Sawt Falasteen - Rose keeps three-shot Masters lead as Aberg, DeChambeau charge

Rose fired a seven-under par 65 on Thursday to equal his best career round at Augusta National and grab a three-stroke lead over top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Canada's Corey Conners and Sweden's Aberg.

"It was a really good day's golf on a golf course that was a stern test," Rose said. "Delighted the way I played."

The 44-year-old Englishman continued his solid shotmaking by adding morning birdies at the par-five second and eighth holes against a bogey at the par-three sixth to stand on eight-under through nine.

Aberg, a Masters runner-up last year in his major debut, made a six-foot birdie putt at the third to share second on five-under.

Reigning US Open champion DeChambeau, who began the day fifth with England's Tyrrell Hatton on 69, sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the second and holed out from a bunker from 36 feet to birdie the par-three fourth to match Aberg at five-under.

Overnight rain softened Augusta National but overcast skies cleared as Rose teed off in Friday's seventh group, testing the formidable layout in sunny and calm conditions.

Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and 2016 Rio Olympic champion, birdied the first three holes on Thursday but opened with a tap-in par Friday after a 35-foot pitch.

At the second, Rose found a greenside bunker with his second shot, blasted out to 14 feet and sank the birdie putt to reach eight-under and lead by four shots.

Rose was 54 yards short off the tee at the par-three fourth but pitched to five feet and sank his downhill par putt, only to be short of the fifth green as well and pitch 15 feet left of the hole before missing the putt for his first bogey of the day.

After parring six and seven, Rose dropped his third shot five feet from the hole at the eighth and sank the birdie putt before making another par to reach the turn.

Four-time major winner McIlroy, trying to recover after stumbling to an opening 72, blasted out of trees at the second then dropped his approach to six feet and sank the birdie putt. He was one-under through four holes.

A victory by second-ranked McIlroy would give him a career Grand Slam but the Northern Ireland star made double bogeys on two of the last four holes Thursday to fall back.

South Korea's Im Sung-jae began with back-to-back birdies and stood three-under after six holes.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, made a 33-foot eagle putt at the second and birdied seven to reach three-under.

US first-time starter Matt McCarthy was on two-under after closing the front nine with four consecutive birdies.

Third-ranked Xander Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Championship and Open Championship winner, birdied the third to reach level par overall.

- Scheffler starts late -

Contenders among the later starters Friday include Conners at 12:22 pm (1622 GMT), Scheffler at 1:23 pm and Hatton 11 minutes later.

Scheffler, who also won a green jacket in 2022, is trying to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back Masters champions and match Nicklaus as the only players to capture three green jackets in a four-year span.

World number four Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner who opened on 72 despite bogeys on three of the last four holes, was also set for a late start.

H.Nasr--SF-PST