Nick Faldo makes bold prediction ahead of Rory McIlroy v Bryson DeChambeau Masters showdown

Golf legend Sir Nick Faldo reckons Bryson DeChambeau's sensational birdie finish at the Masters could be just the push Rory McIlroy needs to seal the deal on Sunday.

McIlroy, who's been on fire with back-to-back rounds of 66, looked set for a comfy three-shot lead going into the final round at Augusta National, sitting pretty at 12-under-par.

But LIV Golf's DeChambeau had other ideas, pulling off a stunner of a birdie at the last to cut the lead down to two shots, finishing his round at 10-under with a 69.

DeChambeau's drive at the 18th ended up in the fairway bunker, but he managed to escape trouble with a clever bunker shot, landing on the fringe on the left side of the green. The two-time U.S. Open champion was left with a 50-foot putt for birdie, and it looked like he'd have to settle for a two-putt par to finish at nine-under.

But the American read the left-to-right break perfectly and found the centre of the cup, leaving three-time Masters champion Faldo gobsmacked while on commentary duty for Sky Sports.

Yet, the Englishman believes DeChambeau's thrilling birdie could motivate McIlroy to tackle the final 18 holes in the right manner, reports the Mirror US.

"That was a golfing AI moment with all that calculation. I don't think a computer or AI could have calculated that putt for that result. How incredible is that? That's outrageous, isn't it? Gee," exclaimed Faldo.

"My goodness, we are going to have some kind of shootout tomorrow. [It] might be good for Rory because he can't rest on his laurels or anything or think 'I'm the one to lose this.' He's got to go out and play the same again."

Rory McIlroy began the day tied for third place at six-under-par, but quickly took the lead with a record-breaking start to his third round. The 35 year old, who is on the brink of ending nearly 11 years of major championship drought and completing the career grand slam, became the first player in Masters history to start with six consecutive threes – highlighted by a spectacular eagle at the second.

A brief stumble followed with dropped shots at eight and 10, but McIlroy bounced back by capitalising on the par-fives, converting a birdie opportunity at 13 before reminding everyone of Tiger Woods with a stunning approach into 15, setting up an eagle chance that he successfully took advantage of.

Despite missing three birdie putts over the final three holes, McIlroy managed to finish his round with his Green Jacket aspirations still very much alive. However, he will need to outperform an in-form DeChambeau in what looks set to be a direct contest between the rivals, who famously battled it out at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 just 10 months ago.

DeChambeau managed to outdo McIlroy in their previous encounter due to a series of late mistakes, and he'll be hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday after securing birdies at the 16th and 18th holes. Corey Conners is hot on his heels, finishing two-under for the day and eight-under overall for the tournament.

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.