Haotong Li's strong third round moved him into contention at Augusta National, though his performance included a setback when he hit his second shot into Rae's Creek on the 13th hole. According to Daily Mail - Sport, Haotong Li described battling negative thoughts during his swing but finding a click in his game, though he expressed disappointment. The nature of his illness on Friday, which he said involved spending the previous night 'living in the toilet', remains unclear, and it is unknown whether he has fully recovered.
Rory McIlroy experienced a tournament rollercoaster, starting as the joint overnight leader after the first round alongside Sam Burns. McIlroy reached eight-under par during the second round but unraveled at Amen Corner during the third round. His exact score and position after the third round have not been confirmed, leaving his standing among the top contenders uncertain as the complete leaderboard after the third round is not fully detailed.
Just some negative thoughts between my backswing. Somehow something clicked, I don't know. Yeah, very disappointed.
Scottie Scheffler shot a seven-under 65 in the second round and was even-par for the tournament after the first two rounds. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Scottie Scheffler described watching Rory McIlroy's play on TV in the player facility on Friday evening as 'pretty special stuff', adding that great players rise to the occasion at big tournaments like the Masters. He also noted he did what he needed to, though he dismissed one question as terrible.
Cameron Young surged with a seven-under 65 in the third round. Jason Day was playing with Young in the third round, according to Daily Mail - Sport, which reported Day described trying to keep up with Young, who had it going early while Day had an average start with a bogey on the first hole. Day noted he averages four to five birdies a round and knew opportunities would come, though timing was uncertain, and he discussed challenges with wind conditions affecting shots.
Walking up 18 I was pretty confident that I couldn't mess it up enough that I wouldn't shoot my best score here – I mean, naturally I tried with a three-putt, so that was disappointing, to say the least. But I certainly would have taken six-under before I went out.
Tyrrell Hatton shot a six-under 66 in the second round. According to The Independent - Sport, Tyrrell Hatton described frustration after his first round, calling himself 'headless' on the seventh hole after a bunker shot went badly. He also expressed confidence walking up the 18th in the second round, despite a disappointing three-putt, and said he would have taken six-under beforehand. According to Daily Mirror - Main, Tyrrell Hatton described being 'scared' of the prospect of firmer and faster greens on the weekend, noting the 15th green already feels very firm.
Justin Rose shot a three-under 69 in the second round. Other notable performances included Wyndham Clark, who made three birdies in his first four holes during the second round. Sam Burns was the joint overnight leader after the first round. The specific pairing and tee times for the final round beyond Haotong Li and Scottie Scheffler have not been disclosed, and it is unknown whether weather conditions like scattered showers or thunderstorms materialized during the tournament rounds.
I was absolutely headless on seven yesterday because I had gone from essentially having a very good birdie opportunity to not only has it gone back in the bunker at speed, it's gone onto the flat, and then it's semi-buried itself. I was like, sick, I've got no chance. Not good.
Haotong Li's challenging moments extended beyond the 13th hole, with his illness adding to the drama. His recovery status and the specifics of his ailment remain unclear as he prepares for the final round alongside Scheffler, in a tournament where positions are tightly contested.
I think the greens are just going to get firmer and faster, which is quite a scary prospect, because I feel like the 15th green can't really get much firmer than what it is.
It was pretty special stuff.
I think that's what great players do. They rise to the occasion when you are at the biggest tournaments, and you'd be hard pressed to find another tournament that's bigger than this one, especially for me.
Terrible question. Next question. Awful.
But I did what I needed to.
I was playing with Cam Young today, who is co-leading currently and I was just trying to keep up with him.
Obviously he had it going early and I had a pretty average start. I bogeyed the first hole with a three-putt, so you're just trying to steady the ship and just be patient. You know that opportunities will come.
Statistically, I average around four to five birdies a round, so I just knew they were going to come. I just didn't know when they were going to come.
I was trying to hit this high draw and I mis-hit it, and it stayed out there. I just didn't think.
It's difficult because of where the wind, it's swirling everywhere and it's enough to manoeuvre the ball around enough to either pull a shot up short or make it go long. You just got to hit on the right gust. Obviously it's light and variable, that's the caddie's worst nightmare. Very fortunate it stayed up.