Despite not looking particularly sharp in the early going, Rory McIlroy still leads The Masters by three shots with Bryson DeChambeau two back. McIlroy made a double bogey at the first hole and DeChambeau dropped shot at the second, but the Northern Irishman reclaimed the lead at the fourth with a brilliant iron into the par-three, a putt that poured in.
DeChambeau, whose putting struggles have been exposed at Augusta in the past, had to settle for par at the 13th after flirting with Rae’s Creek on his third shot. He then hit his approach into the water at the 15th, dropping a shot and moving to five over.
Rose, who was a shot off the lead after two rounds and a fine 71 on Saturday, looked much more comfortable with his tee shots but couldn’t capitalise on multiple birdie opportunities. A birdie at the 16th was a consolation and he will go into the final day at four over, tied with 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama.
The top 50 players, plus ties, advance to the final round of The Masters, and this year’s cut line at Augusta came in at two over. Corey Conners and Ludvig Aberg are tied with McIlroy in second place after both carding a round of 66 on Saturday. The American and Swedish player were joint leaders at one stage on Friday but both dropped down the standings in the wake of McIlroy’s superb display.