AUGUSTA: Rory McIlroy charged back late after squandering a six-stroke edge to share the lead with Cameron Young after a wild third round at the Masters on Saturday.

A chaotic afternoon at Augusta National saw both men plunk key shots into water on the back nine but finish level atop the leaderboard on 11-under 205 through 54 holes, one stroke ahead of American Sam Burns.

McIlroy, who started the day with a record six-shot lead, carded a one-over-par 73 while Young roared into contention with a scintillating seven-under-par 65.

“I didn’t have it today,” McIlroy admitted. “I scrambled a lot on the front nine.”

Second-ranked McIlroy birdied the 14th and 15th holes to regain the lead but found the trees off the 17th tee on the way to a bogey and his one-over round.

“This golf course has a way of, when you’re not quite feeling it, you struggle,” McIlroy said. “You have to dig deep.

“I still have a great chance,” McIlroy added. “I’m in the final group. That’s where I want to be. I need to be better tomorrow. If I’m going to win tomorrow I have to be better than I was today.”

McIlroy, a five-time major winner, hopes to match Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back winners of the green jacket.

Third-ranked Young, last month’s Players Championship winner, got off to a scorching start with birdies on five of the first 10 holes.

He birdied 13 and 14, his drive at the 13th hitting a tree and landing fortuitously in the fairway, then overcame a watery bogey at 15 by curling in a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th.

As a result, the 28-year-old American has a prime chance for his first major title.

“There certainly is no lead that’s safe out here, but Rory loves it here and no one would be surprised if he had shot 65,” Young said. “It’s just one of those times that if he doesn’t, we have to take advantage and I got myself here today.”

Burns carded a 68 and was one stroke in front of Ireland’s Shane Lowry.

Lowry aced the 190-yard par-three sixth hole on his way to a 68 that left him in fourth on 207, one stroke ahead of Australian Jason Day and England’s Justin Rose.

Lowry, the 2019 British Open winner, became the first Masters player with multiple holes-in-one, having aced the 16th in the final round in 2016.

“That’s wild,” Lowry said. “You don’t ever expect to make a hole-in-one. I just couldn’t believe it. You’re out there and you’re in the hunt at the Masters and you’re making hole-in-one. It’s pretty cool. It was obviously amazing.”

World number one Scottie Sche­ffler fired a bogey-free 65 — his lowest career Masters round — to stand four off the lead on 209 alongside China’s Li Haotong, who also found water on his way to shooting 69.

“I put myself in position,” Scheffler said. “I just need to get the job done.”

McIlroy made double bogey at the 11th when his approach sailed left into a pond and after a bogey at the par-three 12th, his lead had vanished in Amen Corner.

McIlroy responded with a 19-foot birdie putt at the 14th and drove the green in two at the par-five 15th to set up a tap-in birdie only for a bogey at 17 to drop him back.

“I knew today wasn’t going to be easy,” McIlroy said. “The quality of the chasing pack was very good and a lot of guys played their best golf.”

Rose, a three-time Masters runner-up hoping for a green jacket at age 45, went from seven adrift to three back and hopes for a final round like last year when he made 10 birdies.

“It’s going to take a special round tomorrow, so there’s a chance, which is great,” Rose said. “I’m going to try to channel a bit of last year and see what happens.”

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026

KARACHI: Inspired by captain Marnus Labuschagne’s grit, Hyderabad Kingsmen produced a composed and clinical chase to secure their second successive victory in the HBL Pakistan Super League, defeating Islamabad United by six wickets with 11 balls to spare here at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday night.

The situation could not have been more perfectly set up for Lab­u­schagne to lead from the front.

With the Kingsmen needing a measured pursuit of 154 on a pitch that offered grip and variable bounce, the Australian anchored the innings with a masterful unbeaten 61 off 53 balls.

His calm presence at the crease, combined with intelligent strike rotation and timely boundaries, ensured there was no collapse despite a mid-innings wobble.

