'It's not easy' - Ryder Cup team-mate shows compassion for Rory McIlroy ahead of final-round battle at Masters

Shane Lowry said he sympathised with Rory McIlroy after his Ryder Cup team-mate saw his historic lead at the top of the Masters leaderboard was wiped out.

The 2019 Open Championship winner said Saturday’s third round was always going to be a difficult one for the Holywood man, who had a target on his back after opening up a six-shot lead over the rest of the field.

Lowry was among those to close the gap on McIlroy, who remains top of the leaderboard alongside Cam Young on 11-under, after carding a one-over-par 73 on moving day. His four-under-par round of 68, which included a one-in-one at the par three sixth, saw him reduce the gap between him and his close pal from seven to two shots.

The duo will, therefore, go head-to-head when the battle for the green jacket commences this afternoon, with 11 players within five shots of both McIlroy and Young.

And while Lowry will have designs on being awarded the green jacket himself later tonight and winning his second major, he still shared support for the defending Masters champion after a trying third round around Augusta National.

Lowry: It obviously wasn't going to be an easy day for Rory

Speaking after his third round, Lowry admitted hunting down the leader is preferable to defending a lead.

He also said this years’ Masters will be won or lost on Sunday - not Saturday.

‘I thought if Rory could shoot a 68 he might run away with the tournament,’ said Lowry.

‘The course, they made it a bit more gettable (Saturday). I noticed on TV the greens were softer than they were Friday.

‘But the thing is, it's not easy to go out and go after it when you're at the top of the leaderboard.

‘Not that it's easy to do it, but when you're down the field and you're just having a go at it, it makes it a little bit easier and you can play a bit more freely.

‘When you are out there in the lead you need to be a little bit more protective of what you are doing.

‘It obviously wasn't going to be an easy day for Rory to shoot a score. But we all know it's all about Sunday.

‘Obviously it matters, Saturday, but when we get to Sunday, that's when we'll see what everyone is made of.’

Lowry on his final-round hopes

Lowry’s best performance at the Masters came in 2022, when he finished tied-third with Cameron Smith (-7) - five shots behind winner Scheffler (-10) and two behind runner-up McIlroy (-7).

When asked what his expectations were ahead of his final round, he said: ‘It's a pretty good leaderboard, so it's going to be pretty hard to win this tournament, but I'll give it my best.’

Lowry, who is on the second last group with Sam Burns, ties off at 2.14pm (7.14pm BST).

McIlroy and co-leader Young begin their final rounds at 2.25pm (7.25pm BST).