A second straight round of 6-under 66 and 12-under total has given McIlroy a two-shot buffer from a surging Bryson DeChambeau (69) heading into the final round as the Northern Irishman seeks to break free of his Masters torment and complete the career Grand Slam.

Top five on three separate occasions, Day will start Round 4 seven strokes back in a tie for sixth but conscious that momentum can change quickly on a Sunday at Augusta.

A chip-in for birdie at the par-4 14th was the highlight of Day’s third round of 1-under 71 as fellow Aussie Min Woo Lee dropped from contention with a round of 5-over 77 that included a penalty stroke when he was deemed to have made his ball move on the 13th fairway.

Day’s first birdie of Round 3 came courtesy of a clinical pitch shot to four feet at the par-5 second, his second via a curling 18-foot birdie putt at the par-4 fifth.

He scrambled pars at six, 10 and 11 but made his second bogey for the week after hitting his tee shot long and left at the par-3 12th to drop back to 5-under.

He was in a share of fifth when he holed out from the back of the 14th green but the 37-year-old dropped back to a tie for seventh when he made bogey at the par-3 16th, choosing to chip sideways from the top shelf of the green to feed his ball down to the hole location on the bottom section.

“Sundays at Augusta is unlike any other tournament. You just never know what potentially could happen,” said Day.

“I know that if you shoot a low one, you can use the crowd as momentum, and it also works against you, as well.

“He seems like he’s very focused and level-headed right now, and he’s going to be a very, very difficult person to beat tomorrow, just the way that he is looking off the golf course before the round. Very confident, very balanced in himself.

“I know it’s in the back of his mind, but I think he’s running off so much confidence and he has so much belief in his game that it almost… like he knows it’s going to happen, kind of thing.

“And when you’re playing like that, it’s very dangerous.”

Lee made a bright start to Saturday when he holed a sliding left-to-right eight-footer for birdie after almost driving the green at the 350-yard third.

He almost holed his second shot from 177 yards at the par-4 fifth but would three-putt from just inside 20 feet and make bogey.

Missed greens led to bogeys at both 10 and 11 and then Lee incurred a penalty stroke at the par-5 13th after it was assessed that his actions near the ball caused it to move in the fairway.

That resulted in a third bogey in four holes which became four in five when a wayward tee shot had the 26-year-old out of position on his way to a dropped shot on 14, his final bogey coming with a third three-putt for the day on 17.

Photo: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Day and fellow Paris Olympian Min Woo Lee are the only two Aussies to advance past the 36-hole cut-line as Adam Scott (72), Cameron Smith (78) and Cam Davis (79) all finished shy of the 2-over mark.

Day shot 2-under 70 for the second straight day to be in a tie for ninth at 4-under and four back of leader Justin Rose (71), his only bogey of the tournament to date coming at the par-4 18th in Friday’s second round.

After starting Round 2 with a double-bogey, Lee also dropped a shot on 18 in his round of even-par 72 that has him in a share of 22nd at the halfway point.

Runner-up on debut in 2011 and with three top-five finishes to his name, Day knows what to expect of a weekend at the Masters: Survive Saturday and charge home Sunday.

“We know that Saturday usually is the tougher day of the two,” said Day.

“I know it’s going to be tough, but get the opportunities, try and capitalise on them and then get myself into contention on the back nine on Sunday.”

Being unable to capitalise on opportunities has been a frustration for Day the first two rounds.

The 37-year-old has hit 27 of 36 greens but converted just five birdie chances, a stat he hopes will turn over the final two days.

“This golf course, it can frustrate you,” Day added.

“It’s a funny golf course because where they put the pin locations, if you’re leaving yourself 30 to 35 feet, very rarely do you hit it very close. You’re always leaving yourself two, three, four-footers, and that can be very frustrating.

“That’s why you feel mentally fatigued getting off the golf course at the end of the day, just where they place the pin locations.

“But when you’re missing putts and giving yourself opportunities, it is what it is.

“I feel like the stats will soon kind of turn for me, and hopefully it’s this weekend.”

After hitting his second shot from the pine straw left of the fairway, Day got up-and-down from 43 yards to make birdie at the par-5 second and then hit a gorgeous tee shot to seven feet for birdie at the par-3 sixth.

Another wayward tee shot had Day scrambling at the par-5 eighth but his wedge play again came to the fore for a third birdie on the front nine and turn 5-under for the championship.

It was the worst possible start to Round 2 for Lee.

His tee shot on one went left onto the ninth fairway and he clipped the trees as he tried to make his way back to the fairway.

The 26-year-old would make double-bogey but got both shots back with birdies at two and three.

