Masters leaderboard: McIlroy vs. DeChambeau in a heavyweight fight for the green jacket is golf perfection
AUGUSTA, Ga. — How does Augusta National do it? How do the green jackets work their mojo to give us perfect Masters moments, perfect matchups, perfect stage-setting, year after year?
Whatever the reason — behind-the-scenes machinations, benevolence from the golf gods, or plain old-fashioned good luck — this year's Masters has given us exactly the matchup we wanted for an April Sunday: Rory McIlroy (-12) vs. Bryson DeChambeau (-10) for the greatest prize in golf.
Frame it however you want: the two most popular players in the game going head to head; the paragons of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf battling for the honor of their respective houses; the sequel to one of the great U.S. Opens in golf history. This is the rare showdown that needs no buildup, yet deserves every bit of the hype, drama and historic weight we can whip up for it.
The two took sharply different paths to Sunday's final pairing. McIlroy started strong Thursday, then careened off the track with two back-nine double bogeys. He then righted the ship Friday, putting himself right back in contention with a six-under round that wiped away all the stain of Friday.
DeChambeau, on the other hand, started strong and stayed there, finishing Thursday three strokes off Justin Rose's lead and closing that gap to one on Friday.
Saturday very quickly ensured this weekend will either be the greatest or the worst of McIlroy's career. McIlroy carded six straight 3s to start his round, leaping from six-under to 11-under within five holes. He passed the rest of the field like he was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini and they were pedaling uphill, and he wouldn't surrender even a share of the lead the rest of the afternoon.
'From finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it's quite a long time,' McIlroy said after his round. 'There's a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So, you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did was amazing.'
With McIlroy streaking out to a sudden lead and passing him by the third hole, DeChambeau had no time to rest or relax. He followed two quick birdies with a bogey, and then settled back to even par on the day with another bogey at the 7th. But he closed hot, with three birdies in the final four holes, and made certain Sunday would be a grinding battle.
Two moments stand out from Saturday, two moments that might well define how Sunday unfolds. First, McIlroy's approach at 15, the hole that undid him Thursday, was sheer perfection that set up an eagle — and he knew it from the moment it left his club. His strut as he walked downhill toward the pin was as confident as he's looked at Augusta in more than a decade.
Eagle on No. 15 launches Rory McIlroy into a four-shot lead. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ri6fA5yO7O
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025
One hole later, on the 16th, DeChambeau rolled in a birdie putt to close the gap on McIlroy, and DeChambeau followed that with a staredown of the entire massive gallery around the hole.
Back-to-back birdies and Bryson is in solo second. 🐦🐦 pic.twitter.com/cLzZv6Pp9C
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 12, 2025
'Rory was kind of moving forward. He was at 12-under, and I was kind of chasing a bit,' DeChambeau said. 'When I made that, I looked up and I said, kind of as a statement, like, 'You know what? I'm still here. I'm going to keep going. I'm not going to back down.''
DeChambeau closed with a spectacular 47-foot putt on 18 that closed the gap to two. But as soon as he exulted in the joy of the chip, he had to remind himself of a very important fact:
'Now, it's Saturday, right,' he said. 'So I have to tell myself, 'OK, calm down. This is not the end.' So one more day to go.'
The two planned to take sharply different — and utterly in-character — approaches to the night before the most crucial round of their respective lives. McIlroy intended to watch "Bridgerton" and stay away from his phone until Sunday evening; DeChambeau planned to watch a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond film and work his phone late into the night.
Come 2:30 p.m. Sunday, they'll both arrive at the same point — the first tee in front of the Augusta National clubhouse. And four or so hours later, give or take a celebration or two, one of them might just be reveling in a career-changing victory.
'Tomorrow in that final group,' McIlroy said, '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.'
'It will be the grandest stage that we've had in a long time,' DeChambeau said, 'and I'm excited for it.'
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