The final round of the 2025 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club is underway, with Bryson DeChambeau trying to chase down Rory McIlroy in another major championship.
When he’s not trying to win the Masters, Rory McIlroy is enjoying some chill time with his wife, Erica, and their 4-year-old daughter, Poppy.
McIlroy is staying with his family at a rental house near Augusta National. He and Erica have been enjoying episodes of “Bridgerton,” and he and Poppy watched the movie “Zootopia” together.
Poppy also joined her dad and mom for the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday. She was one of several players’ kids who hit highlight shots during the lighthearted event on the final afternoon before the tournament. Poppy nudged a ball with her dad’s putter and it trickled down the slope for a birdie on the closing hole.
McIlroy and Erica have been married since 2017. She is a former PGA of America employee, and they met during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, when she helped him get to the course after he overslept and nearly missed the start of his singles match.
The final round of the Masters will be all about Rory McIlroy’s quest to hold off U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and finally complete golf’s career Grand Slam after a decade of disappointment.
But Shane Lowry was in no mood to talk about his good friend after Saturday’s third round, which ended horribly for the Irishman with bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18.
That dropped Lowry from fourth to tied for sixth and seven strokes behind McIlroy.
“No, I’m not going to stand here and talk about Rory for 10 minutes,” a frustrated Lowry said. “I’m trying to win the tournament, as well. I know that’s what (the media) wants me to talk about, but I had a (horrible) finish, and I’ve got a chance to win the Masters.”
Rory McIlroy has been a favorite to win the Masters from the start, and the odds as he entered the final round with a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau only served to underscore that point.
He was listed at -190 at BetMGM Sportsbook, which means a bettor would need to wager $190 just to win $100.
That makes the sportsbooks exceedingly nervous. So much money has been placed on McIlroy to win that they are facing a big payout — they call it a liability — should he slip on the green jacket at the end of the day.
Things could be particularly expensive for William Hill Sportsbook. It offered money back in free bets to those who wagered on someone else to win the Masters if McIlroy finally completes the career Grand Slam.
“Rory was always the biggest liability in our book,” William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said, “so combined with a refund for those customers that backed against him, if he manages to claim a maiden Masters triumph, we’re looking at an almighty payout.”
Justin Rose hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round at the Masters golf tournament, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Patrons at the Masters spend all morning standing along the ropes and sitting in folding chairs, watching as much golf as they can while enjoying $5 beers and $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches.
But the important action at Augusta National doesn’t start until later.
Leader Rory McIlroy (-12) and his closest pursuer, Bryson DeChambeau (-10), will tee off at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
The Masters sends groups of two off the first tee in 10-minute increments. Here are some other notable starting times:
1:50 p.m.: Justin Rose (-5) and Zach Johnson (-4).
2 p.m.: Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (-5) and Shane Lowry (-5).
2:10 p.m.: Ludvig Aberg (-6) and Jason Day (-5).
2:20 p.m.: Corey Conners (-8) and Patrick Reed (-6).
The first player off for the final round of the Masters on Sunday was Brian Campbell.
He would have been playing alone because an odd number of players made the cut, but that doesn’t happen at Augusta National.
So, who is that long hitter playing with him?
Meet Michael McDermott, the CEO of a financial services firm and a highly respected player in his own right. He’s serving as a non-competing marker, tapped to play with Campbell and keep his score.
McDermott’s own score doesn’t count, and his name isn’t on the back of his caddie’s coveralls like those of the competitors, but he’s out there playing nonetheless.
McDermott also played as a marker Saturday with Tom Kim. He’s a member at Augusta National. He has 10 major victories in the Golf Association of Philadelphia, and won its amateur title in 2008, 2013 and 2016.
Kim said after their round that McDermott “was a complete baller.”
Don’t look for any fireworks on the par-3 16th hole in the final round of the Masters.
Augusta National has gone away from recent tradition of having the hole location at the bottom shelf of the green. That’s where the pin was when Tiger Woods famously hit that chip that went up the slope, made a U-turn and paused for a second at the cup before falling during his 2005 victory.
In this April 10, 2005 photo, Tiger Woods celebrates with his caddie Steve Williams after his chip-in birdie on the 16th hole during the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
For this Masters, the pin is on the top shelf all the way to the back, one of the toughest spots. But there’s a reason for that.
This is the 50-year anniversary of what is considered the greatest Masters. It was on the 16th hole in 1975 where Jack Nicklaus made a 40-foot birdie putt up the slope that carried him to a fifth green jacket.
So there won’t be any shots trickling down the slope toward the pin for a hole-in-one. Players are more likely to be putting up the steep ridge and trying to escape with a par.
The winner of the last eight Masters has come from the top two players on the leaderboard entering the final round.
So, yes, it’s a wise assumption that Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are in a two-man race for the green jacket.
McIlroy begins with a two-shot lead over DeChambeau with Corey Conners their closest pursuer, four shots off the lead.
So it makes sense to break down the heavyweight matchup at Augusta National.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round at the Masters golf tournament, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
McIlroy has a slight edge in strokes gained off the tee this week, and a huge advantage in strokes gained on approach. But while DeChambeau is known for his own prodigious drives, it has been around the greens where he has excelled.
DeChambeau has a big advantage in strokes gained around the green and putting.
McIlroy has made three eagles, the most of anyone in the tournament. DeChambeau does not have any yet.
