McIlroy has been a cut above the rest at Augusta, is it finally his time to don the green jacket?

Rory McIlroy chips to the green on the 14th hole during the third round at the Masters. Pic: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Is this it? Is this the day that Rory McIlroy exorcises the two biggest heartbreaks of his long career and assumes his place in the pantheon of golf’s most complete major champions?

Dawn broke on a glorious Sunday in Georgia, crisp with anticipation for what could be one of the greatest showdowns in Masters history. 

McIlroy is poised to rid himself of any lingering 14-year-old scar from the only other time he carried a lead into the final round at Augusta and melted down in front of the world on the back nine.

What’s more, he has the chance do it at the expense of the man who delivered the most recent painful dagger last summer at Pinehurst No. 2 – Bryson DeChambeau.

“I think he got hurt so badly at (the 2024) U.S. Open that he’s got a point to prove, and when he’s got a point to prove, that’s normally when he’s at his best,” said Dubliner Paul McGinley, McIlroy’s Ryder Cup captain at Gleneagles in 2014.

“I think it’s a two-horse race. I think they’ve distanced themselves,” McGinley added of the final pairing which has produced the winner in the last eight consecutive Masters. 

“I think the competitive nature between the two of them was brilliant (Saturday). I love the fact that they have history with the U.S. Open last year.” 

McIlroy’s majors history hasn’t always been great, especially in the last 11 year’s as he’s chased in vain to add to his four major titles and especially pick up a green jacket that would complete his collection and put him in the company of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Players and Tiger Woods in golf’s most exclusive fraternity of career slam winners.

But at age 35, McIlroy has molded himself into a more complete player than he’s ever been and shown that twice already this season with a breakaway win at Pebble Beach and a Players Championship title despite not having his best stuff at Sawgrass.

“I’ve got a lot of experience. I came in here talking about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer, and you know, I just have to keep reminding myself of that and remind myself that no matter what situation or scenario I find myself in (Sunday), I’ll be able to handle it,” he said.

McIlroy is playing a caliber of golf that is a cut above everyone else this week. 

His consecutive 66s on Friday and Saturday were tops in the field, and if not for the two bad doubles that jumped up and bit him late in the opening round, he might be showing up on the first tee today for a coronation walk.

Rory McIlroy lines up a putt on the seventh hole during the third round. Pic: David J. Phillip/AP

DeChambeau’s game has not been the quality of McIlroy’s, but he displays a shot-stealing short-game and a showman’s flair for the dramatic that has him nipping at Rory’s heels and poses a grave threat for putting all the pieces together on Sunday and tearing the Ulsterman’s heart out again. 

He’s actually leading McIlroy in both driving distance and putting this week, as they both rank 1-2 respectively in those categories – though DeChambeau has six fewer putts, which is what’s kept him in it.

McGinley has marveled at the contrast and the conflict the two protagonists generate.

“I don’t think Bryson’s playing that well at all,” he said on the overnight analysis on the Golf Channel. “I think it shows you that this guy is a hell of a competitor. Rory could have accelerated away from the field, and credit to Bryson for staying somewhat behind him.

“The biggest roar at Augusta National (Saturday) was Rory’s second shot into 15 and then the putt for eagle. The whole place rocked on the back of that. (DeChambeau) was standing down that fairway, and what did he do? He birdied three of the next four holes. He didn’t shrivel even though he didn’t have his best stuff with him.

“He’s not as good a golfer as Rory, but he makes up for it in other ways. He’s a phenomenal driver of the ball, but he doesn’t have the quality of iron play that Rory does. He has a brilliant short game. This guy has got one of the most incredible competitive spirits that I’ve seen, and that’s what I admire about him more than anything else.” 

Speaking repeatedly about his resilience over the long span of his career, McIlroy will get to face head on this afternoon any gremlins that have haunted him on a stage he desperately wants to triumph on.

It was 14 years ago when a cherubic 21-year-old McIlroy built a four-shot lead coming to the first tee on Sunday at Augusta. 

By the time he reached the back nine, his lead was down to one and his confidence was on fumes. A tee shot that hit a tree and caromed to the footsteps of cabins nobody had ever seen before and led to a triple. 

It spiraled out of control from there as he came home in 43 strokes to shoot 80 and finished T15.

He called it then “a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it.” And two months later in his next major start at the U.S. Open at Congressional, McIlroy claimed his first major victory in convincing fashion.

At Augusta National, however, the image of the young McIlroy doubled over his driver on the 13th tee in 2011 when he realized there was no hope left remains indelible.

“I’m very disappointed,” he gamely said in 2011 after his round. “You know, I was leading this golf tournament with nine holes to go, and I just unraveled. Hit a bad tee shot on 10, and then never, never really recovered … just sort of lost it 10, 11, 12 and couldn’t really get it back.

“You know, it’s going to be hard to take for a few days, but I’ll get over it. I'm fine.

“I’ve got to take the positives, and the positives were I led this golf tournament for 63 holes. You know, I’ll have plenty more chances. I know that. It’s very disappointing what happened today. Hopefully it’ll build a little bit of character in me, as well.” 

McIlroy’s character has carried him through the ups and downs – and there have been plenty of both. 

But today could be the most historic day of his career and change the narrative from “can McIlroy get it done?” to “how far can he go?”