Rory McIlroy is standing on the precipice of golfing immortality. He is well prepared to take on the lastium of the 89th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. McIlroy, 35, of Northern Ireland, started the day leading by two shots. He proved it on Saturday, when he lit up the course with a 6-under 66. He is 12 under par through three rounds. Now, he has only 18 holes separating him from chasing his first major championship in over a decade.
As the final pairing takes shape, McIlroy will tee off against Bryson DeChambeau at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Just like McIlroy now, who had an awful history of near misses at Augusta, including a seven-shot deficit, which is the largest overcome by a winner after 18 holes. Now, he has the opportunity to finally exorcise those demons once and for all. Such a victory would finally award him the green jacket that has escaped him. It would help cement his legacy alongside golfing legends Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as one of the few to complete the career Grand Slam in the Masters era.
Whatever happens, the buzz about McIlroy’s performance is in the air, especially considering what’s at stake. He has been forthright about the difficulty of the last round.
“I think I still have to remind myself that there’s a long way to go, just like I said yesterday, 18 holes,” – Rory McIlroy
His comment shows a real sense of awareness about the type of pressure that comes with captaincy in such a high profile tournament. Never has McIlroy been more desperate to win this specific title. He knows just how crazy the last day at Augusta can get.
“I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here,” – Rory McIlroy
What really makes this atmosphere so electric is that both players know how special this moment is as we head into Sunday’s round. DeChambeau, who is two shots back of McIlroy’s lead, recognized that with such high stakes on the line.
“It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it. We both want to win really, really badly. You know, shoot, there’s a lot of great players behind us too. Got to be mindful of that and focus. It’s about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best,” – Bryson DeChambeau
If we look at McIlroy’s recent form, he certainly seems primed for such a challenge. Nonetheless, he fired an incredible 66 on Saturday, one of his brightest spots in major championship suffering. There was no doubt that this round proved his skill in the clutch. He’s one shot at a time coming closer to ending a men’s major championship title drought that dates back to 2015.
Fellow competitor Jason Day offered some background into McIlroy’s mentality heading into this make-or-break round. He mentioned that pressure is inherent to competitive spaces. Beyond the hype, if you look at McIlroy’s body language what’s clear is that this guy has unbelievable confidence in himself.
“There’s obviously pressure, but he has pressure every single week. He seemed very focused, determined to obviously accomplish that. It doesn’t look like he’s focusing on it, that’s the thing. I know it’s in the back of his mind, but I think he’s running off so much confidence and he has so much belief in his game that it’s almost like he knows it’s going to happen. And when you’re playing like that, it’s very dangerous,” – Jason Day
McIlroy’s legacy, undeniably, rests in the balance as he heads toward this consequential moment in his career. In subsequent years, he faced only heartaches and heartbreaks at Augusta National. Winning the Masters would not only add to his personal legacy, but further cement his ongoing hold on the often fickle world of golf.
As he heads into Sunday’s final round, McIlroy is staying locked in, fully committed to playing his game and sticking to his game plan on the course. He knows that despite being in the lead, things are still close and the race is very much still on.
“Yeah, obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did,” – Rory McIlroy
The traditional golfing world is up in arms. Rory McIlroy, for his part, is seeking redemption and a chance to complete a truly special career Grand Slam. Most importantly, he needs to wrestle with his own expectations. At the same time, he has to contend with the skills and drive of elite golfers such as Bryson DeChambeau.
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