AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | And here we are.
Rory McIlroy and all that comes with him will arrive at Augusta National’s first tee Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with a two-stroke lead and 18 holes remaining in the Masters, chasing not just a green jacket but his own white whale.
There to meet him on the tee will be Bryson DeChambeau and all that comes with him, the energy, the theatrics and the still-fresh memory of a U.S. Open victory 10 months ago at Pinehurst that sent McIlroy driving away heartbroken after perhaps the most painful near-miss in a career speckled with them.
At a place where the fantastic seems to sometimes float in the air, a spectacular Saturday felt like a prelude to a Sunday that could hardly arrive quickly enough.
McIlroy, who on Saturday became the first player in Masters history to start his round with six consecutive 3s, knows better than anyone the opportunity he has on Sunday.
He can become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam, shut the door on the endlessly looping narrative about his failure to win a major in more than a decade and leave DeChambeau to think about the one that got away.
There is an enormity to the moment and McIlroy knows it.
“I’ve talked about trying to chase a feeling out there,” McIlroy said Saturday evening after his second consecutive 66. “If I can have that feeling and if I can go home tonight and look in the mirror before I go to bed and be like, that’s the way I want to feel when I play golf, that, to me, is a victory.”
This is the first 54-hole major championship lead McIlroy has held since his victory in the 2014 PGA Championship and the only other lead he carried into the final round of the Masters ended with a crushing 80 in 2011.
“Thankfully, I’ve got a pretty short memory,” McIlroy said.
While DeChambeau has his own noisy fan base, McIlroy is the people’s choice this week. As he made his way around the back nine, having jumped into the lead by playing his first five holes in 5-under par, he was met with loud ovations at each green, the patrons often standing to greet him.
He isn’t oblivious to the moment. He planned to spend a quiet Saturday night with his family, his phone turned off and watching an episode of “Bridgerton” if he doesn’t fall asleep like he did Friday night.
While DeChambeau has his own noisy fan base, McIlroy is the people’s choice this week. As he made his way around the back nine, having jumped into the lead by playing his first five holes in 5-under par, he was met with loud ovations at each green, the patrons often standing to greet him.
The air of anticipation has built throughout the week and it reached a boil on Saturday.
“It’s amazing to have the support,” McIlroy said.
“Tomorrow in that final group is going to be – it’s going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I’m just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down and sort of approach tomorrow with the same attitude that I have tried to approach the last three days with.”
If McIlroy reacts organically, DeChambeau plays to the crowd, his flamboyance a part of his persona. As he chased McIlroy through the closing holes, making a short birdie at the 16th and a long, thunderous birdie at the 18th to trim his deficit to two, DeChambeau stared defiantly at the patrons after his birdie at No. 16.
“Rory was kind of moving forward. He was at 12-under, and I was kind of chasing a bit. When I made that, I looked up and I said, kind of as a statement, like, you know what, I’m still here. I’m going to keep going. I’m not going to back down,” DeChambeau said.
Is it overdone?
Perhaps.
Is it entertaining?
No doubt.
Will it bother McIlroy?
Too soon to know.
“It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it,” DeChambeau said.