AUGUSTA, Ga. — Congratulations, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young. You’re co-leading the 2026 Masters heading into the Sunday’s final round. That would seem to be a good thing; 51 Masters champions have converted 54-hole leads en route to claiming their green jackets—including McIlroy a year ago. That 57.3-percent win can’t be a bad omen for either golfer.
Before you get too excited, however, there’s another trend for Young and McIlroy to be aware of, a more recent one from the PGA Tour in 2026. Call it the curse of the 54-hole lead. Just four times out of 13 tournaments so far this season has a third-round leader hung on to win a PGA Tour event. That’s a 30.7 percent rate.
It’s not just players who have led with 18 holes remaining that have struggle to close out victories. A handful of leads have been squandered with only a few holes remaining on Sunday:
• Hideki Matsuyama was one shot ahead on the 72nd hole at the WM Phoenix Open, only to stumble with a bogey and then bogey again on the first playoff hole to fall to Chris Gotterup.
• Shane Lowry held a three-shot advantage with three holes remaining at the Cognizant Classic, only to make back-to-back double bogeys and let Nico Echavaria drive away with the title.
• Daniel Berger was five shots up on Akshay Bhatia with nine holes left at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as he tried to claim his first win in five years, only to faulter and lose to the lefty in a playoff.
Is this year’s low conversion rate an aberration or something that’s been trending on tour? Well, a year ago, eight 54-hole leaders had closed the door and won in 15 events before the Masters (53.3 percent rate). In 2024, that number was 10 out of 15 (66.7 percent). In 2023, it was eight of 14 stroke-play events (57.1 percent).
Cameron Young posted his career-low round at Augusta National with a Saturday 65 to grab a share of the 54-hole lead with Rory McIlroy.
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Suffice it say, the mindsets of Young and McIlroy are likely rather different after the way they found themselves tied atop the leaderboard Saturday night at Augusta National. After playing the first nine holes of the tournament four over par, Young had been chipping back into contention. On Saturday, he tied for the low round of the day with a seven-under 65. It was also the lowest score he had shot in 15 overall rounds at Augusta National, and just the third round in the 60s.
“I like the position I'm in,” said Young, who is one for one when holding a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour in his career (winning the Wyndham last August). “If you had said on Thursday at about noon that I was going to be within a couple of the lead going into Sunday, I would have taken it in a heartbeat, especially given the fact that I was watching Rory play.”
McIlroy, meanwhile, saw a six-shot lead through 36 holes, the largest in Masters history, evaporate as his trouble off the tee lead to a one-over 73 score on a day where the stroke average was 70.6, the lowest since the final round of the 2018 Masters.
“I have to look at the positives even though there isn't that many to take today,” McIlroy said. “But I did -- you know, I did bounce back. I hit some good shots coming in. But yeah, I'm in a great position. I just know I need to be better tomorrow to have a chance.”
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McIlroy’s experience with 54-hole leads is extensive, having been out front entering the final round 21 previous times on the PGA Tour. He was pulled out the win in 12 of those events.
Young feels like his victory at last month’s Players Championship has garnered him more of a followed than he previously had, but knows being paired with McIlroy will come with the crowds likely rooting for the other guy.
“I don't get the sense I'll be the fan favorite, but yeah, I feel like the support, some fans that cheer for me have gotten louder over the last year,” Young said. “It will still be lopsided, I think. Rory's kind of a world favorite in the golf world.
“A year ago, if I'd been in the same situation, there would have been very little, and now there's probably a little more. So I'll take what I can get, and I'll be happy with that.”
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