The Masters 2025 Round 3 LIVE: Leaderboard and scores as Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler chase Justin Rose

And Rahm has hit the ground running with a tidy three at the first. He joins Niemann, his fellow LIV rebel, at +1.

A smattering of past Masters champions involved in these early proceedings – it’s good to see Danny Willett making the cut nine years after a green jacket win that remains remarkable in the context of his career. Zach Johnson and Jon Rahm are in the group behind the Englishman.

No-one under par just yet, but Joaquin Niemann has picked up a shot, a booming drive to the apron of the third green duly converted into a birdie.

Leaderboard: (-8): Rose; (-7) DeChambeau; (-6): McIlroy, Conners; (-5): Lowry, McCarty, Hatton, Scheffler

It’s moving day at Augusta, the third round underway with the first groups out and about hoping to make the most of the early conditions to climb the leaderboard. Tom Kim is playing on his lonesome, and hasn’t started brilliantly – a bogey at one sees the talented youngster drop to three-over par. Kim can be one of the more ponderous players on tour, though should race through 18 with no partner to worry about today.

Jordan Spieth is another of our morning starters, the 2015 champion hoping to scramble back up the leaderboard after almost sliding out of the tournament yesterday. Not great news for those of us who fancied him to go well at a course he has been so well suited to. He’s playing alongside LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann in an uber-talented pairing.

Tormented on Thursday after a rotten three-hole spell, a radiant Rory McIlroy produced a stunning six-under par second round of 66 to reignite hopes of a Masters title.

Those two double-bogeys on 15 and 17 frittered away his tidy work in Round 1 and a sense of deja vu left his legion of fans cursing. The Northern Irishman slipped away from the property without even a word for the media, evidently livid after scuppering such a glorious opportunity to stake a claim for that elusive green jacket.

Seven shots behind Justin Rose was a concern, but perhaps four behind the champion, Scottie Scheffler, riled him further. After all, there’s only so much you can do when chasing the American if he continues to plot his way around this course with such ease.

The start of Masters week was impacted by inclement weather at Augusta National with Monday’s practice round suspended after thunderstorms.

After initially announcing a delay to the start of the practice session on Monday, organisers confirmed a suspension and evacuation of Augusta.

Amateur Jose Luis Ballester has apologised to tournament officials after being observed urinating into Rae’s Creek in the first round of the 89th Masters on Thursday.

Playing alongside defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, Ballester was caught short playing the par-five 13th during his opening 76 at Augusta National.

The 21-year-old was initially unrepentant and said he would “do it again” if necessary, but appeared to have had something of a change of heart following a second round of 78.

Ballester said he had received messages of support from friends and was then asked if anyone from Augusta National had spoken to him.

“Well, I already apologised to the club and I think we just move on from this moment,” Ballester said.

McIlroy is right back in the thick of it after day two and two shots behind leader Rose, with DeChambeau tucked in between the Ryder Cup teammates.

Scheffler stumbled at the 18th with a 71 and a score that probably reflects his play with the wind proving challenging.

Leaderboard: (-8): Rose; (-7) DeChambeau; (-6): McIlroy, Conners; (-5): Lowry, McCarty, Hatton, Scheffler

The teams are walking out onto the pitch at the Etihad under glorious sunshine.

It’s sixth versus 11th but there’s so much at stake as both sides push for Europe.