Scottie Scheffler flirts with Masters course record in blazing third-round charge

Scottie Scheffler's best Masters round before Saturday was a 66 in 2024. Hector Vivas / Getty Images Share full articleThe Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Masters third round. Amid Scottie Scheffler’s chase for his third Masters win, the golfer flirted with another feat in the third round Saturday. Scheffler shot a 7-under 65, falling just two strokes short of the course record set by Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996) at Augusta National. The round tied tournament leader Rory McIlroy for the best round at Augusta so far this year. Scheffler had a rough second round, shooting a 2-over 74 on Friday, but bounced back to surge up the leaderboard Saturday with a blazing start. He eagled the par-5 second hole and proceeded to make par on the next four holes. The 29-year-old then finished the front nine with three straight birdies to jump into the top five and make the turn at 31. Scheffler birdied again on the par-4 11th hole but began to lose momentum as he continued with the back nine. His approach on the par-5 15th sailed long, and a subsequent birdie putt from just off the green rolled within a few inches of the cup, forcing him to settle for par. A birdie on the par-3 16th followed to put the course record within reach once again, but Scheffler’s magic ran out after that with a pair of pars to close out the round. Scheffler won the Masters in 2022 and 2024 and entered this year’s tournament as a favorite to win again. However, McIlroy, the reigning champion, has been tough to keep up with after the Irishman shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday and a 7-under 65 with nine birdies Friday. Scottie Scheffler closes the first nine with a birdie and leaps into the top five. #themasters pic.twitter.com/WkgpegxMnA — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2026 Scheffler’s best round before Saturday was a 66 in 2024, and his previous best third round was a 71, which he has shot four times. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jenna West is a senior editor on The Athletic's news team. Before joining The Athletic, she served as a writer and producer for Sports Illustrated's national news desk. Jenna is a graduate of Northwestern University.