Young, they were a group to watch on the second nine. As the latter moved into the lead, Day also worked hard, making four birdies in a row and quickly moving up to nine under par, but a bogey on the 16th left him feeling a little depressed.
“You have to work hard to get the opportunity,” Day said. “If we can get close to the lead on the backside, anything can happen.
“The aim is to cut into the lead until 9 o’clock tomorrow, which would be great. Then I’ll try to position myself somewhere near the lead on the backside and give myself a chance.”
Justin Rose (-8)
A year after the memorable showdown that won McIlroy a career Grand Slam and an 18-point victory, will we be back in the playoffs between McIlroy and Rose to decide this year’s Masters?
Probably not. But Rose is certainly in the swing of things again, and given his past near-misses (three-time runner-up at Augusta National to his name), he will be the favorite to win.
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Ahead of the 2026 Masters, three-time runner-up Justin Rose insists he has no regrets over past near misses
Rose has been very steady and consistent through the first three rounds with scores of 70, 69 and 69, but will need to shoot low to challenge Sunday.
he has it inside him. A year ago, Rose posted an incredible final-round 66 with 10 birdies (four bogeys), forcing a playoff with McIlroy.
“We have more guys to contend with now,” Rose said. “Cam Young, he’s playing great golf. Sam Burns obviously played in the final group and stood up. Shane Lowry, I think he’s a great shot maker for this golf course.”
“There are a few players you have to break through and that is often much more difficult than when you have one player in front of the five.
“Tomorrow is a special round, so we have a chance. That’s great. I’d like to use a little bit of my experience from last year and see what happens.”
Scotty Scheffler (-7)
Scheffler hasn’t been in vintage form over the past month or so, finishing outside the top 20 in his past two tournaments (Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players), but at Augusta National he was once again largely helpless in the first two days, matching McIlroy’s 12 clears.
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World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shoots a 7-under 65 on travel day in Augusta to move up the leaderboard and into contention heading into Sunday’s final round.
But the world No. 1 made a comeback on Saturday, carding a last-place round of 65 with Young and jumping into contention. His main accomplishment was an early eagle at No. 2 followed by consecutive birdies on four of the five holes around the turn.
He missed some chances on the final hole to make his day even better, leading to a rather frosty exchange with a reporter who hinted at it after the round, but the two-time Masters champion is more than capable of hitting it off again on Sunday and scoring a hat trick.
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Scottie Scheffler lashed out at a reporter when asked if his third-round 7-under 65 at the Masters could have been better.
“I went out and executed to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “It’s going to continue even more tomorrow, and I think I’m in a good position.”
How can I watch the final day of the Masters?
Live coverage of the final round will begin at 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf on Sunday, with full coverage beginning at 5pm and continuing until long after the final putt is in the hole.
The infamous Amen Corner stream will also be available, focusing on the famous three-hole stretch from No. 11, and that featured group of programming will be available to watch on the Sky Sports+ channel.
Feeds for holes 4, 5 and 6 will go live each day as soon as the opening group arrives on that part of the course, with separate streams covering holes 15 and 16, and featured groups will also be available on Sky Sports+.
Can McIlroy win the Masters? Watch the final round live on Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm on Sunday and enjoy special coverage on Sky Sports+. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
