The Masters: Dustin Johnson leads by four after the third round at Augusta National | Golf news

The World No. 1 shoots 65 in the third round to go 16 under and close to the Green Jacket when Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas fail on day three at Augusta National; Rory McIlroy shoots a 67, but is eight behind

Dustin Johnson fired a magnificent 65 in the third round to take a four-shot lead

Dustin Johnson walked off the field while building a dominant four-shot lead after the third round of the 84th Masters.

Johnson underscored his status as the number one golfer on the planet with a seemingly effortless 64 below that took him to 16 below and in view of setting a new scoring record at the Augusta National tournament.

The second round concluded on Saturday morning with Johnson tied for the lead at nine under par along with Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, the first time in major history that the world’s three best players in the standings shared the lead after any round.

Johnson equaled the 54-hole record of 16 under, while Jon Rahm was undone by errors in the eighth

But Rahm’s challenge stalled with a double-bogey seven in the eighth, while Thomas dropped three shots over four holes in the last nine to leave Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith as Johnson’s closest rivals from face to the last day.

Rory McIlroy continued his impressive comeback from his 75 start when a 67 took him to eight under, though he insisted he had “no thoughts” of catching Johnson on Sunday, while defending champion Tiger Woods endured 26 long holes in the third day and it will be by presenting the green jacket to a new champion in the butler booth.

More to follow …