For much of Saturday’s third round at the 2025 Masters, Bryson DeChambeau played second fiddle to Rory McIlroy. But just before darkness fell at Augusta National, DeChambeau stole back the momentum with an electrifying birdie at the 18th hole.
To say DeChambeau got off to a slow start on Saturday would be incorrect. It was only slow in relation to McIlroy’s own opening charge. While Bryson made birdies at 1 and 2, McIlroy went birdie-eagle over the same stretch, taking over the Masters lead in the process.
Bryson DeChambeau is the perfect villain in Rory McIlroy’s game
After DeChambeau made bogey at 3 and McIlroy continued a historic stretch of six-straight 3s to start, McIlroy took top billing for the rest of the day.
But Bryson hung around, and when he arrived at 15 with four holes to play, he made his move.
From just off the green at the par-5 13th, he hit a nifty chip then holed his birdie putt to move to eight under. His tee shot at 16 ended up just a few feet from the hole. He drained that to reach nine under.
But at the 18th hole, DeChambeau seemed to temporarily run out of gas. After a monster drive, he hit a disappointing approach to just off the back edge of the green, a distant 48 feet from the cup.
A three-putt on the treacherous closing green was a distinct possibility, which would have led to a deflating bogey.
But then DeChambeau stepped up and hit a perfect putt that rolled right into the hole for an incredibly unlikely birdie 3.
When his putt dropped, DeChambeau put on a celebration fitting for the moment, fist-pumping around the green while the patrons went into hysterics.
Check out the moment below.
