According to shot tracker, Rory McIlroy's first shot of the third round went 371 yards.

371!

With that, he has a mere 75 yards to the pin and lofts it delicately to set up a 10-foot birdie chance.

Now that would be a nice start.

The is a wonderfully intriguing pairing last out tonight. There'll be such a different approach as Justin Rose hit a lot of three woods yesterday and is laying up on the par fives while Bryson DeChambeau, well, we know what he's all about and he'll be launching the ball miles again around Augusta National.

But which approach will pay off?

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It almost always helps to know your way around this golf course - like Zach Johnson has showed.

While South Korea's Sungjae Im and Australia's Jason Day haven't got a Green Jacket in the wardrobe, they have both been contenders over the years.

So it's no surprise to see that pair - who are playing partners today - move within three of the lead early doors.

Shane Lowry pushed his approach right of the first green, but he's a wizard with a wedge and he almost holes the thing (although it was travelling to be fair) and that's an easy par.

Matt McCarty found the green and had a birdie putt from 15 feet, but couldn't convert so he too starts with a four.

Majestic from Scottie Scheffler at the second.

He's laid up and taken aim on the par-five and that was the right decision because his approach is dialled in.

From 110 yards, he's left himself three feet for birdie.

It's a crisp white polo shirt for Rory McIlroy for round three and there's a warm reception as he pops his ball onto the first tee.

One practice swing, an intake of breath and he steps forward, trusty driver in his hand.

Off it goes, launched into hyperspace and perfectly down the middle.

Oh great, Corey Conners is also in white. I'll do my best!

He's not as far but equally well shaped with his drive. Off they go.

The former Open champion Shane Lowry and the Masters debutant Matt McCarty tee off at the first. Good mix of experience and youthful exuberancein this pairing, it's usually experience that wins around Augusta National but we'll see who gets the better of this pair...

Canadian Corey Conners is an interesting pairing for Rory McIlroy - and quiet, steady player but a superb ball striker he'll be firing in some darts with his irons so could be the ideal playing partner today.

You'd think McIlroy will get the lowest score out of these two today though, wouldn't you?

Let us know.

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The birdies keep on coming for Zach Johnson... he was briefly on the first page of the leaderboard.

The 2007 champ moved to five under - alongside Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton among others - with a two on the 16th.

That was his sixth birdie in eight holes! But then the veteran American quickly dropped back with a bogey on 17.

Still, he's had a cracker. Six under for the day and showing the rest how to score well.

Yikes a bit of turn on Tyrrell Hatton's putt and he's bogeyed the first hole for the second day in a row.

It seems to rattle Scottie Scheffler as he lines up his downhill birdie putt and he hangs it right.

Par to start for Scheffler.

OK, so Scottie Scheffler has come to play.

Trademark ball striking from the world number one as he lofts his approach onto the green and lines up 12 feet for birdie.

Tyrrell Hatton is down in the front greenside bunker - but that was probably a result given his ball was travelling from under the trees.

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This looks the under the radar pairing out of the leading pack but either of these two could be dangerous - as Matt McCarty showed yesterday with eight birdies in his round of 68.

He was also the second best putter in the field.

Shane Lowry was the best iron player in the field here last year and yesterday had some more wonderful approach play as he also shot 68.

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport Northern Ireland at Augusta National

Rory McIlroy walked onto the range (or tournament practice area as it’s called at Augusta National) one hour and 20 minutes before his tee-time.

He went straight to the putting green and hit twenty putts from two-to-three feet, followed by another 30 long-range efforts.

Driver in hand, Scottie Scheffler stalks up to the first tee and flings his opening shot down the fairway, where it trundles to a stop just inside the first cut.

Tyrrell Hatton is true to the T-shirt he is wearing and stripes it - but he's not found the fairway.

Instead, he'll have to dig his second shot out of the straw.

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They look similar these two don't they? And both of these bearded wonders had things to tidy up from yesterday, when Scottie Scheffler was surprisingly untidy with five bogeys - although he was playing in the worst of the conditions.

Tyrrell Hatton played brilliantly for most of the day, also in tricky conditions, but two late errors, including missing a tiddler of a putt, cost him two shots.

He remains liable for the odd angry outburst but Hatton has been excellent so far, and has long been pegged as a future major champion, can he do it here?

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Bryson DeChambeau, who has hit 959 shots on the practice area this week, also watches the early stages of the Masters before going out for his round, which he's expecting to be fun today.

"I watch a lot of the Masters happening, I see what players are doing where the pin placements are and how the greens are looking," he told CBS.

"I'm excited for the day, it's going to be a lot of fun."

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Only three Americans in that group and one of them, Matt McCarty, is surely getting nowhere near Keegan Bradley's side for the Ryder Cup in September.

In contrast, Team Europe have six in the mix at the top of the leaderboard, including Viktor Hovland (above) who has refound his form in recent weeks.

Encouragement for Luke Donald as he starts gearing up for the bearpit at Bethpage later this year.

At the halfway point of this competition, what do you reckon? A European to win?

Hit the thumbs.

So today's Masters stat from the excellent Justin Ray says that all but two of the past 26 Masters champions have been within four shots of the lead at the start of round three.

And that means the 11 players down to those at four under are the only ones capable of slipping on the Green Jacket come Sunday.

Wonder who it will be?

• -8 Rose (Eng)
• -7 DeChambeau (US)
• -6 McIlroy (NI), Conners (Can),
• -5 Hatton (Eng), Scheffler (US), Lowry (Ire), McCarty (US)
• -4 Day (Aus), Hojgaard (Den), Hovland (Nor)

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport senior golf reporter

With a doozy of a morning in Augusta, Zach Johnson is among a decent number of early starters already in the red.

Others making hay in sunshine and stillness include Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth, who are also previous champions.

Both men are three under for the day as they look to climb the leaderboard.

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No need yet for Zach Johnson to tell the Masters patrons where to go.

The veteran 2007 champion, who memorably gave a two-word riposte to those watching on as hit a triple bogey last year, is flying today.

The 49-year-old American has knocked in an eagle and four birdies, lifting him to five under and well into contention for the round of the day.

His putter has been hot in the pleasant morning conditions at ANGC.