Moving Day at Augusta National brought more drama on Saturday at The Masters 2026, with the tournament’s familiar blend of pressure, precision and near-misses playing out across the course.
One of the biggest talking points came at the famous par-three 12th, Golden Bell, where the history of aces is famously sparse. In Masters history, only three holes-in-one had previously been recorded there before this week: Claude Harmon in 1947, the 1948 champion and father of Butch; amateur William Hyndman in 1959; and Curtis Strange in 1988. But in the space of two days, the hole came very close to producing more magic.
On Friday afternoon, 18-year-old amateur Mason Howell sent his tee shot to within a couple of inches of the cup. On Saturday, 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel struck a wedge flush onto the base of the flagstick, with the ball climbing a couple of feet up before spinning away. Howell’s effort left him a simple tap-in birdie. Schwartzel’s nearly bounced back off the green, though he at least escaped with par.
Elsewhere, world number one Scottie Scheffler made a strong early move. Twice a winner at Augusta National, Scheffler began the day 12 shots off the lead, but he remained within six of second place and quickly signalled that his challenge was not over. From 265 yards at the 2nd, he produced a high fade into the green and converted the eagle putt from six feet.
It was his second eagle of the week at Pink Dogwood, and it lifted him to two under par for the tournament. Scheffler had also eagled the same hole on Thursday before following it with a birdie at the 3rd. On Saturday, however, he was unable to repeat that sequence, missing a straightforward-looking seven-footer on the next green. Even so, the early part of his round served as a reminder that the chasing pack still contained serious danger for anyone ahead of him.
A tense day at Augusta
The live coverage reflected a tournament still very much alive heading into the closing stages, with players jostling for position as the weekend pressure mounted. Augusta National’s demanding layout once again punished small mistakes while rewarding the kind of bold shot-making that can transform a round in a matter of minutes.
For Rory McIlroy, the signs of danger were clear. With Scheffler beginning to gather momentum, the leaderboard was tightening behind the leaders and leaving little room for error. McIlroy remained central to the tournament narrative, but the updated positions suggested that any slip could quickly open the door for rivals.
That uncertainty is part of what makes Saturday at the Masters so compelling. The middle round of the weekend is often where contenders either sharpen their challenge or fade from view, and Augusta National continued to provide both opportunities and setbacks in equal measure.
As the live blog noted, there was still a long way to go. But with near-aces at the 12th, an eagle from Scheffler and pressure building around the leaderboard, the stage was set for a dramatic finish to day three.
