AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Rory McIlroy was carving out his epic Masters third round Saturday, his fellow competitors were taking notice.
And when McIlroy’s round was over, a two-shot lead secured for Sunday’s final round after shooting 66 Saturday, those players spoke about how difficult it’ll be to track him down.
“When he plays his best golf, it’s hard to catch him,’’ 21-year-old Ludvig Åberg said after finishing on 6-under. “I don’t think there’s a lot of guys in this world that can catch him when he plays at his best. We all saw it.’’
Jason Day, who’s 5-under, said he’s noticed a particularly steely focus in McIlroy this week.
“He’s going to be a very, very difficult person to beat tomorrow the way that he’s looking off the golf course before the round — very confident, very balanced in himself,’’ Day said. “He’s the best player of our generation, for sure. He just makes things look so easy. You look at his score today, he was 4-under through three holes? He kind of faltered and then all of a sudden he makes three on the trot.
“He’s explosive enough to be able to do that. There’s not many guys on this planet that are able to do something like that. That’s what’s impressive about him.’’
Day said he’s aware of the pressure McIlroy faces Sunday, having not won a major in 11 years and trying to complete the career Grand Slam.
“Yeah, there’s obviously pressure, but he has pressure every single week,’’ Day said. “He seemed very focused, determined to accomplish that. It doesn’t look like he’s focusing on it. That’s the thing.
Rory McIlroy waves to the patrons on the 18th hole during the third round of the Masters. Peter Casey-Imagn Images
“I know it’s in the back of his mind, but I think he’s running off so much confidence and he has so much belief in his game that it’s almost like he knows it’s going to happen. And when you’re playing like that, it’s very dangerous.’’
Day marveled at McIlroy’s mental toughness Saturday.
After his incredible start, McIlroy flatlined a bit in the middle of the round before rallying with a birdie on 13 and an eagle on 15.
Jason Day waves to the crowd line up on the 18th hole during the third round of the Masters on April 12, 2025. Getty Images
“His mind … to be able to push and keep pushing and keep pushing, that’s the hardest thing in any tournament, really,’’ Day said. “You can push and then you can falter and then for him to come back with three birdies on the trot, get to 12-under, there’s not many people that can do that.’’
Corey Conners was paired with McIlroy and had a front-row seat for Saturday’s fireworks and is 8-under, trailing him by four shots.
“It was a pretty amazing start Rory had,’’ Conners said. “Rory is a world-class player. He took advantage of some of the par-5s today. His length is pretty impressive. His firepower and his ability to kind of hit the right shot at the right time, kind of get himself on a run, was impressive at the Players and again today.
“He’ll definitely be tough to try and hunt down.’’
