Augusta, GA – Will it be better than this?
Golf fans witnessed an electric day at Augusta National. There, Rory McIlroy soared to the top of the leaderboard with the first few holes in six straight three.
But Bryson Deccanbeau produced his own fireworks. He opened with a pair of birdies, finishing with three more par breakers on his final four holes, posting his third straight sub-70 round.
Deccanbo drained a long-range bomb on hole 18, then sat two strokes behind McIlroy, entering the final round, reaching 10 under par.
Unlike last summer at Pinehurst No. 2, where DeChambeau hit McIlroy one by one, and broke his heart in the process, these two superstars play together in the final pairing.
“It will be the most epic stage we've had in a long time, and I'm excited about it,” Deccanbeau said of the opportunity.
“We both want to win really, really badly, and that's what you know, there are a lot of great players behind us too, and we need to be careful and focused on that.
“As for the patrons, it's going to be an electrical atmosphere.”
The patrons were incredible on Saturday afternoons, and produced early and often deafening roars, especially when McIlroy made his move.
The loudest scream of the day came to the second hole in the par 5McIlroy chipped in from across the green.
The Eagle also gave him the lead, asking many patrons, “Is this really the year?”
Another patron glowed, “I want to beat Rory that badly.”
“It's amazing to support them. These patrons and these galleries are fun to play before we return each year,” McIlroy said.
“They are some of the most knowledgeable golf patrons and spectators we play in front of them. Yeah, it's a joy to play in front of them, have that vibe and support them. Tomorrow is a bit rough, a little loud, loud, loud, loud, loud. We tried to approach them in the last three days.”
Of course, McIlroy has been looking to complete a career Grand Slam for 11 years since winning an Open Championship victory at Royal Liverpool in 2014.
McIlroy hasn't won a major since then, but has experienced a lot of pain. St Andrews in 2022, Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, and last year's aforementioned defeat came to mind.
“I think I have to remember that I still have a long way to go,” McIlroy said.
“I know what happens here, like anyone else, on the last day. You know. I have a lot of experience. I've talked about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer here.
It is worth noting that the last eight Masters champions have come out of the final pairing. The last winner that didn't do this was Danny Willett in 2016, when Jordans Piece blew the championship out of 12 holes.
So history says that perhaps he will be one of these two superstars.
McIlroy and Dechambeau will see the two most popular players on the planet, seeking green jackets on golf's most sacred grounds.
Will it be better than this?
Certainly not.
Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.
