Rory McIlroy storms into Masters lead as Grand Slam dream stays alive

McIlroy holds four-shot advantage at Augusta, chasing career-defining win.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates with his caddie Harry Diamond after winning on the playoff hole during the final round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on April 13, 2025. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Rory McIlroy stormed into the lead at the Masters as his Grand Slam dream stays alive, taking command of the final round at Augusta National despite a chaotic start. The 35-year-old Northern Irishman, chasing the elusive career Grand Slam, overcame a two-stroke deficit and double bogey on the opening hole to build a four-shot lead by the turn on Sunday. McIlroy’s dramatic surge at Augusta has positioned him just nine holes away from a historic achievement that has eluded him for over a decade.

A disastrous start turns into domination

McIlroy, who began the final round holding a slender two-shot advantage, looked in danger of letting his Masters hopes slip away early. His tee shot on the first hole landed in a fairway bunker. A missed par putt followed by a failed comeback attempt saw him card a double bogey, while his final-pairing partner, US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, birdied the second to seize the lead at 11-under.

The Augusta crowd sensed the momentum shift. But McIlroy, calm under pressure, responded with the composure of a four-time major champion. He rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt at the third and reclaimed the lead when DeChambeau stumbled with a bogey. That swing set off a chain reaction.

Back-to-back brilliance

At the par-3 fourth, McIlroy delivered another nine-foot birdie while DeChambeau made his second consecutive bogey after failing to reach the green. It was a stunning two-shot swing that left McIlroy suddenly ahead by three strokes just four holes after falling behind.

McIlroy found himself in trouble again at the fifth, blasting his drive into the trees. Yet a masterful recovery from the pine straw left him just off the green, and he managed to save par—another crucial moment of survival.

By the time he reached the ninth, McIlroy had recovered fully. A confident seven-foot birdie putt sent him to 13-under and capped an extraordinary turnaround that had him four shots clear of DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg of Sweden, and England’s Justin Rose.

The pursuit of golfing immortality

With his commanding lead at the halfway mark of the final round, Rory McIlroy now stands on the precipice of history. If he can hold on, he will join the sport’s most elite company—Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan—as one of only six players ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

It’s been 10 years since McIlroy’s last major victory, and the Masters has often been the scene of heartbreak. His most infamous collapse came in 2011, when he led heading into Sunday but shot a final-round 80, falling to 15th.

Despite those painful memories, McIlroy has returned to Augusta year after year, undeterred. His second-place finish in 2022 showed signs that his time might still come. Now, with a golden opportunity in front of him, his dream is closer than ever.

DeChambeau fades but remains in the mix

DeChambeau, the reigning US Open champion, started the round with all the swagger of a heavyweight contender. Slapping hands with fans and feeding off the energy, he briefly held the lead after the second hole. But three bogeys in the next three holes left him reeling.

Though still in contention, DeChambeau now faces a steep climb. If he rallies, he could join an exclusive club of players to break 70 in all four rounds of the Masters, a feat achieved only once by a runner-up—Cameron Smith in 2020. A win would also give LIV Golf its third major title in as many years, adding to Brooks Koepka’s 2023 PGA Championship and DeChambeau’s own triumph at Pinehurst.

Åberg and Rose fight to stay close

Åberg, last year’s Masters runner-up, has quietly positioned himself for another strong finish. A birdie on the 10th pushed him to nine-under, while Rose, who led after 36 holes, nailed a 58-foot birdie putt at the 11th and followed with another at the par-three 12th to stay within reach.

Both players have shown the consistency needed to stay in contention, but they will need a slip from McIlroy on the back nine to have any chance of slipping on the green jacket.

A dramatic stage with historic stakes

Sunday’s final pairing is the first time since 1996 that two multiple major winners have been paired in the final group at Augusta. That iconic duel between Greg Norman and Nick Faldo ended in heartbreak for Norman—another reminder of how quickly fortunes can change on the back nine at the Masters.

McIlroy will need to keep his composure. The back nine on Sunday at Augusta is among the most pressure-packed stretches in all of sports. Every shot carries the weight of history. And McIlroy knows better than anyone what can happen when things go wrong.

Still, his play over the past 27 holes—particularly back-to-back rounds of 66—suggests that he’s peaking at the perfect time.

The biggest prize yet

The stakes are massive in every sense. The 2025 Masters offers a record $21 million purse, with the winner receiving a record $4.2 million alongside the iconic green jacket and a permanent place in golf’s pantheon.

If McIlroy can complete the journey and secure victory, it will be more than just a personal milestone. It would be the culmination of a decade-long pursuit filled with heartbreak, resilience, and unrelenting belief. It would silence the critics who doubted whether he could ever win again at a major.

Most importantly, it would enshrine his name among the greatest to ever play the game.

A legacy-defining back nine awaits

As McIlroy heads into the final stretch of Augusta’s hallowed grounds, the world watches with bated breath. Can he finish the job? Can he banish the ghosts of past collapses and complete the ultimate redemption story?

One thing is clear: Rory McIlroy has taken control of the Masters, and his Grand Slam dream is very much alive. Now, it’s time to see whether he can make it reality.