2025 Masters Third Round Recap, Leaderboard, and Notes

The Fried Egg Golf staff recaps Moving Day at the 2025 Masters and previews the heavyweight bout in the final pairing.

There is No In-Between

By Joseph LaMagna

The moment has arrived: Rory McIlroy’s best chance to win a major championship in over a decade. Entering Sunday, the four-time major winner holds a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau, who joins McIlroy in the final pairing. It marks the first solo 54-hole lead McIlroy has held in a major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship – McIlroy’s last major championship win.

McIlroy burst out of the gates on Saturday, blasting the longest drive of the day over the right-hand bunker en route to a birdie on the opening hole. He holed a magnificent chip on No. 2, followed by a stellar birdie on No. 3. After a par on the fourth, he birdied the fifth to become the first player on record to open a Masters round with five straight 3s.

Then in the middle of his round, McIlroy got a little bit sloppy. After losing his tee shot right into the fairway bunker on the eighth, Rory made bogey – one of just three bogeys made on No. 8 all day. He missed a short birdie putt on No. 9, followed by a poor bogey on No. 10 after hitting his approach shot a full club too deep. But with the tournament in the balance, Rory steadied the ship, starting with a tidy birdie on the 13th. Then, on the par-5 15th, McIlroy flushed a pure, towering 6-iron that will be remembered as one of the best shots of his career should he go on to win this golf tournament. He rolled in the eagle putt and closed with three pars, carding a 66 (-6), tied for the low round of the day.

Others – Corey Conners (four back), Patrick Reed and Ludvig Aberg (both six back) – remain in contention, but the path to victory runs primarily through a familiar rival: Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time major champion ground out a solid third round, leaning on exceptional play on and around the greens despite inconsistent iron play. On 18, needing two putts from just off the back left of the green to secure his spot in the final group, DeChambeau instead buried the 50-footer, dead in the heart of the hole with perfect pace, to trim McIlroy’s lead to two meager shots.

It’s a bit romantic, isn’t it? McIlroy has a prime opportunity to redeem his infamous 2011 performance – the only time he’s failed to convert a solo 54-hole lead in his major championship career. And he’ll attempt to do it alongside Bryson DeChambeau, who took the U.S. Open trophy out of his hands last June in unforgettable fashion.

But golf tournaments aren’t fairy tales. There’s no script. The golf ball has no regard for feel-good redemption stories or historical significance. And nobody knows that better than Rory McIlroy, who has experienced his fair share of heartbreaks, including at the hands of his playing partner on Sunday.

Days like Sunday don’t come around often. Two of the sport’s most talented and accomplished figures are battling head-to-head at Augusta National. As far as McIlroy’s career is concerned, tomorrow will deliver arguably the biggest achievement of his illustrious career, or it will be yet another devastating heartbreak for one of golf’s greatest champions. Perhaps his biggest heartbreak to date.

There is no in-between.

Shot of the Day

By Will Knights

Two hundred and five yards. That’s how far away from the hole Rory McIlroy was as he stood high atop the hill on No. 15 at Augusta National on Saturday afternoon. This approach shot has been a hot topic of conversation this week as many have wondered if it is too exacting of a shot. McIlroy himself found trouble on the par 5 on Thursday as his 4-iron took a big bounce over the green, ultimately leading to the first of two closing double bogeys. At the time, it felt like a near-knockout blow to McIlroy’s tournament chances. And yet, as Rory stood over the shot in the third round, he held the solo lead. He pulled a 6-iron, two clubs less than he needed to clear the water on Thursday, and unleashed a towering shot that ultimately settled six feet from the pin.

If this were a Sunday newsletter, Rory’s shot would be seen as the shot of the tournament, the one that earned him the major title he’s been searching for his entire career. Instead, it stands as the shot of the tournament so far. It’s the shot that completed his Saturday turnaround after he stalled in the middle of an otherwise brilliant round. If you’re a romantic, this 6-iron may just serve as foreshadowing. Rory is seemingly 1-1 in big moments when pitted against the 15th hole so far during the 2025 Masters. The winner of the best-of-three series could determine who enters Butler Cabin Sunday night.

Photo of the Day

By Cameron Hurdus

Electric scenes around the second green after Rory McIlroy chips in for eagle to take the solo lead on Saturday at the Masters.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.