It was the kind of innings that defines a leader — gritty, assured and perfectly timed to keep playoff hopes flickering for a side that had endured a difficult start to the campaign.

The chase began explosively. Opener Maaz Sadaqat launched a blistering assault in powerplay, smashing 30 off just 16 balls, including four fours and two sixes. He took particular toll on stand-in captain Chris Green and Imad Wasim, whose opening over leaked 20 runs.

Maaz’s aggressive intent set a strong platform, taking the Kingsmen to 50 for no loss inside five overs.

His dismissal in the fifth over, caught at mid-on off Green, brought Saim Ayub to the crease and shifted the momentum towards consolidation.

Labuschagne and Saim then forged a vital 60-run partnership for the second wicket that steadied the innings. Saim, who struck 35 off 26 balls with two fours and as many sixes, played with fluency, using feet against the spinners and finding gaps with elegant drives.

The duo rotated the strike efficiently, keeping the scoreboard ticking over while ensuring the asking rate never climbed beyond eight.

Labuschagne was content to play the anchor, picking singles and an occasional boundary with precise placement rather than brute force.

The partnership ended in the 14th over when Saim edged a hard-length delivery from Faheem Ashraf to wicket-keeper Devon Conway.

The over brought further drama as Usman Khan nicked a wide one down the leg side, also to Conway, leaving Kingsmen at 112 for three.

Kusal Perera lasted only briefly, holing out to deep backward square off Green for just two in the next over, as three wickets tumbled in quick succession. For a fleeting moment, United sensed an opening, with the required rate nudging upwards and the middle order getting under pressure.

However, that scare proved short-lived. Glenn Maxwell walked in and immediately injected momentum with a trademark late onslaught.

The Australian all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 21 off just nine balls, including two sixes off Imad in the 17th over that brought the target within touching distance.

His clean striking — one a classical slog-sweep and the other a lofted shot that cleared long-on after a fielder’s fumble — eased any remaining tension.

Meanwhile, Labuschagne brought up his half-century off 46 balls in the 16th over with a cheeky scoop shot off Salman Irshad. His fortitude in the face of the mini-collapse, combined with Maxwell’s fireworks, guided the Kingsmen across the line in the 19th over.

Earlier, United had posted a below-par 153 for nine after being asked to bat first.

The innings was built around a fluent opening stand between Conway and Sameer Minhas. Conway looked in prime touch, stroking seven boundaries in his 45 off 31, while Sameer contributed a brisk 22.

The pair raced to 57 for no loss inside powerplay, raising hopes of a formidable total on a surface that had slowed down.

However, the innings lost momentum dramatically in the middle overs. A double strike in the 10th over — both via run-outs — proved decisive.

First, Mohammad Faiq (18) was caught short of crease following smart work from the deep, and then Conway himself was run out for 45 after a mix-up, with keeper Usman recovering brilliantly to effect the dismissal. Those two breakthroughs in quick succession shifted the initiative firmly towards Kingsmen.

Mark Chapman battled valiantly to rebuild, scoring 42 off 30 balls with three fours and two sixes, including some clean hitting against the pace of Hunain Shah.

He found support from the lower order, but the scoring rate dipped noticeably after the powerplay. Haider Ali and Faheem could not accelerate effectively, and the innings stuttered.

The decisive blow came in the final over, bowled by Asif Mehmood, who produced a sensational spell of 4 for 18 in two overs.

He removed Chapman, then claimed Imad, Mehran Mumtaz and Chris Green in a devastating four-wicket haul that included three wickets in four balls.

The collapse from 150 for five to 153 for nine in the space of six deliveries left United well short of a competitive total.

