PGA Tour Brunch | The Masters
PGA Tour Brunch Coverage of the Third Round of the '26 Masters
Note: For the Cut, 47 players made the number at Augusta this year. The field cut at (+4). No amateurs will play on the weekend.
By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR of Digital Sports Desk
AUGUSTA - After two rounds, Rory McIlroy (1st/(-12) holds the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history. McIlroy made nine birdies, including six in his last seven holes, en route to a 7-under (65), the low round of the tournament through 36.
His nine birdies marked his most in a single round at the Masters (7 twice, R1/2011, R4/2016) and his most in a single round of a major championship (8 birdies, R1/2014 PGA Championship).
McIlroy became the fourth Masters champion to hold the 36-hole lead/co-lead the year after victory, joining Arnold Palmer (1959, 1961, 1965), Ian Woosnam (1992), and Jordan Spieth (2016)
The six-stroke lead marks the largest 36-hole margin in Masters Tournament history.
Sam Burns and Patrick Reed (-6) are sharing second place.
Reed opened with a pair of sub-70 rounds at the Masters Tournament for the third time in his career (2018/69-66/Won, 2021/68-68/T10). Reed shot 69-69 in rounds three and four at the 2025 Masters Tournament to finish third, the only time he has posted two sub-70 rounds on the weekend at the Masters.
Reed joined leader, McIlroy, as the only two players in the field with two rounds in the 60s .
For the first time in his 142 major championship rounds, Tyrrell Hatton (T7/-4) hit all 18 greens in regulation, joining Jim Furyk (2009/R1/66) and Kevin Na (2020/R1/73) as the only players to achieve this feat in the last 30 years at the Masters.
Needing bogey or better to play the weekend, Bryson DeChambeau triple-bogeyed and missed the cut.
For the second consecutive year, no amateurs made the cut.
Masters Leaderboard | After 36 Holes
1 Rory McIlroy 67 65 132 (-12)
T2 Sam Burns 67 71 138 (-6)
T2 Patrick Reed 69 69 138 (-6)
T4 Justin Rose 70 69 139 (-5)
T4 Shane Lowry 70 69 139 (-5)
T4 Tommy Fleetwood 71 68 139 (-5)
T7 Six players 138(-4)
Full Leaderboard: (link)
The Masters
COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell (1937)
YARDS/PAR: 7,565 yards/Par 72
PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy
OVERVIEW: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @TheMasters
2026 Masters | The Basics:
Tournament site: The Masters at Augusta Nationasl (Georgia).
Tee Times: 9:31am to 2:50pm (PGATourCom)
Weather: Today’s forecast is for sunny skies with temperatures climbing from 49 to 76 degrees by 1:00pm (local). Winds t 3 mph. No chance of rain.- Sunny for Sunday, too. Hot, 10mph winds.
PGA Tour Brunch at The Masters to post by 9:00am (EDT) on Sunday.
How to Watch | The Masters
Saturday, April 11, 2026 - (All Times Eastern Daylight)
9:00-9:45 - “Mornings at the Masters” - Masters YouTube
10:00am - 12 noon, - “On the Range” - Masters.com, Masters app, CBS Sports Digital, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
Broadcast:
12 noon-7:00pm - Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+
2:00pm - 8:00pm - Masters Radio on Sirius/XM and online
2:00pm - 7:00pm - CBS
5:00pm - 6:00pm - ESPN Deportes
How to Watch: (PGATourCom)
Masters | Full Leaderboard
Masters Leaderboard: (link)
What They’re Saying at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy with Historic Start at the Masters (Yahoo)
DeChambeau Implodes (Yahoo)
Moving Day at The Masters | How to Watch (PGATourCom)
Masters Site for Full Coverage (Masters.com)
ESPN Site (ESPN.com)
PGA Tour Site (PGATourCom)
On This Day in Golf History
April 11, 2004 - Phil Mickelson slid an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win his first major championship at the Masters, defeating Ernie Els by one stroke. Mickelson shot a final round (69) with five birdies over the final seven holes. Els shot a final round (67). Mickelson had remained winless in 46 career Majors prior to the 2004 Masters. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putt
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