AUGUSTA, Ga. – While Rory McIlroy took home the green jacket, local favorites and former University of Georgia standouts made a major impact at Augusta National this year.

2026 Masters: Rory McIlroy survives late drama to win second green jacket

What we know:

Russell Henley delivered the best performance among the former Georgia Bulldogs in the field. 

The Macon native surged into contention during the final round, finishing in a tie for third place at 10-under par. He ended the tournament just two strokes behind McIlroy.

By the numbers:

Several other players with local ties finished under par for the tournament:

• Patrick Reed: The Augusta University alum finished in 12th place at 5-under par after a final-round 73.
• Harris English: The former Bulldog kept a steady pace to finish tied for 30th at 1-under par.
• Brian Harman: The 2023 Open winner finished tied for 33rd at even par.
• Sepp Straka: The UGA alum finished at 2-over par in a tie for 41st place.

Dig deeper:

Not every local star saw the weekend. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson missed the cut after finishing 5-over par on Friday. 

Joining him on the sidelines was 18-year-old Mason Howell, a future Georgia Bulldog who was the youngest player in the 2026 field. Howell finished at 9-over par.

Local perspective:

The strong showing by Henley and other University of Georgia alumni provided plenty of highlights for local fans. 

With multiple players finishing in the top 40, the “Bulldog pro” presence remains a dominant storyline at Augusta National.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The final round of the Masters is underway in Augusta as the world’s top golfers compete for a chance to wear the green jacket.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young are currently sharing the top spot at 11 under par. The pair will tee off at 2:25 p.m. EDT. 

The opening leader board of the final round at The Masters on April 12, 2026. (Credit: The Masters) 

McIlroy held a historic six-shot lead on Saturday, but that advantage vanished by the 11th green. 

Rory McIlroy leads Masters by 6 after historic Friday run

Young, who recently won The Players Championship, moved into a share of the lead after posting a 7-under 65. 

Two golfers with deep ties to the Peach State are still within striking distance of the leaders. 

Masters 2026: Patrick Reed, Russell Henley lead Georgia golfers

Patrick Reed, an Augusta University alumnus, and Macon native Russell Henley are currently tied for ninth place. Both players trail the co-leaders by five shots heading into the final holes.

Masters Sunday: McIlroy and Young fight for the Green Jacket

The stage is set for a historic finish at Augusta National as the final round of the 2026 Masters Tournament gets underway. While the weather is pristine, the leaderboard is crowded, and all eyes are on Rory McIlroy as he attempts to secure his place in the record books.

The winner of the 2026 tournament will walk away with a record $4.5 million.

Featured Tee Times:

12:57 p.m. EDT Ryan Gerard, Xander Schauffele
1:08 p.m. EDT Jake Knapp, Ben Griffin
1:30 p.m. EDT Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa
1:41 p.m. EDT Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley
1:52 p.m. EDT Scottie Scheffler, Haotong Li
2:03 p.m. EDT Jason Day, Justin Rose
2:14 p.m. EDT Sam Burns, Shane Lowry
2:25 p.m. EDT Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy

How to watch:

How to Watch: Final Round (Sunday, April 12)

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET: Early coverage on Paramount+ and Masters.com.

2:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET: Main broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.

Featured Groups/Holes: Streaming all day on the Masters App, ESPN+, and Prime Video. 

Leaderboard update

12:30 p.m. ET: 

Viktor Hovland off to a nice start

12:15 p.m. ET: Hovland has put together a nice start, sitting at 2 under par on Sunday so far.  He hit a birdie at the par-5 8th hole, then two-putted for another birdie. 

Gusty winds pick up at Augusta National 

12:13 p.m. ET: Winds are picking up at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon as the sun heats the course. 

Rahm racks up bogeys

11:45 a.m. ET: At one point a favorite, Jon Rahm saw a difficult round with five birdies and two bogeys on the first nine. 

Potential contenders begin teeing through 11

Several pairs are set to head out within the next hour who could rise through the ranks in the final round. Among them are Sepp Straka and Brian Harman, both with Georgia ties. 

11:07 a.m. – Brian Harman (-1), Jordan Spieth (-1)

11:18 a.m. – Sungjae Im (-2), Hideki Matsuyama (-2)

11:29 a.m. – Sepp Straka (-2), Jacob Bridgeman (-2)

11:40 a.m. – Chris Gotterup (-3), Kristoffer Reitan (-3)

11:51 a.m. – Michael Brennan (-3), Max Homa (-3)

Rai sinks an Eagle 

Cheers from patrons at the 7th green rang out as Aaron Rai swung an Eagle, his first of the tourney. 

Rahm drops consecutive birdies

10:20 a.m. ET: Jon Rahm sank consecutive birdies on the par-5 2nd and the par-4 3rd. 

Sergio García throws fit at tee box

10:00 a.m. ET: Sergio García damaged the 2nd tee box after a poor shot. The damage could affect the entire list of golfers who are set to play after the Spaniard. 

García will be fined over the outburst. 

He also broke his driver out of frustration. 

SEE MORE: Sergio Garcia breaks driver in Masters final round outburst

Hole locations on Sunday

9:50 a.m. ET: Here’s a breakdown of the hole locations for round four. 

Conditions expected for final round

9:48 a.m. ET: It’s expected to be a warm and bright day for the final round at Augusta National. 

IOWA CITY — A transfer-portal pull from down south has the Iowa women’s basketball roster reconstruction off and running.

The Hawkeyes have landed Georgia transfer Dani Carnegie, she announced April 11 on social media. The first-team all-SEC combo guard visited Iowa City the weekend of April 10 and will have two years of eligibility left with the Hawkeyes.

A strong sophomore season spent grinding away in the SEC, Carnegie averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in her lone season with the Bulldogs. The 5-foot-9 guard delivered 13 20-point outings and three double-doubles on a Georgia team that won 22 games and earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Carnegie entered the transfer portal once Georgia parted ways with former head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.

More: Where to watch Iowa WBB recruit McKenna Woliczko in Nike Hoops Summit

Coincidentally enough, Carnegie’s Iowa career will start in the same place her Georgia career ended. Her final game with the Bulldogs came in an overtime loss to No. 10 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Additional familiarity aids this Iowa pivot. Carnegie, who originally hails from Mount Vernon, New York, spent her freshman season at Georgia Tech, where she was teammates with Iowa point guard Chit-Chat Wright and played under Hawkeyes assistant LaSondra Barrett. The Barrett hire last offseason helped Jan Jensen land Wright and undoubtedly played a huge role here as well.

With Iowa losing Addie Deal, Emely Rodriguez, Teagan Mallegni, Callie Levin and Kennise Johnson to the transfer portal — along with departing seniors Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach, Jada Gyamfi and McCabe — the Hawkeyes are going to need a handful of acquisitions that range from depth pieces to key contributors.

Carnegie heads to Iowa City as a premier portal addition and legit scoring threat. That’s exactly what Iowa needs after last season’s productive run that, at times, lacked offensive consistency.

More: Tracking Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visits, adds, departures

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.