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AUGUSTA, Ga. — We've got a tie ballgame with 18 holes to play. Just how we thought it would go, right? Augusta National is undefeated ...

McIlroy meltdown?

A cruel reality now stares Rory McIlroy in the face: He may have to put the green jacket on someone he handed the Masters to.

No man had ever led by six strokes at the halfway mark of the Masters, as McIlroy did when the third round began. The handful of players who had five-shot leads all ended with a jacket over their shoulders, aside from Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper in 1936. That’s still distinctly possible for McIlroy, it’s just far less certain after a costly third round brought back all the worst memories from a year ago.

This was supposed to be the simple one – the defense informed and improved by all the misgivings that nearly cost him his first green jacket. But Augusta National doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve done. A 22-year-old Jordan Spieth can take a six-shot lead into the second nine on Sunday and salt it away. McIlroy lost his own six-stroke lead on Saturday. The only difference is that he still has time to get it back.

McIlroy enters the final round tied with Cameron Young, who surged with a 7-under 65 on Moving Day, while McIlroy fell back to the pack with a 1-over 73. The performance was a startling reversal of the first two rounds, which saw McIlroy get the most out of his iron play and short game. He was second-worst in Strokes Gained: Approach on Saturday and had several notable short-game blunders that dropped him down the leaderboard.

The signs were there from the beginning.

I strolled out to watch the entirety of McIlroy’s range session before the third round, admittedly thinking I was going to find a few details that would tell the story of how improved McIlroy is as an all-around player compared to when he rattled off majors in his early 20s. What I quickly found was that McIlroy was battling his swing. Anytime he set up to hit a draw, the ball was doing exactly as he hoped. But when he would attempt a fade, too many started right and kept going. After each miss, McIlroy would look at his right forearm, mimic his takeaway, then try again. To be clear: There were more good shots than bad, but it was hard not to see a pattern developing. So it came as little surprise that his opening tee shot drifted right and led to a bogey, and then again at the par-5 second, which he disappointingly parred after blowing it into the pines right of the fairway.

“Didn't quite have it today,” McIlroy said. “... I'm going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.”

So there McIlroy was after his round Saturday, in roughly the same spot on the range, working on his swing and rehearsing his takeaway as floodlights kept the darkness away. This was the reality he created for himself on Saturday. Only two outcomes remain: triumph or demoralizing devastation. McIlroy knows how both feel.

Playing through

• 📜Here’s a full breakdown of how Round 3 unfolded …
• 🎉 Another week, another Shane Lowry ace. The Irishman jarred his approach on the par-3 sixth and put himself right into the mix for a green jacket. It’s his second ace in as many events and the second of his Masters career. He’s the first player in Masters history with two holes-in-one.
• 📖 Cameron Young’s playbook from THE PLAYERS Championship is working perfectly again at Augusta National ...

Morikawa's mettle

The step came with a grimace and a wry smile. Morikawa had just meandered 8 miles up and down the hills of Augusta National, but the slightly higher-than-normal hop onto the media podium was a reminder of what Morikawa is battling and a credit to what he’s done despite it.

“It's phenomenal,” Morikawa said. “It's going to be in its own category, but it's some of the best golf I've played.”

No part of Morikawa would have been pleased with where he stood had you asked one month ago. Leading into THE PLAYERS Championship, Morikawa compiled a better start to his year than any in recent memory. He won, contended on the West Coast, and looked every bit of a favorite as attention turned to Augusta. Then he threw out his back at TPC Sawgrass, sidelining him for weeks.

The pain is largely gone now, but the mental scars are seared deeper than he ever comprehended. He’s worried that his back might go out on every swing, resigning himself to 50% effort with little to no lower-body involvement. It was bad enough on Monday that he didn’t do more than chip or putt. On Tuesday, he wasn’t sure he would make contact with the ball on the opening tee shot of his practice round. An opening round of 2-over par seemed admirable, a relatively strong result given the lack of reps and dearth of confidence.

So his consecutive rounds of 69-68 the last two days seem, frankly, incomprehensible. Augusta National is a course that can chew you up when you’re at your best. Morikawa is not sure of a time he’s felt worse, mentally. Yet, somehow, he’s 5 under and just outside the top 10 entering the final round. He charged late on Saturday, holing out for eagle at the 15th, and picking up shots at Nos. 16 and 17, one of the lone players to rise to the tough conditions in the afternoon.

“It's going to be one of the best tournaments in my entire career,” Morikawa said.

Morikawa was ready to say that even with 18 holes left. I’d concur. It’s a performance that deserves its flowers. I’ve developed a much deeper respect for Morikawa this week, as he has not only been incredibly open about the mental hurdles he’s trying to overcome, but also has gutted out a performance that nobody saw coming.

He isn’t going to win the Masters, but I’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone else who will leave the property Sunday night more proud than Morikawa.

Parting shots

• 🤔 Is it possible to be disappointed with a Saturday 65? Scottie Scheffler wrestled with that idea in real time on Saturday afternoon, first snipping at a reporter who suggested he could have gotten more out of his round before later admitting that was the case. “It definitely could have been lower.” How? Well, he failed to birdie either par 5 on the second nine and missed a very makeable birdie attempt at No. 17.
• 👀 The last five Masters champions ranked either first or second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green for the week. The top two through 54 holes: Young and Scheffler.
• 1️⃣2️⃣ It’s an important Sunday even for those not in immediate contention. The top 12 earn exemptions in next year's Masters. It’s how Max Homa got into the event this year, and he’s again teetering on that line, 3 under in a tie for 21st. Some others that will be eyeing that: Haotong Li (7 under, T7), Ryan Gerard (4 under, T15), Brian Campbell (3 under, T21) and Michael Brennan (3 under, T21).