McIlroy on doorstep of golfing immortality at Masters

AUGUSTA, Georgia - Rory McIlroy left the Masters on Saturday with a bullseye on his back and one arm in an elusive Green Jacket after a sparkling performance that put him in the drivers seat to complete the career Grand Slam he has been chasing for over a decade.

To join golfs most exclusive club as the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam, McIlroy will not only need to outplay his pursuers in the biggest round of his life but tame a course that has caused him plenty of heartbreak over the years.

But McIlroy, who will have Bryson DeChambeau breathing down his neck two strokes back, is a much different player now than the baby-faced version of himself that blew a four-shot lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters with a back-nine collapse.

I still have to remind myself that theres a long way to go ... I, just as much as anyone else, know what can happen on the final day here, McIlroy said after a six-under-par 66 that left him at 12 under and two shots clear of DeChambeau.

I came in here talking about being the most complete version of myself as a golfer, and you know, I just have to keep reminding myself of that and remind myself that no matter what situation or scenario I find myself in tomorrow, Ill be able to handle it.

Prior to the third round, McIlroy had held at least a share of the 54-hole lead at a major championship on six occasions, converting four into victories.

McIlroy knows his final pairing with DeChambeau, who took advantage of the Northern Irishmans late collapse to win last years U.S. Open, will make for a rowdy atmosphere on Sunday when two of the games most popular players do