Rory McIlroy carries a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau heading into the final round of the 2025 Masters, each vying for a first green jacket and McIlroy looking to complete the career Grand Slam.
While the Masters champion has tended to come from the final pairing in the last 30 years, that's not always been the case. In fact, if history is our guide, there are more players that could potentially win on Sunday than that.
The biggest final-round comeback in Masters history
In 1956, Ken Venturi, who led after each of the first three rounds, was poised to become the first amateur to win the green jacket. He was four clear of Dr. Cary Middlecoff. However, Venturi, who was paired with Sam Snead on the final day, closed with 80. Jack Burke Jr., who began the day eight shots behind Venturi, shot 1-under 71 to win by a single shot in perhaps the most heartbreaking Masters loss in history.
Exactly forty years later, Greg Norman entered the final round of the Masters with a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo. Norman was to finally win the green jacket that had eluded him. Unfortunately for Norman, he shot a final-round 78 while Faldo turned in 67 to win by five shots for a third Masters title.
With all that said, then, don't count out the likes of Corey Conners, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, two-time champion Scottie Scheffler and even 2007 winner Zach Johnson, who is at that 4-under tally. It is an extremely difficult task, and with the perfect weather expected on Sunday, it's unlikely that someone more than a half-dozen back could even consider winning. But stranger things have happened.
The biggest final-round comeback in major-championship and PGA Tour history is 10 shots, the deficit Paul Lawrie faced against Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in the 1999 Open Championship. Lawrie would go to defeat the Frenchman and Justin Leonard for his only major title.
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