Masters round 3: Here’s what to expect Saturday at Augusta National

McIlroy had enjoyed the midway lead only once in 17 starts. That came in 2011, when he led after the second and third rounds, only to shoot an 80 on Sunday and fall all the way to a tie for 15th. Last year, he was tied for third at the halfway point en route to his victory.

“I wouldn’t say (I’m) in the zone, but I definitely found a sense of flow those last few holes,” McIlroy said. “The only way I can describe it is everything that you see or any situation you come across, you can find a positive in it. Then you see birdies and you can see ways to make birdies.”

McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world, gave an early indication he might run away from the field when he strung together three straight birdies starting at No. 2, and was 8-under for the tournament through 22 holes. But his momentum was blunted with a bogey at No. 4 and another at No. 10.

Then McIlroy found his stride. He adeptly handled Amen Corner, with birdies at No. 12 and No. 13. He added birdies at Nos. 15, 16, and No. 17 — where he chipped in from 29 yards — and made a six-footer for birdie at No. 18, only his 24th putt of the round. McIlroy birdied six of the last seven holes.

“I knew I had some chances coming in when I was standing on the 12th tee, but I didn’t think I’d birdie six of the last seven,” McIlroy said. “It just shows what you can do around here.”

McIlroy spent a lot of time at Augusta National over the last three weeks. Sometimes, he would drop his daughter off at school in the morning, fly to Augusta for the day and be home in time to have dinner with the family that night.

“I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks, and that’s been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores,” McIlroy said. “And ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out.”

Despite the sizable lead, McIlroy has a world-class field chasing him.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, shot 69 and is tied for second place with first round co-leader Sam Burns at 6-under. Tommy Fleetwood, the 2025 FedEx Cup champion; Justin Rose, a three-time Masters runner-up; and 2024 British Open champion Shane Lowry, are tied for fourth at 5-under.

There was less wind on Friday and the scores were better. The first-round scoring average was 74.65, the highest since 74.98 in 2017. That improved by more than a stroke to 73.82 in Friday’s second round.

The cut came at 4-over 148. Among those who failed to qualify for the weekend are 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, 2022 British Open champion Cameron Smith and former Masters champions Bubba Watson, in addition to Danny Willett, Zach Johnson, Fred Couples, José Maria Olazábal, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh and Ángel Cabrera.

The forecast for the final two days looks the same — sunny and hot, with highs in the upper 80s and no rain. Unless the greens are watered, they will continue to get harder and more difficult to putt, as well as hold shots.

“It’s beginning to look baked out,” Rose said. “This whole area here where everyone is walking feels like a cricket pitch rather than a golf course.”