Rory McIlroy has a golden chance to finally become Masters champion after shooting a stunning round of 66 to lead the tournament going into championship Sunday.
The Northern Irishman came out like a house on fire and McIlroy made history by scoring a three on all six opening holes.
A mid-round wobble was then followed by the most stunning of eagles on 15 as he put the woes of round one behind him and he finished the day 12 under for the tournament, two ahead of Bryson DeChambeau.
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Of course, that means a showdown with DeChambeau and the chance to come up against one of modern golf’s great entertainers.
Indeed, the clash of personalities and styles is something very much at the forefront of people’s minds.
Rory McIlroy shares his plan for keeping cool against Bryson DeChambeau
Speaking to the media after his fine third round performance, McIlroy had it put to him that the patrons at Augusta are wanting him to win so bad.
And in answering that point, McIlroy suggested The Masters patrons are some of the best around.
“Yeah, look, it’s amazing to have the support. You know, these Patrons and these galleries are a pleasure to play in front of, each and every year we come back. They are some of the most knowledgeable golf Patrons or spectators that we play in front of,” McIlroy admitted.
“Yeah, look, it’s a pleasure to play in front of them and to have that atmosphere and that support.
“Tomorrow in that final group is going to be — it’s going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I’m just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down and, you know, sort of approach tomorrow with the same attitude that I have tried to approach the last three days with.”
Crucially though, the topic then turned to McIlory and his match up with Bryson DeChambeau tomorrow.
But for McIlroy, he admitted it’s all about staying in his own mindset and using his experience should he come across any tough situations when facing DeChambeau.
“Yeah, I think I still have to remind myself that there’s a long way to go, just like I said yesterday, 18 holes. I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here. You know, I’ve got a lot of experience. I came in here talking about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer, and you know, I just have to keep reminding myself of that and remind myself that no matter what situation or scenario I find myself in tomorrow, I’ll be able to handle it,” McIlroy continued.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s — you know, I have a few little notes written in the back of my yardage book that I glance at every now and again while I’m walking the fairway. You know, just little reminders. Little, you know, one- or two-sentence things. And yeah, that’s really it.”
| Driving Statistic | Rory McIlroy in 2025 |
| Driving distance | 5th |
| Driving accuracy (%) | 168th |
| Total Driving | 74th |
| SG off the tee | 1st |
| Distance from edge of fairway | 113th |
Can McIlroy’s experience see him past DeChambeau?
Rory McIlroy touches on it in his interview here but he has the experience now of nearly every situation in golf.
He has won the big tournaments but equally he has suffered, throwing The Masters away in 2011 and then losing out to DeChambeau himself last year at the US Open.
Crucially though, McIlroy does have that extra few years experience on Bryson and what could be even more crucial is that McIlroy has been playing 72 hole golf all season as opposed to DeChambeau’s 54 on LIV.
That, in the end, might make a difference to proceedings and McIlroy will need to lean on all his experience to finally get it over the line.
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