Scottie Scheffler's sizzling 65 puts him in Masters contention

The American began the opening major of the year with an even par 70, but after his disastrous 74 on Friday, Scheffler's first over-par round at Augusta in three years, he was wallowing in the mire.

The two-over round saw Scheffler finish the day 12 strokes behind leader and defending champion Rory McIlroy, who was looking imperious indeed.

But the third day of any tournament is known as moving day, and boy, was there moving. McIlroy's six-shot lead evaporated as he slumped to a one-over 73, while Scheffler tied co-leader Cameron Young for the low round of the day with a bogey-free 65.

That put the four-time major winner just four strokes off the lead and in with a shout for the iconic green jacket.

"I hit it really nice today," said Scheffler, who backed up his eagle on the second with five birdies thanks to a red-hot putter.

"I felt like I was very sharp with the irons. Got it up there; gave myself a lot of opportunities. I felt like I took advantage of those on the front nine, and then back nine I did a lot of good things. [I] was really, really close to seeing a lot go in.

"The greens here are challenging. The margins are small. I mean, I rolled it really nice today. I'd be interested to see what the stats are. I'm sure they're still positive, but when you have that many birdie looks, I think sometimes you wish they could all go in."

Having won the Masters twice before, Scheffler is no stranger to the green jacket. But this time around, he'll have to do it differently. In 2022, he started the final round with a three-stroke lead and in 2024 it was a one-shot lead.

"I think that's what great players and great competitors do, is they're able to rise to the occasion," quipped the 29-year-old.

"I think when you look at the biggest tournaments, you'd be hard-pressed to find another tournament that's bigger than this one, especially for myself.

"When you come here, I think that's why it's such a great test. Because not only do you have to conquer this golf course, you have to conquer changing conditions, a difficult country club golf course. But you also have to conquer your nerves as well to get it done around here."