Rory McIlroy’s stumble on Saturday halted a spectacular Sunday at the Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The drooping shoulders and frustrated sighs, hands running through his hair and the absent-minded glances at the sky are back. After Saturday afternoon on Augusta’s 12th green, a red-faced Rory McIlroy suddenly looked as if he had just seen a ghost he thought had already fled.
In just a few hours, six shots over 36 holes — the most in the tournament — have soared into the hot Georgia air.
Not only did McIlroy’s lead, the Masters suddenly change into an open affair.
“I didn’t have it today,” McIlroy said.
It couldn’t be easier. Not at Augusta National, where the entire landscape can be a trap as soon as you start marveling at the view, and especially not McIlroy, who knows full well that 18 holes are forever and 36 holes can be forever and a day. The six-lead was historic, but never comfortable given how the course and McIlroy tend to make a cocktail of chaos. 2011. 2025. And now, 2026.
Last year, McIlroy seemed to overcome an area that had plagued him year after year, albeit in some amazing tournaments. Or so we thought. With skepticism and curiosity, the golf world seemed ready this year to celebrate McIlroy and watch him take the victory lap. McIlroy was happy but also prepared; he wanted to win again.
Before the tournament and throughout the first two days, he showed a calm, cool, collected and confident version of himself. In two rounds, he raced through Augusta National with the swagger of a champion. Things were different now – McIlroy said it himself – and how could they not be? Even though he had realized that the grand slam and the green jacket were not his “place”, it was nice to be able to find comfort in their arms.
Then came Saturday and McIlroy was once again caught in the crossfire.
“This golf course has a way of saying, if you don’t feel good, you struggle,” McIlroy said. “You have to go deeper.”
It’s clear that McIlroy takes some comfort in being aggressive. In the book describing his win in 2025, he talks about how, when he got to the 15th hole that Sunday and lost five-strokes, he knew he had to be aggressive, and it helped him pull off one of the best shots of his career.
“I had to take something out of the bag at that time because I was going the wrong way,” he said.
On Friday, he shared that his mantra all week was to keep swinging. Through two rounds, he was missing fairways left and right but still kept swinging, relying on his short game and putting. It was working. Until it was. He missed his shot on 11, found water and missed a short bogey putt. On the 12th, his backswing looked uncommitted, and the ball missed the green. When he played the 13th, there was no doubt where the ball was going because it had been there all week: it was going into the trees. Two days ago, McIlroy had birdied us. On Saturday, he had to rush to get a quote.
“I kept committing to trying to make positive changes,” McIlroy said. “But yeah, maybe there was a little bit — when I doubled on 11, I might have been a bit uncomfortable on 12 and 13.”
When he was in his mid-20s, fearlessly conquering golf, the lead never bothered McIlroy. At other events, that has gone too far. And yet here, the confusion continues.
Just look at Saturday. When he lost the lead, McIlroy birdied 14 and went to 15 in two shots, giving himself another birdie. The lead was his again. He made par on 16 and then put it in the trees on 17, leaving his par putt just short. He was the only player in the top 12 on the leaderboard to shoot par on a day when the scoring average was 70.63 — the second-lowest of any round in Masters history.
The way McIlroy’s game can create such ups and downs, often in contrast to what the rest of the field does, is unique and well known. When asked on Friday if he would prefer a surprise win or a runaway win, McIlroy replied.
“WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?”
Of course, McIlroy would prefer to win by six or more, but here he can’t do it. With one round remaining in the tournament, McIlroy holds the lead and has none. At 11 under, all tied with Cameron Young, the final round provides something he didn’t have when the madness happened last year: a clean slate.
This time, besides Young, six players at 7-under par or better are happily playing the role of chasers, including two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose and last year’s runner-up Shane Lowry. They all have recent, tangible evidence of the past year that McIlroy would be inclined to provide. On Saturday, he reminded them.
“I knew he wasn’t the type to take it easy,” Rose said of McIlroy’s lead. “So it made it seem like, yeah, it’s all for fun.”
“I thought if Rory could shoot 68 today he might run away with the tournament,” said Lowry. “It’s not easy to go out and follow it when you’re at the top of the leaderboard. Obviously it wasn’t going to be an easy day for Rory to shoot the points.”
“I don’t feel like I’m out of the tournament,” Scheffler said after posting a 65 Saturday before McIlroy withdrew. Of course he’s not here now.
Even though McIlroy may be more comfortable chasing the leader rather than defending the lead, Sunday’s back will be the same. If he falls short, he’ll have blown the 36th hole in the Masters. In fact, he’s already blown it — whether the weight of such a fall is too much for him to overcome or enough to inspire the kind of rage he needs to repeat remains to be seen.
“I’d like to think I’m going to play a little more relaxed and I’m going to play, you know, like I have a green jacket on, which I do. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that,” McIlroy said. “I wish I could have been a few shots better, but I’m comfortable. … I just know I need to be better tomorrow to have a chance.”
After speaking to the media, McIlroy left for the tournament’s practice area, where the lights had just come on and began shooting at night in hopes of finding a solution to his stumble. On Sunday, he and Augusta will meet up to go around the block again. No matter what happens during the 18 holes, one thing is certain: It will not be boring.
“We all know it’s all about the future,” Lowry said. “Obviously it’s important today, but when we get to tomorrow, that’s when we’ll see what everyone is doing.”
