Patrick Reed will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Masters, with Rory McIlroy the man in nearest pursuit.
Reed got the better of McIlroy in a Ryder Cup singles clash for the ages at Hazeltine in 2016, but should McIlroy gain his revenge on Sunday it could be enough to complete a career grand slam of majors.
It was McIlroy who made the first move in round three, birdies at the third and fourth holes seeing him eat into Reed's overnight lead, before a dart into the par-three sixth set up another birdie to move to six-under.
After a par at seven, McIlroy then chipped in for eagle at the par-five eighth and briefly shared the lead as Reed searched for the form which had carried him to a Friday 66.
He took little time to find it, springing to life with birdies at eight, nine and 10 to go three clear, but the lead was reduced to two again when he failed to get up and down at the 12th, something McIlroy had managed in the previous group.
Another turning of the ride came at the par-five 13th, when McIlroy was forced to scramble par after a brief but heavy shower interfered with his second shot, which came to rest in a flowerbed by the side of the green.
After McIlroy had holed from four feet to remain at eight-under, Reed blasted his second inside 15 feet and converted the eagle putt to move four ahead for the first time.
⛳️ Moments after a crazy par from his nearest pursuer, Patrick Reed produced this eagle to take a big lead in #themasters
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) April 7, 2018
How significant were those five minutes as a two-shot advantage became four?
📽️ @TheMasters pic.twitter.com/OvaCshVvsh
Four then became five after Reed followed McIlroy's birdie at the same hole by chipping in for another eagle at the 15th, but there was time for one final twist as the Northern Irishman fired a brilliant approach to the last and made birdie, while Reed bogeyed 16 and did well to avoid another blemish at 17.
After missing a final birdie chance at the last, Reed signed for a five-under-par 67 which McIlroy bettered by two, the pair separated by three shots and set to play together in the final group on Sunday.
Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm also carded best-of-the-week 65s to reach nine, and eight-under respectively, with Henrik Stenson a shot further back in fifth after a solid but unspectacular 70.
But a day which began with any number of potential challengers saw McIlroy emerge as by far the biggest threat to Reed, and with that came the promise of something truly special on Sunday.
Leaderboard
- -14 Patrick Reed
- -11 Rory McIlroy
- -9 Rickie Fowler
- -8 Jon Rahm
"I got on a nice run on the front nine before the birdies dried up, but to birdie two of the last four holes was huge, especially with that up and down on 17," McIlroy said.
"It's massive to be in the final group for the first time here since 2011. I feel like I learned an awful lot that day and hopefully I can putt that into practice tomorrow.
"I'm really excited to show everyone what I've got, to show Patrick Reed what I've got and all the pressure is on him. He went to Augusta State and has a lot of support and I'm hoping to come in here and spoil the party."
McIlroy admits "I rode my luck" at times but looking forward to putting into practice everything he learnt from final round collapse in 2011. "Now I am ready" #TheMasters
— Phil Casey (@pcaseysafc) April 7, 2018
Reed said: "It's going to be a lot of fun.
"Obviously we're both playing really solid golf to be able to go into a final round on Sunday at the first major. But really I'm just going to do my thing and stick to my game plan and go out and enjoy my Sunday.
"I'm not out there to play Rory. I'm out there to play the golf course."
Asked about McIlroy saying the pressure was all on him, Reed added: "I am leading, so I guess so. But at the same time, he's trying to go for the career grand slam. You can put it either way."
