Corey Conners enters final round 4 shots behind Masters leader Rory McIlroy

Canadian Corey Conners went from a five-shot deficit to one shot behind McIlroy in a span of three holes on this wild Saturday at the Masters in Augusta, Ga.

The Listowel, Ont., native closed with eight straight pars for a 70 on Saturday. He now sits in third place, four shots behind the leader McIlroy heading into Sunday's final round.

"It's a cool position to be in, in the mix in a major championship," said Conners. "I'm just doing my thing, and we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Even casual golf fans in Listowel are invested Conners's success.

Brian Hare and Brian Paulmert were sharing a beer at Crabby Joe's on Main Street in Listowel as Conners teed off in the final round of the Masters on Sunday, four shots back of Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy for the lead. Although neither bar patron know Conners personally or follow golf closely, they were rooting for their hometown product.

"It's always good to see someone from a small town doing well or prospering, doing what they love to do," said Hare.

"Listowel's a bump, eh?" added Paulmert. "When I'm in the States people ask where I'm from and I say 'an hour and a half from Toronto' because no one knows Listowel.

"You talk about Corey, he's a small-town boy doing good."

Conners was the top ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour heading into the Masters, the first major of the men's golf season, sitting sixth in the FedEx Cup standings. The 33-year-old has built his professional reputation on consistent play with remarkable ball-striking ability.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., started Sunday tied for 37th, 10 shots back of McIlroy.

Weir inspired generation of golfers in 2003

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is the only Canadian male to ever win a major.

He claimed the green jacket as Masters champion in 2003, inspiring a generation of Canadian golfers including Conners.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has won two majors on the women's schedule: the Women's PGA Championship in 2016 and the Evian Championship in 2022.

Rory McIlroy raced out to the best start the Masters has seen in its 91-year history, with six straight 3s on his scorecard that shot him into the lead Saturday and left him 18 holes away from that coveted green jacket and the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy in 'great position'

McIlroy chipped in for eagle as part of his amazing start. And then he delivered another eagle late in the round as contenders were lining up behind him, a majestic 6-iron to six feet on the par-5 15th hole that carried him to a second straight 6-under 66.

"It was an awesome day and puts me in a great position going into tomorrow," McIlroy said.

He led by two shots over a familiar foe — Bryson DeChambeau, who delivered some magic of his own with a 45-foot birdie putt to start his round and a putt from nearly 50 feet for birdie on the 18th hole that gave him a 69.

McIlroy meltdown in 2011

It was DeChambeau who crushed McIlroy's spirit last year at Pinehurst No. 2 by beating him at the U.S. Open, stretching McIlroy's drought in the majors to more than a decade.

Also familiar to McIlroy was his position going into the final day at Augusta National.

It was 14 years ago when McIlroy, a 21-year-old with long, curly locks and unlimited potential, took a four-shot lead into the final round of the Masters. What followed was a meltdown that left him in tears when he shot 80.

"I just have to stay firm and just stay in my own little world," McIlroy said.

He hasn't had a better chance at that green jacket until this week, when he recovered from two double bogeys in the opening round and responded with rounds of 66-66.

At stake Sunday is a chance to become only the sixth player to capture all four professional majors, a feat last accomplished nearly 25 years ago by Tiger Woods at the British Open.