A bogey followed when Lee came up well short at the 240-yard par-3 fourth but two brilliant iron shots got him back in red numbers with a birdie from 13 feet at the par-4 10th.

He moved to 2-under with birdie from 12 feet at the par-5 15th but dropped back to 1-under when he missed his par putt from six feet after missing the green long and left at 18.

Even par on his round and 1-under as he entered the back nine, Smith’s aspirations faded in a four-hole stretch.

The 31-year-old was unable to save par after finding the bunker at the par-4 10th and then made double-bogey at 11 after finding Ike’s Pond with his second.

The 2022 Open champion missed a birdie chance from nine feet at 12 and then made bogey on 13 when his third shot failed to carry the bank and bounced back into Rae’s Creek.

Wayward tee shots led to further bogeys at both 16 and 17 as he missed the cut at the Masters for the first time in his ninth appearance.

Two bogeys in his final three holes would cruel any chance that Scott had of making the cut.

A sand save at the par-5 second and birdie from eight fee at the par-3 sixth had the 2013 champion 1-under through 14 holes of his second round.

After choosing to lay up at the par-5 15th, Scott missed the green long with his approach from 99 yards and was unable to get up-and-down for his par.

He responded with a superb shot to five feet to make birdie on 16 but dropped back to 5-over when he missed a par putt from four feet on 17.

It was late in his round again where Davis’s score ballooned.

Needing an under-par round to be any hope of making the weekend, the 30-year-old turned in 1-over.

But, like so many before him, he would be brought undone by the mystic beauty of the par-3 12th.

Davis’s tee shot pitched into the bank at the front of the green, his ball bouncing back into Rae’s Creek on his way to a double-bogey.

He would find the water twice more on his way in, making bogeys at both the par-5 13th and par-5 15th along with bogeys at both 17 and 18.

History suggests that being inside the top 10 after day one is advantageous in wearing the green jacket come Sunday and, while Day is the only Aussie inside that number, two others are just one stroke behind.

With Englishman Justin Rose leading the way at 7-under and defending champion Scottie Scheffler one of three players at 4-under, the 37-year-old Queenslander is in a share of seventh, followed closely by 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith (71) and Australia’s most recent PGA TOUR winner, Min Woo Lee (71).

Cam Davis had an eagle, three birdies and two double-bogeys in his opening round of 2-over 74 while 2013 champion Adam Scott faces an uphill battle to make the cut after opening with 5-over 77.

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A superb ball-striking day that yielded 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation was not fully rewarded on the greens, yet Day remained content in his Round 1 work.

His first birdie didn’t come until Amen Corner, draining a 28-foot putt centre cut at the picturesque par-3 12th.

Day didn’t have to wait long for his second.

After laying up to 58 yards with his second shot at the par-5 13th, the 2015 US PGA champion spun back a wedge to just two feet, tapping in to go to 2-under.

He would par his way in for his first bogey-free round at Augusta since Round 1, 2023 and poised for another Masters tilt.

“I had a really good strategy out there,” said Day, who has finished top five on three occasions at the Masters.

“I didn’t get myself out of position too bad, and then when I did get myself out of position, I had a relatively easy up-and-down.

“Unfortunately, I just missed a few too many opportunities for birdies. But sitting at 2-under right now in fifth place, I’m pretty happy with it.

“The better you start, obviously, the easier it gets as long as you keep that level of play up.

“Very pleased with how everything went.”

Australia’s highest-ranked male player on the back of his Houston Open win a fortnight ago, Lee’s 71 is his best start to a Masters in his fourth appearance.

Like Day, it was a round consisting predominantly of pars, his lone bogey coming at the opening hole to go with birdies at two and eight.

The 26-year-old also hit 15 of 18 greens to build his way nicely into the tournament.

“It’s one of those things, if you’re giving yourself birdie putts at Augusta National, you’re doing a good job,” said Lee, who had a birdie putt from 14 feet lip-out on his final hole.

“It’s a tough golf course today. Very happy with 1-under.

“Obviously could have had a couple more, but again, tricky pins, and I played very solid, so that’s a plus.”

Smith did make birdie at the par-4 18th after hitting his approach shot pin-high 18 feet left of the flag.

The 31-year-old also had a round featuring two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars but was forced to lean on his stellar short game to stay in red figures.

Smith hit just six greens in regulation yet finds himself alongside Lee in a share of 11th.

“It was nice for that putt to go in on the last. That felt a little bit better,” said Smith.

“I haven’t left myself too much work.

“For how I felt out there, it felt like it was going to be a bit of a long day. All in all, pretty pleased with the score.

“If I’m going to win this thing, I definitely need to do better than that.

