Brandel Chamblee knew Rory McIlroy’s third round would be special after one shot

Rory McIlroy got off to a great start during the third round of the Masters on Saturday, making a three on each of his first six holes — a stretch that included three birdies and an eagle. But according to Brandel Chamblee, he knew McIlroy’s third round would be special well before he finished six holes. For Chamblee, it took only one shot.

McIlroy opened his round with a towering drive on the first hole. The drive cleared the bunker on the right side of the fairway and landed in a spot that normally only gets action after a golfer lays up following an errant drive. Following Saturday’s round, Chamblee made the significance of that drive known.

“There’s nobody out there,” Chamblee exclaimed. “That’s not where you hit drives. That’s where you chip it out of the bunker. This is Paul Bunyan. This is mythical stuff right here. This is the stuff you pay for. This is Steph Curry, making that shot well outside the halfcourt line, at the buzzer. You’re like, ‘What? What did I just see?'”

At that moment, Chamblee knew that McIlroy had a great day awaiting him.

“It was one swing of the club and you knew this was gonna be his day,” Chamblee said. “And it was.”

McIlroy did cool down some after his torrid start, making bogeys on both No. 8 and No. 10. But things got back on track following a birdie on No. 13 and an eagle on No. 15.

McIlroy will head into Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead. He’ll be in something of a dream pairing, playing the final 18 holes with Bryson DeChambeau.

If McIlroy wins, he’ll become the sixth golfer ever to complete the modern career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.