Rory McIlroy holds six-shot Augusta lead as Fleetwood and Rose begin chase

McIlroy, the defending champion, holds a six-shot lead at Augusta, with Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood aiming to cut the deficit on moving day at Augusta
Rory McIlroy holds a huge six-shot lead in pursuit of a second consecutive Masters title, having delivered a stunning second round finale at Augusta National , but his rivals will hope to hunt him down on moving day in what promises to be a gripping third round.

The Northern Irishman, who is building on the grand slam achieved last year by defeating Justin Rose in a play-off, is due out at 7:50pm BST and will look to fend off Ryder Cup rival and 2018 champion Patrick Reed, who is six behind alongside compatriot Sam Burns.

While Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose , Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are all seven behind at -5 and will hope to produce fireworks on Saturday to apply the pressure.

Follow live updates from The Masters , below:
Justin Rose reveals mindset on chasing Rory McIlroy at The Masters 2026
“That's the dilemma,” Rose says when asked how he goes about closing the gap on McIlroy.

“How do you approach it?

Still, I think you need to be patient, make birdies at range, try not to force mistakes.

“There are games within games, take the focus away from the leaderboard.”
Scheffler on the move - Masters 2026 latest scores and updates
Immediately to -2 overall and 10 behind McIlroy, but that’s a significant move from the world No 1.

And that’s a monster drive on three from Scheffler, too, with the ball cosying up towards the green.

Could the weather impact McIlroy's march to a second green jacket?

If you thought the conditions might knock McIlroy today, then think again, it's a glorious day at Augusta.

With temperatures at 25-29c throughout the afternoon, it's just the most gentle of winds, too, according to the Met Office.

A highest gust of 10mph is forecast.

The greens will dry out and become devilishly quick late on, but that’s to be expected.

Scottie Scheffler underway in third round of The Masters 2026
Scottie Scheffler is out there in a star-studded pairing alongside Ryder Cup rival Ludvig Aberg, who inflicted a devastating 9-and-7 victory over the world No 1 and Brooks Koepka in Rome, of course.

A tidy par for Scheffler on one, he’s underway but needs a huge push from E overall to get back into this.

The Masters 2026 - 3rd Round tee times
5:16pm - Ludvig Aberg, Scottie Scheffler
5:49pm - Nick Taylor, Matt Fitzpatrick
6:11pm - Jake Knapp, Xander Schauffele
7:17pm - Wyndham Clark, Tyrrell Hatton
7:28pm - Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood
7:39pm - Patrick Reed, Justin Rose
7:50pm - Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns
See the full list of tee times below:
The Masters 2026 third-round tee times and how to watch on TV as Rory McIlroy leads
Who could catch Rory McIlroy at The Masters 2026?

It will be tough for anybody to catch McIlroy, especially given his driving has not been what you would expect, and yet he still leads by six shots.

That’ll change this weekend, with McIlroy likely to dial in the big stick and set up better opportunities from the fairway.

But here are the latest odds according to Betfair :
The Masters 2026 - Round 3 latest scored and leaderboard
Good evening and welcome to the Independent’s live coverage of The Masters with Rory McIlroy aiming to take a giant step towards a second green jacket and what would be his sixth major championship.

That would tie him with Sir Nick Faldo, of course, with McIlroy holding a six-shot lead overnight as we begin the weekend action.

But many of McIlroy’s rivals will hope to move closer on moving day and apply some pressure, with the course expected to dry out over the next 36 hours.

Stay with us for live scores, updates and reaction from what promises to be a fascinating third round.

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