Rory McIlroy entered Amen Corner coming off his first birdie of the day at the par-4 10th and leading by three shots after a Cameron Young bogey ahead on No. 15.
McIlroy’s record overnight lead was trimmed in half, but it was still his. Until he turned into the Corner.
McIlroy’s tee shot on the par-4 11th got a fortunate assist off the right trees and found the fairway. The defending champ, however, overdrew his approach shot and watched it bound into Rae’s Creek. Playing his next shot — following a penalty stroke — from the drop zone left of the green, he hit a tidy pitch to 6 feet but missed the bogey putt.
Moments later, after Young birdied the par-4 14th, the two were tied at the top.
A few further moments later, the lead was all Young’s. McIlroy pulled his tee shot left and long at the par-3 12th and couldn’t get up and down, making bogey to drop to 10 under, one back of Young.
He then failed to birdie the par-5 13th after missing the fairway wide right — continuing his trend of not hitting the fairway on any of the par 5s this week.
As McIlroy headed out of Amen Corner, he was looking up at The Players champ. One hole later — with the Corner in the rearview — McIlroy birdied the par-4 14th to regain a share of the lead.