Masters 2020: Dustin Johnson takes charge in round three

Dustin Johnson played his front nine in five under and was three shots clear at the top of the Masters leaderboard midway through the third round on Saturday.

The world number one smoked an approach at the par-five second to make eagle and followed up with back-to-back gains at the third and fourth at Augusta.

Another birdie followed at the seventh to reach 14 under for the tournament while he missed an eight-footer at the eighth that would have seen him pick up another stroke.

Justin Thomas, the world number three, and the unheralded Abraham Ancer were his nearest rivals three back, while Sungjae Im, making his Masters debut, was at 10 under and Dylan Frittelli was alongside Cameron Smith at nine under.

With a birdie on No. 7 Dustin Johnson extends to 14 under par. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hLev0Xldb7
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 14, 2020

Rory McIlroy was playing himself back into contention, flying to five under for his round and regaining a stroke at the 16th following a costly three-putt for bogey at the 13th.

He was among a cluster of players at eight under as was Jon Rahm, who endured a nightmare at the eighth where he made double bogey.

Players went out in groups of three for the third round as the tournament continues to play catch up after the inclement weather on day one that caused several delays.