Rory McIlroy’s Five Worst Shots From Saturday at Augusta That Might Cost Him the Masters

Rory McIlroy lost his six-shot lead Saturday at the Masters. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Rory McIlroy walked up to the first tee at Augusta National on Saturday afternoon with a six-shot lead that many thought would only grow in the third round. But about four hours later, he walked off the 18th green tied for first with Cameron Young. All the confidence he had after the first two days seemed to disappear and the tournament had a whole new look to it.

It was a stunning round for the defending champion for a few reasons: He looked so good on Thursday and Friday while building his lead. His win last year appeared to free him up. And with that experience, McIlroy just seemed like a different golfer than the one we’ve seen struggle during key moments at previous Masters.

Let’s take a look at five key shots from his third round that not only led to him shooting a 1-over 73, but could keep him from winning on Sunday.

His approach shot on the first hole

McIlroy’s second shot on the first hole was not his best as it ran through the green and led to an opening bogey. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

McIlroy has struggled with his driver all week. How bad has it been? After the first two rounds he was 90th in driving accuracy out of 91 players. Not great! He grabbed his driver on the first tee and hit a bomb down the right side that carried the bunker but ended up in the rough. It wasn’t a great drive but it also wasn’t terrible. His next shot was the one that proved to be costly.

McIlroy had 119 yards to the back-left pin, which meant he had a lot of green to work with. His wedge shot, however, ended up having too much pace and rolled off the back of the green. He opted to use his putter from the fringe and left his attempt seven feet short. He then missed his par putt and tapped in for bogey.

That approach shot was the most costly mistake on that hole because if he had just kept it short on the green he wouldn’t have to play defensively with his putter from the fringe. If he hits that green in regulation, you have to think it would have led to a nice two-putt par and he’d head to the second tee right where he had started his round just a few minutes before.

His drive on the second hole

The par-5 second hole seems like it was made for McIlroy, who likes to hit high draws that roll out forever. But this week that tee shot has been a real challenge for the No. 2 player in the world. That continued on Saturday when he put one into the right trees for the second time this week (he went in the bunker on the right on Friday). That errant tee shot led to an awkward second shot that he didn’t handle well, as he could instantly be heard on the broadcast yelling “fore left!” as the ball landed amongst the patrons gathered on the left side of the hole. An average wedge shot led to a long birdie putt which he missed. McIlroy tapped in for par but with Saturday’s front pin placement, it really needs to be a birdie, or even eagle, hole for him. A par there felt like a bogey and it was all set up by his bad tee shot.

His approach shot on the 11th hole

Rory McIlroy finds the water on No. 11. pic.twitter.com/S3Nr12SiUh

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 11, 2026

McIlroy’s driver wasn’t a problem at all on this difficult par-4 as he found the absolute middle of the fairway. The second shot, however, was disastrous as he tugged it a little left and and could only watch as it bounced into the water. That just can’t happen for McIlroy. He’s too good to even flirt with that pond. If anything, you’d think his miss would be pushed way right. Instead, he had to take a drop and then went on to miss a short putt before tapping in for double bogey six, which was a score that Jack Nicklaus bluntly told him before the tournament to avoid.

His tee shot on 12

Reeling from his six on the 11th hole, McIlroy stepped up on the par-3 12th hole and pulled another iron shot that landed well behind the hole and led to a tricky chip that he left woefully short. McIlroy was not happy as soon as his tee shot was struck because he immediately knew he had hit it poorly—like he did on 11—and he knew he was going to be left with a brutal up-and-down from behind the green. He ended up with a bogey, losing three shots on two holes and losing his lead to Young.

McIlroy was left with a difficult chip on the par-3 12th hole after pulling his tee shot. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

His tee shot on 17

Once again McIlroy’s poor driving proved to be costly as he pulled his tee shot on the par-4 17th into the trees on the left. He was left with only 104 yards to the pin but had to play an awkward punch shot because of the trees and he could only watch as his ball scooted through the green and left another difficult chip shot. He hit that one past the hole and then missed a 10-foot par putt before tapping in for another bogey. Again, if that drive finds the fairway he’d have a much easier chance of making par or better on the hole. Instead, he dropped a shot and fell back into a tie with Young. This bogey hurt even more because he had made back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to regain the lead.

Instead of growing his lead on Saturday, McIlroy fell back to the field and now faces what will likely be an extremely stressful final round at the Masters. It all feels a little different now for McIlroy since he finally got his first jacket last year. But if he’s unable to get the win on Sunday, McIlroy will likely look back at his third round performance for years to come while wondering about what could have been if he had just done a few things differently.

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