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Check in with us throughout Masters week at Augusta National.
An hour before Rory McIlroy won his second straight Masters, the outcome was becoming clear.
Patrons watched from the 18th green leaderboard as McIlroy built a two-stroke lead over green jacket suitors Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler, Tyrell Hatton, Russell Henley and Justin Rose.
The growing crowd around the final green couldn't see McIlroy pulling away, but it heard him moving toward history. Roars from patrons at holes around the second nine signaled a winner — or a challenger — was emerging.
Some patrons celebrated as McIlroy built his lead. Others groaned, hoping for a dramatic finish.
By the time McIlroy made it to the cup, it was nothing but roars for Rory.
After a string of pars on Nos. 14-16, Rory McIlroy is two holes away from repeating as Masters champion.
He's at 13-under, and Scottie Scheffler is finished at 11-under, just ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley at 10-under. Justin Rose also is at 10-under on 18 and Cameron Young at 10-under on 17.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy is trying to create a little separation between himself and the rest of the pack. He had consecutive birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to get to 13-under, while Scottie Scheffler has mounted a rally.
After a birdie on No. 3, Scheffler remained at 9-under until back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 boosted him to 11-under, two shots behind McIlroy.
Justin Rose birdied No. 15 and is at 11-under, tied with Scheffler for second.
Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley are finished at 10-under and Cameron Young is at 10-under through No. 14.
The final round at the Masters is shaping up to be another barn-burner, as there's a tie for the lead and three golfers who trail by one shot.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy is tied with Justin Rose at 11-under, and Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Young are one shot behind.
Rose, who was 4-under for the day, had the outright lead when he birdied No. 9, but his bogey on the 11th hole dropped him into a share of the lead with McIlroy, who is even today.
Hatton has finished with a 6-under 66 today and is 10-under for the tournament, which could hold if the others falter down the stretch.
After his mediocre third round erased his six-shot lead, Rory McIlroy entered Sunday in a tie with Cameron Young at 11 under.
Young moved ahead with a birdie on the second hole and McIlroy followed with a birdie on No. 3 to knot the pair at 12 under. Then, the drama began on the par-3 fourth hole.
After Young finished with par, McIlroy missed his par attempt and left a tough bogey putt. He missed and had to settle for a double-bogey 5, dropping him to two shots behind Young.
At the time, three golfers were at 9 under: Russell Henley, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose. Henley later birdied No. 8, moving into a second-place tie with McIlroy, two shots behind Young.
Just before the last groups were to tee off for the final round of the Masters, there was a muted sense of anticipation around the grounds.
The scoreboard watching had only begun, in earnest, as Viktor Hovland was 7 under for the day through the 13th hole. His double-bogey 7 on No. 15 muted some of that enthusiasm, but he birdied the 16th to get back to 6 under for the day
There was a buzz around the first tee as some of the leaders began their rounds, including a notable roar when Scottie Scheffler teed off, and later birdied, moving within two shots of co-leaders Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy, who hadn't started yet.
Around the 18th green, the patrons' chairs were arranged several rows back, as they prepared for what could be an fantastic finish to the fortnight.
Rory McIlroy birdied No. 3 to get back to 12-under, and pushed ahead with a birdie on No. 10, but he couldn't gain momentum. He double-bogeyed the 11th and after a bogey on the 12th hole, he found himself in a dogfight with Cameron Young and Sam Burns.
That's when the scoreboard-watching started. With every update of the manual scoreboards, there was a gasp or a sense of surprise, as McIlroy's lead evaporated. Young was five groups ahead of McIlroy and Burns, so Young already had finished with a the day at 11-under after shooting a 65.
That became the talk among the galleries in the last few holes.
On No. 15, McIlroy regained the lead with a birdie, but on No. 17, his tee shot was behind the trees and left of the hole. He managed a line-drive second shot between the two bunkers and beyond the green. His third shot was a pitch within a few feet of the hole, but he missed the par putt and settled for a bogey.
The drama set off the perfunctory chatter among the gallery.
The lead was gone, but the suspense was set up for Sunday's final round.
Buckle up for the final Masters pairing on Sunday, Cameron Young.
The New York native fired a blistering 65 in Saturday's third round to move into a tie with Rory McIlroy at 11-under.
Young, 28, has recorded top 7 finishes in each of the four majors. He finished tied for seventh at the 2023 Masters. Is he ready to break through and win?
McIlroy's so-so performance Saturday left the door open.
"Out here that's so much of the battle," Young said. "You're going to get good breaks; you're going to get bad ones. You're going to hit a bad shot or two. The ability to just swallow it and move on and go hit your next shot, the emotions of it, the frustration, whatever it may be, I think this place really punishes you if you play angry or impatient."
Shane Lowry has entered the conversation.
The 39-year-old Irishman just moved into a four-way tie for second place with a hole-in-one on hole No. 6. Lowry moved to 8-under with the shot, four strokes behind his close friend and second-round leader Rory McIlroy.
Lowry used a 7-iron from 190 yards away, and after a couple of hops, the ball found the cup.
It was Lowry's second hole-in-one this season, along with an ace at the Texas Children's Houston Open on March 27.
The walk to some of Augusta National's must-see sights isn't an easy stroll for anyone in Saturday's heat.
For young families, it might be easier to shoot par through Amen Corner than get there without a meltdown.
There is a place near the main entrance where you can watch the best golfers in the world and minimize tears. The tournament practice facility — known everywhere else in the world as the driving range — has plenty of seating and is close to bathrooms, concessions and the golf shop.
The area doesn't have many patrons by the afternoon, so kids have unobstructed views of the golfers from the ropes. Golfers often give high-fives and gift the occasional golf ball to well-behaved kids.
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