Hello Scottie Scheffler! Back-to-back birdies for the defending champion to get to seven under with a nice rangey putt from 20 feet away.

Scheffler won the Masters in 2022 and 2024 when he took 109 and 110 putts respectively - in 2023 he still finished T10 despite finishing last in the field with a full 127 putts!

Clear to see where the difference was made.

I'm going to keep this graph going throughout the round.

Will be very interesting to see how it changes.

Everybody OK?

It's been quite the start - but perhaps things are settling down a little.

Nope, it's slightly off line from Bryson DeChambeau and he stays at nine under par.

As you were, gents.

Oh no! Jason Day has just four feet, maybe a touch less, for his birdie on seven but he's tugged it left and missed it.

You simply can't afford to miss those kind of chances if you want to make an impact.

Nice clean strike off the putter face from Rory McIlroy as he cosies it right up to the hole.

Walk away with a par here.

Can Bryson DeChambeau find a bit of magic with his flatstick?

Image source, Getty Images

Woah! Justin Rose slings a three-wood around the trees at the par-five eighth. He's walking after it immediately and no wonder - it lands on the bank to the left of the green, scampers its way across the surface and rolls right over the pin!

He can't quite make the eagle putt but it's another birdie and he moves to seven under.

Rory McIlroy's tee shot gratefully holds onto the top shelf of the sixth green, just rolling off into the short grass at the back.

Got to be preferable than a massive putt across the surface.

He's outdone by Bryson DeChambeau who lands his closer and, while it rolls a little way away, he's still in tighter.

That's a filthy lip out for Ludvig Aberg on the seventh, as he's walking his birdie putt in and is thinking nine under, but it catches a decent chunk of the left edge and refuses to drop.

He's still giving himself looks though.

Only if you're a giant.

The crowds are massive behind Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.

Think this photographer must have been on stilts.

Image source, Getty Images

Two good shots on the par three here, but while Corey Conners can't convert his birdie putt, Patrick Reed can, albeit from much closer.

The 2018 champion still fancies a big finish here.

Image source, Getty Images

The loud cheers will tell you Rory McIlroy has nervelessly holed his par putt and thrown the pressure back onto his playing partner.

It's a squeaky five footer for Bryson DeChambeau to stop the rot but fair play, he finds the bottom of the cup.

Two trouble-free pars? Not quite, but on we go!

Image source, Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler finds a birdie putt this time so don't count the world number one out just yet.

Scheffler's putter has been the big difference in his two Masters wins, which could have been three in a row had he not putted awfully in the tournament in between his victories.

Hmm that's not gripped quite as tightly to the fourth green as Rory McIlroy would like and he'll need to save par from eight feet.

Bryson DeChambeau is putting first though and could amp up the pressure if makes for birdie.

Doesn't even graze the hole. He looks to the heavens.

Is someone OK to go and check on Tom?

Tom: I have been following the Masters via live text the whole week. I sit down to watch tonight and McIlroy is having nightmare. Shall I turn it off?

Tom: Can I turn it back on now?

Tom: Guess not

Do what Rory McIlroy does I suppose and blast it down there.

He'll leave his ball hanging out on the fringe of the green in a decent spot given where his drive ended.

Reset time for Bryson DeChambeau as he launches at the green. Nicely judged too and he's left himself 12 feet or so for birdie.

Ludvig Aberg has been burning edges all day, but he finally gets a putt to drop on six to improve to eight under and just four shots back.

With Bryson struggling a bit, a big danger for McIlroy could be if someone elsewhere starts making a move - and that someone looks like Aberg right now.

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI

This is fascinating.

Remember - Bryson DeChambeau led Rory McIlroy by three going into the final round of last year's US Open.

Now McIlroy leads by three. At Pinehurst last year, McIlroy muscled his way into a two-shot lead with four holes remaining only to falter at the finish.

Can he hang on to this lead? It'll likely go down to the wire.

There's a line of sight to the green for Rory McIlroy from out of this pine straw and he'll be pretty happy with how clear his ball is.

A camera stand is also down there but he's got the skills to comfortably swerve that.

Avoid taking a risk here or jolly well go for it?