Scoreboard

ISLAMABAD UNITED:
Devon Conway run out 45
Sameer Minhas b Ali 22
Mohammad Faiq run out 18
Mark Chapman c Irfan b Asif 42
Haider Ali c Maaz b Maxwell 6
Faheem Ashraf lbw b Ali 5
Chris Green c Labuschagne b Asif 6
Imad Wasim c Hunain b Asif 2
Mehran Mumtaz c Usman b Asif 0
Salman Irshad not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-2) 6
TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 153
DID NOT BAT: Richard Gleeson
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-56 (Sameer), 2-87 (Faiq), 3-89 (Conway), 4-105 (Haider), 5-113 (Faheem), 6-150 (Chapman), 7-152 (Imad), 8-152 (Mehran), 9-153 (Green)
BOWLING: Ali 4-0-26-2 (1w), Hunain 4-0-44-0, Saim 4-0-29-0, Maxwell 4-0-21-1 (1w), Hassan 2-0-11-0, Asif 2-0-18-4

HYDERABAD KINGSMEN:
Maaz Sadaqat c Faheem b Green 30
Marnus Labuschagne not out 61
Saim Ayub c Conway b Faheem 35
Usman Khan c Conway b Faheem 1
Kusal Perera c Faheem b Green 2
Glenn Maxwell not out 21

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, NB-1, W-4) 7
TOTAL (for four wickets, 18.1 overs) 157
DID NOT BAT: Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-50 (Maaz), 2-110 (Saim), 3-112 (Usman), 4-115 (Perera)
BOWLING: Imad 3-0-46-0, Gleeson 3-0-20-0, Faheem 4-0-33-2 (1nb), Green 4-0-19-2, Salman 3.1-0-27-0 (1w), Mehran 1-0-10-0 (1w)
RESULT: Hyderabad Kingsmen won by six wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Marnus Labuschagne

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026

Italy’s Jannik Sinner dethroned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ​7-6(5) 6-3 in Sunday’s Monte Carlo final to claim his first Masters title on clay and snatch back the world ‌number one ranking from the Spaniard.

The victory capped a remarkable run for Sinner, who became just the second player to win the Sunshine Double and Monte Carlo in the same season — a feat previously achieved only by Novak Djokovic in 2015.

It marked Sinner’s fourth consecutive Masters 1000 crown ​following triumphs in Paris, Indian Wells and Miami, and his eighth Masters title overall.

“We came here just trying to ​get as many matches as possible before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a ⁠very high level from both of us,” Sinner said in an on-court interview.

“It was a bit windy, breezy — completely ​different conditions the tournament has brought until today.

“The result is amazing, getting back to number one means a lot to me. ​At the same time, as I always say, the ranking is secondary. I’m very happy to win at least one big trophy on this surface.”

The last time the pair met was nearly five months ago when Sinner beat Alcaraz in the ATP Finals title clash ​and fans had been eagerly looking forward to the next chapter of the ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry.

Struggle in blustery conditions

Playing in blustery conditions, ​both players struggled initially as they traded early breaks until Alcaraz found his groove first, unleashing winners past Sinner when he caught ‌the ⁠Italian wrong-footed on the baseline on a few occasions.

Alcaraz also used the disguised drop shot to good effect to catch Sinner off guard but breaking serve proved elusive for both as they battled the wind.

Sinner was forced to work hard while trailing 6-5 but he held his nerve to force a tiebreak where his first serve proved decisive, clinching the ​opener when Alcaraz double-faulted on ​set point.

Alcaraz struck early ⁠in the second set, consolidating a break to lead 3-1 with a couple of impressive returns that had the fans leaping to their feet.

However, Sinner found his second wind and ​reeled off four straight games to turn the match on its head and serve ​for the title.

Sinner ⁠made no mistake on serve and as Alcaraz made an error on championship point, the Italian celebrated the biggest claycourt title of his career before embracing his rival at the net.

“It’s impressive what you are achieving right now… Just one man in ⁠the Open ​Era won the Sunshine Double and then Monte Carlo, and you ​are the second one to achieve it,” Alcaraz said.

“It’s something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is to make that happen. So congratulations ​for everything, for the work you are doing with your team.”