NOTES AND QUOTES – GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE MASTERS ON GOLF CHANNEL (THIRD ROUND)
'If he does finish it off, today will go down as one of the best third rounds in Masters history.' – Rich Lerner on Rory McIlroy
'He's not as good a golfer as Rory, but he makes up for it in other ways. This guy has got one of the most incredible competitive spirits that I've seen.'– Paul McGinley on Bryson DeChambeau
'Whoever first said that The Masters doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday is probably in the middle of a rewrite. This tournament is not only living up to the hype, it is exceeding the hype.'– Brandel Chamblee
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 12, 2025 – Golf Central Live From The Masters continued its comprehensive coverage surrounding the 2025 Masters with post-round reaction and analysis on GOLF Channel following the Third Round.
Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee, and Paul McGinley anchored Live From The Masters post-round coverage on GOLF Channel.
GOLF Channel's studio coverage continues Sunday at 9 a.m. ET with Golf Central Live From the Masters, with primetime coverage on GOLF Channel airing immediately following play. Following are notes and quotes from today's coverage.
The Masters – Third Round Leaderboard
On Third Round
Brandel Chamblee: 'Whoever first said that The Masters doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday is probably in the middle of a rewrite. This tournament is not only living up to the hype, it is exceeding the hype.'
On Rory McIlroy (-12, 1st)
Rich Lerner: 'If he does finish it off, today will go down as one of the best third rounds in Masters history.'
Chamblee on McIlroy's second shot on 15 that led to eagle: 'You can't help but look at this shot and think back to some of the greatest shots you've ever seen Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods] hit here. They completed the career Grand Slam. Could it possibly be that he's going to do that because of this shot on this hole that had us all scratching our heads on Thursday and jumping out of our chairs on Saturday? What a shot. What a moment!'
Paul McGinley: 'I think he got hurt so badly at [the 2024] U.S. Open that he's got a point to prove, and when he's got a point to prove, that's normally when he's at his best. I saw that today in his body language. This is vintage Rory.'
Lerner: 'Last month, you and I saw Steph Curry score 56 points. This was equivalent to Curry scoring 56. It was that good. Tomorrow is Game 7 of the NBA Finals.'
McGinley on the competition between McIlroy and DeChambeau: 'I think it's a two-horse race. I think they've distanced themselves. I think the competitive nature between the two of them was brilliant today. I love the fact that they have history with the U.S. Open last year.'
On Bryson DeChambeau (-10, 2nd)
Chamblee: 'I never, ever imagined somebody would come [to Augusta National] and put on a display of short game like we have seen from Bryson the last two days.'
McGinley: 'I don't think Bryson's playing that well at all. I think it shows you that this guy is a hell of a competitor…Rory could have accelerated away from the field today, and credit to Bryson for staying somewhat behind him.'
McGinley: 'He's not as good a golfer as Rory, but he makes up for it in other ways. He's a phenomenal driver of the ball, but he doesn't have the quality of iron play that Rory does. He has a brilliant short game…This guy has got one of the most incredible competitive spirits that I've seen, and that's what I admire about him more than anything else.'
McGinley on DeChambeau's poise: 'The biggest roar at Augusta National today was Rory's second shot into 15 and then the putt for eagle. The whole place rocked on the back of that. [DeChambeau] was standing down that fairway, and what did he do? He birdied three of the next four holes. He didn't shrivel even though he didn't have his best stuff with him.'
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