AUGUSTA, Ga. — The slump returned Saturday behind the 12th green: slumped shoulders, frustrated sighs, hands through the hair and those listless glances skyward as Rory McIlroy suddenly looked haunted by the very things he'd seemed to have put to rest.
His six-shot advantage built over the first two rounds — the largest at this stage in the tournament — evaporated in the Georgia heat. What had threatened to be a runaway at Augusta National turned into an open, tense Sunday.
"I didn't quite have it today," McIlroy admitted. For two rounds he had resembled a composed, confident player, moving through the course with the swagger of someone who had conquered past demons after his 2025 playoff victory. His refrain was simple: just keep swinging. Saturday, that swing betrayed him.
Trouble began on 11, where an overdrawn approach found the water and led to a double. An uncommitted, abbreviated swing left him off the 12th green, and at 13 he again pushed right into trees and had to scramble for a par. He did birdie 14, went for 15 in two to set up another birdie and briefly reclaimed the lead, but parred 16 and ran into the trees on 17, leaving a par putt short. On a day when the scorin
