NOEL O’REILLY will have live(ish) coverage from the final round of the US Masters. Click refresh for updates.
(All times Irish)
12pm:Another glorious day dawns in 'Chubbyville', the 20 or so private houses block-booked by Rory McIlroy's manager Chubby Chandler for his stable of players, clients and guests.
2pm:Far from spending a relaxing morning with his own thoughts, McIlroy gets the blood pumping screaming at the telly during Ulster's Heineken Cup quarter-final. "Good luck Ulster Rugby!!," he tweets, demonstrating a penchant for exclamation points not uncommon in Twitterland. "Watching here in Augusta. Let's do the double!!!"
4pm:Ulster take a pounding in Milton Keynes. That's the double down the drain then. "Proud of the lads!," he commiserates. "They gave it a great go!" Now, wasn't there something else I had on today?
4.30pm:One suspects there were no impromptu American Football games in Chubbyville this morning, not least for fear of upsetting the neighbours. McIlroy received a ticking off from a "little old lady" earlier in the week for throwing a football around with his pals. Not one for the "don't you know who I am" routine, the young star retreated meekly back to his lodgings.
5.30pm:McIlroy takes the short hop down Magnolia Lane for a spot of lunch in the clubhouse. "No info yet on whether it was pork or lamb but will obviously be back with updates," tweets Matt Dickinson from The Times.
6.35pm:The third round leader limbers up on the practice range alongside caddie JP Fitzgerald. If there are nerves, and lets face it, there must be, the youngster is hiding them well as he chats readily with fellow players and wellwishers alike.
7pm:Having caught the build-up on Sky, it's over to the Beeb for the main event. A curious thing happens in the time it takes to change channels, however. Whereas McIlroy was Northern Irish over on Sky, with the channel reserving a special welcome for viewers from the North, he is now unequivocally British as Auntie nails her colours firmly to the mast.
7.40pm:McIlroy collects the most important scorecard of his career. At just 21-years-young, golfing immortality beckons. It's a hot afternoon, almost 90 degrees in old money, but the Holywood star coolly flushes his drive down the middle.
7.50pm:Finally the nerves begin to show. After over-shooting the green, McIlroy three-putts to drop a shot on the first. With Charl Schwartzel birdying the first, McIlroy's lead is already down to just two.
8.10pm:After making a horlicks of the Par 5 second hole, McIlroy somehow manages to salvage a par. But with Schwartzel chipping in for a stunning eagle on the third, all of a sudden he has company on 11-under.
8.25pm:Not for the first time, nor last we fear, the dreaded name of Greg Norman gets an airing. The Great White Shark blew a six shot lead back in 1996
you see, and some reckon McIlroy could follow suit. Back on the course, the co-leader misses a short birdie putt on the third but Schwartzel drops one at the next to fall back. Tiger Woods is getting it going and is back up to eight under.
8.40pm:Now things are getting reallyinteresting. Woods eagles the Par 5 eighth and, at 10 under, is just one behind our leader. McIlroy seems to have calmed the butterflies somewhat but his iron play is nowhere near as solid as it has been over the first three days.
8.47pm:Scratch what I said about McIlroy's nerves evaporating. Another shaky putt slips by, this time for par, and he drops back alongside Woods and Schwartzel at 10 under. Never the best of front-runners, this has been a flaky start from the youngster.
9.20pm:With Tiger on the charge anything could happen out there. After going out in just 31 blows, the rest of the field will be casting anxious glances towards the leaderboard. One, who is bound to have noticed is McIlroy who responds with a much-needed birdie at the 7th, his first of the day. Playing partner Angel Cabrera follows suit. The current state of play then. 11 underMcIlroy, 10 underWoods, Schwartzel, 9 underCabrera, 8 underDonald, Choi, Scott.