“Golf is such a weird game. I feel like my last round last week at Doral was probably the best I’ve hit it in a long time, and coming out here today is probably the worst I’ve hit it in a long time.

“It’s just such a weird game sometimes. I felt really good at the start of the week, just a little bit of clean-up on the range, and we’ll be good.”

Two-over through 13 holes, Davis turned his fortunes around only to take two steps back.

A monster drive set up birdie from nine feet at the par-4 14th and then the two-time PGA TOUR winner chipped in from an unlikely position 35 yards behind the green at the par-5 15th.

That got the Sydneysider to 1-under on his round but a tee shot that bounced into the water led to a double-bogey at the par-3 16th followed by a bogey on 17.

With bogeys at three of his opening five holes – along with a birdie on two – Scott was on the back foot early.

He missed the green left of the par-4 10th and then three-putted from 50 feet, making a final bogey at the par-4 17th and then missing a birdie try on the left edge on 18.

Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Making his ninth Masters appearance, Smith is the first Australian away from 10:52pm Thursday night (AEST) at a golf course where putting is arguably more important than at any other tournament all year.

Raised putting complexes exposed to the elements, dramatic slopes and surfaces so slick that even tap-ins are no gimmes makes Augusta National the ultimate examination of imagination and execution.

It is an environment in which Smith thrives, the 31-year-old long regarded as one of the best flatstick exponents in the game.

Conscious of not letting a strong suit dissipate, Smith and coach Grant Field have doubled down on his putting prowess, spending countless hours on the practice putting green in readiness for Augusta’s snapping breaks and downhill sliders.

“When one part of your game is kind of lacking, it’s easy to get really obsessed with that,” conceded Smith, who has well-publicised issues with his driver in recent years.

“I made a conscious effort over the past few months to really get out on the green.

“That’s really my strength. That needs to be performing at a hundred percent, particularly going into major season.

“I just wanted to make sure that all the boxes were ticked there and as well as hitting some more balls.”

Statistics from recent Masters emphasise the advantage Smith is able to take on the greens.

He ranked fifth in total putts (112) on his way to a tie for sixth in 2024, was second in 2023 with 110 and ranked first in Putts Per Green In Regulation (1.62) when he finished tied third in 2022.

The 2020 runner-up has three-putted just three times over the past two Masters and got up-and-down from the sand four of five times last year.

It instils a sense of freedom that he is eager to tap into again this year.

“There’s definitely a sense of like confidence,” said Smith, who recently became a first-time father.

“I feel like I’ve been playing good golf. I haven’t got the results that I’ve wanted at the start of this year so it’s nice coming to a place knowing you’ve had some good results.

“You think about certain shots and you kind of almost forget about your swing around here, which is kind of exactly what I need.

“You have some shots out here where the ball’s a foot above your feet or a foot below your feet or on a massive down slope, so you kind of just forget about it and you play golf.

“That’s what I love about it.”

There are Aussies in action elsewhere this week. Brad Kennedy returns for the first Japan Golf Tour event of the year, Kelsey Bennett is in South Africa for the Investec SA Women’s Open and Hayden Hopewell and Danny List are playing the UAE Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour.

Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Round 1 tee times AEST

Masters Tournament
Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
10:52pm          Cameron Smith
11:47pm          Min Woo Lee
11:58pm          Jason Day
12:48am          Cameron Davis
3:01am            Adam Scott

Recent champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott
TV times: Live 4am-7am Thursday (Par 3 Contest); Live 12:30am-5am (Featured Groups), Live 5am-9:30am Friday, Saturday; Live 12am-2am (Featured Groups), Live 2am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Japan Golf Tour
Token Homemate Cup
Tokken Tado Country Club, Nagoya, Mie
8:30am*           Michael Hendry (NZ)
1:05pm            Brad Kennedy

Recent champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Andre Stolz (2003), Wayne Perske (2006), Brendan Jones (2012, 2019)
Prize money: ¥130m

Ladies European Tour
Investec SA Women’s Open
Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, South Africa
3:15pm*          Amelia Garvey (NZ)
3:59pm*          Kelsey Bennett
4:43pm*          Momoka Kobori (NZ)

Recent champion: Manon De Roey
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €340,000

HotelPLanner Tour
UAE Challenge
Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, Ajman, UAE
12:40pm          Hayden Hopewell
6pm                 Sam Jones (NZ)
6:10pm*          Danny List

Recent champion: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US300,000

Sunshine Tour
Qualifying School Final Stage
Heron Banks Golf & River Resort
Round 1
T4        Austin Bautista             67
T31      Ben Eccles                    71
DQ       Phoenix Campbell