It’s less than 48 hours since Rory McIlroy dealt with near disaster.
Twice in three holes on Thursday, McIlroy wound up with a double bogey. A strong first round quickly whimpered to even-par, and McIlroy’s detractors again got to suggest that he couldn’t get the job done at the Masters.
But since then, McIlroy has been incredibly dialed in.
His second round didn’t tell it from the start, with just one birdie on the front nine.
But then McIlroy went birdie, birdie, par, eagle, par, birdie from holes No. 10 through 15 on Friday.
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He closed with three pars, then keep the heat going on Saturday.
McIlroy opened the third round with a 371-yard drive that eventually set up a birdie on No. 1.
Then he chipped in on No. 2 for eagle.
pic.twitter.com/CgSjmMD0FR
RORY TAKES THE LEAD AFTER A CHIP IN EAGLE ON 2 🔥 #themasters— ESPN (@espn) April 12, 2025
Then it was another birdie on No. 3, a par on the 4th and then yet another birdie on No. 5.
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He was 5-under through five holes to open the third round of the Masters. That’s after he went 5-under in the final nine holes on Friday.
In McIlroy’s last 14 holes, then, he was 10-under, an incredible feat at any golf course, let along Augusta National.
And now, McIlroy will get another chance to prove if he can indeed win at the Masters.