9.35pm:Woods bogeys the 12th, but McIlroy fluffs his chip on the Par 5 eighth to 'only' card a par. Cabrera goes one better to move within a shot of his playing partner and there's very little elbow room at the top of this leaderboard.
9.48pm:EL Pato, Cabrera for the uninitiated, is getting a bit of wiggle in his waggle but just misses out on another birdie on the 9th after a joyous approach. McIlroy also sees his effort slide past – the blade remains stone cold. Up ahead, Woods loses some of his momentum with a ropey chip on 13 and can only manage a par. The lay of the land then. 11 underMcIlroy, 10 underChoi, Cabrera, Schwartzel, 9 underWoods, Donald, Scott.
9.55pm: Entering Amen Corner, McIlroy ends up in somebody's garden after catching a tree with his tee shot. "I've never seen anybody there, not even the members," opines Wayne Grady.
10.10pm:Has one hole cost McIlroy the Masters? Things go from bad to worse as his third is hooked into more trouble, whereupon he promptly finds more woodwork with his fourth. Throw in a ropey chip, two putts and the sum total is a triple bogey seven. "His brain is guacamole now," observes Peter Allis. All change at the top then. 10 underScott, Cabrera, Choi, Schwartzel. 9 underWoods. 8 underDay, McIlroy
10.25pm:McIlroy is suffering out there. A stunning approach to the 11th should have yielded a birdie. Instead, he somehow contrives to three putt and leaves another shot out there among the azaleas. At seven under, and five over for his round, McIlroy's championship is all but over.
10.35pm:It is over now. he bloodletting continues. Four, yes four, putts from nowhere on the 12th sees another shot go for McIlroy and he hoiiks his tee shot miles left at the next. This is actually painful to watch.
10.40pm:Three putts on 11, four on 12, a wild drive on 13 and a funereal atmosphere descends on the BBC bunker. Slow motion shots of his torment are even accompanied by some appropriate mood music to highlight his anguish. "Thinking about switching my TV off," tweets McDowell. "This just got ugly."
"It is cruel and terrible to see such a talented young golfer being destroyed like this," adds Stephen Fry. "Makes me sob." Stephen Fry a golf fan then. Who knew?
11.05pm: Not so much as a mention of McIlroy in almost 30 minutes. Is he still out there? The occasional glimpse of his ball when Angel Cabrera comes on screen would suggest so. What we can tell you is that McIlroy somehow managed to par the 13th but is way out of contention. Adam Scott leads on 11 under.
11.10pm:"Sometimes sport can be so horrible and cruel so gutted for Rory but they say what doesn't kill u can make u stronger Rory will be back," tweets Tony McCoy. Scott picks up another shot on the 16th and leads by two.
11.20pm:This is shaping up to be a shootout between Scott and Schwartzel, who are now both on 12 under. Who'll blink first? Woods, Donald and Geoff Ogilvy are in the clubhouse at 10 under while Cabrera, Day and Choi are still in with a shout. A hugely exciting finish beckons, just a huge shame about McIlroy's collapse.
11.30pm:A rare glimpse of McIlroy – missing yet another putt, this time on 16 – while Scott holes a beautiful clutch effort on 17. But Schwartzel then follows suit, this time for a birdie, to take a one shot lead down to the 18th.
11.40pm:Scott and Day both finish on 12 under. All Schwartzel, waiting back down the fairway, has to do is get home in par to claim a green jacket. And he finds the centre of the green. Two putts and it's all over.
11.40pm: Scott and Day both finish on 12 under. All Schwartzel, waiting back down the fairway, has to do is get home in par to claim a green jacket. And he finds the centre of the green. Two putts and it's all over.
11.50pm:Schwartzel, with the best putting stats all week, needs only one. What a perfect way to claim a first major for the South African., who birdies the last four holes to win by two shots on 14 under. As for McIlroy, he undoubtedly has the talent to bounce back for this crushing disappointment but this could do huge damage to his game in the short term. Here's hoping that's not the case.
