That’s mightily impressive by Spieth, given the circumstances. And it’s an impressive end to Hoffman’s round too, his birdie putt rolled in to secure a level-par 72. But thanks to 67s from Phil Mickelson and then Justin Rose, we have ourselves a tournament tomorrow. Spieth is still strong favourite, four in the lead, but that guarantees nothing. Ask Rory McIlroy, who gave one of them up in 2011. Spieth will go out with Justin Rose tomorrow, while Hoffman will be paired with Mickelson. And before that, it’s Tiger and Rory. It promises to be quite a super Sunday. Please join us tomorrow for the dramatic denouement of the 79th Masters Tournament. One way or another, we’ll witness something very special.
-16: Spieth
-12: Rose
-11: Mickelson
-10: Hoffman
-6: McIlroy, Woods, Streelman, Na, D Johnson
-5: Matsuyama, Casey
And he rolls in the par putt! That really is something special. What an escape. He signs for a two-under 70, and his mark of 200 is the record low 54-hole score at the Masters, beating the mark set by Raymond Floyd in 1976 and matched by Tiger Woods in 1997.
Nope! He changes his mind after a long debate with his caddy, and sends a Mickelson-style flop up and over the sand, his ball dropping eight feet from the pin! That’s a simply stunning shot, just at the moment he was in danger of crumbling. Whatever happens next, what a player this young man is! That showed real guts, after a double bogey at the last, and with his Masters lead at stake. Majestic!
Hoffman bumps his second to ten feet. What the suddenly shaky Spieth would have given for that! He’s up on a bank to the right of the green, with sand in between his ball and the pin. He looks like he’s going to take his medicine and bump the ball off to the right, hoping the banks will at least gather his ball round and send it into the green, albeit at the back, from where he’ll have a 20-footer or so for par. Or at least that looks like the plan.
Dustin can’t curl in a par saver on the last, and he’s signing for a 73. He’s -6, and that almost certainly means Tiger will be playing with Rory tomorrow. But what a putt that was by Rose, who clenched his fist and waved it at the gallery with some feeling. That’s set a light under a Masters which looked all but over a few minutes ago! How will Spieth respond? By sending his approach, from the centre of the fairway, into the patrons to the right of the green. That was Normanesque! Some late drama here all right!
Rose’s second to 18 finds the back-right corner of the green. He’s left with a downhill left-to-right breaker from 18 feet for birdie. And he makes it! A stunning putt, which was going in from the very nanosecond it left the face of Rose’s flat stick! He came back in 31, and he’s now just four strokes behind Spieth, who will be looking at these scenes of bedlam as he walks up the hole! Spieth was seven in the lead only a few minutes ago!
-16: Spieth (17)
-12: Rose (F)
-11: Mickelson (F)
Spieth taps a very timid putt towards the hole, and it stays out on the left, kinking round the back of the cup. As he taps it in for double bogey, he has the good grace to look a little shocked. That was careless. He made a total pig’s ear of that hole from the very start. He’s back to -16. A bogey for Hoffman, by the way, and he’s -9.
-16: Spieth (17)
-11: Mickelson (F), Rose (17)
-9: Hoffman (17)
Spieth duffs his chip. It’s not quite Sandy Lyle at Lytham in 1985, mind. His flop only just reaches the front of the green. He’s still faced with a long two putts up the green from the fringe. And from 50 feet, this is a tricky one to judge. He leaves the par putt five feet short. That was very tentative. He could do with knocking this one in, seven-shot lead or no.
Spieth lifts a wedge over the trees and dumps his ball in front of the 17th green. A chance to get up and down from Rose Country. Up on 18, Mickelson’s putt stays high on the right, and he’s forced to settle for a frustrating par. He signs for a brilliant 67, though with a three putt at the 17th, and a short birdie effort missed on the last, it could have been so much better. “They should give Spieth green trousers to go with the jacket if he keeps this up,” suggests Simon McMahon. Yes, and a green bowler hat and green suede shoes. A matching set.
Another small turning point? Spieth pulls his drive into the pine trees down the left of 17. Meanwhile on 18, Mickelson arrows his second straight at the flag, and has an uphill eight footer for a closing birdie. Rose gets up and down from a tight spot at the front of 17 to stay at -11.
Mickelson races his first putt on 17 a good 25 feet past the hole. Awful, if understandable on greens which are glacial even when they’re a little sodden, as they’ve been this week. He can’t quite knock in the return, though he gives it a good look, and he’s back to -11. And then on 16, Spieth knocks his birdie putt in to move to -18! Hoffman, spooked by the bedlam, misses his short birdie effort. Mickelson had closed the gap to four strokes just over 15 minutes ago. The gap’s seven shots now. Wow.
-18: Spieth (16)
-11: Mickelson (17), Rose (16)
-10: Hoffman (16)
Here’s a stat they’ve just flashed up on the telly. Tiger was -18 after 72 holes in 1997. Raymond Floyd was -17 at the end of the 1976 Masters, as was Jack Nicklaus in 1965. Jordan Spieth is -17 after 51 holes. And he might be -18 soon, because he’s just fizzed his tee shot at 16 right at the flag. He’s below the hole, 12 feet from the pin. Hoffman meanwhile plops his four feet away, a majestic response to his watery demise at 15.
Spieth lags his eagle putt up to the side of the hole at 15 from 30 feet. He was making sure of his birdie. Which is what he secures. He’s re-established his five-shot lead over Mickelson, who has found the 17th green in regulation, but is faced with a lengthy two putts for his par. Hoffman meanwhile walks off the green with a bogey six. Which could be worse given he got wet.
-17: Spieth (15)
-12: Mickelson (16)
-11: Rose (16)
-10: Hoffman (15)
Kevin Streelman knocks his second at 18 to six feet, but there’s a vicious left-to-right kink on the downhill putt he’s left himself, and he’ll settle for par. That’s his third 70 of the week; he ends the day at -6. Meanwhile up on 16, more bedlam, as Rose splashes out from the sand, his ball scampering into the hole like a mouse with a piece of cheese! That’s four birdies in a row, and he’s -11, tied for third with Hoffman, who has just found water with his second on 15.
Spieth responds to the roar generated by that Mickelson rake, whistling his second at 15 over the water and onto the green! Two putts for birdie will shift the momentum yet again. Bogey for Casey on 16. Then Rose dumps his tee shot in the bunker at the front of the par three, while Dustin - who has responded to that double at 12 with birdies at 13 and 15 - finds the middle of the green. He’ll have a medium-range putt for birdie.
Rose’s second to 15 is a delight, pin high and 20 feet from the flag. He’ll be expecting a birdie from there, and there’s a decent chance of making an eagle that’d catapult him into a tie for second. He lags the first putt up, and taps in for his third birdie in a row. He’s -10, and very content right now. Back on the tee, Spieth responds to that minor calamity on 14 by splitting the fairway. And how about this on 16?! Mickelson’s tee shot isn’t all that, pulled to the right. “Hook, hook!” he shouts, but it doesn’t, making the green but staying put down by the lake. He’s left with a 50-footer up and across the green - and he makes it, the ball taking a big left-to-right turn and dropping into the cup, having been given just enough energy! That’s not quite up there with Tiger’s chip in here in 2005, or Jack Nicklaus’s aforementioned monster putt in 1975. Not yet, anyway, though it might be granted that status retrospectively if Lefty manages to win this tournament somehow!
-16: Spieth (14)
-12: Mickelson (16)
-11: Hoffman (14)
-10: Rose (15)
Mickelson sends his second just off the back of 15. He takes the pin out with a view to chipping in for eagle, but kind of fluffs it, even though he’ll be tapping in for birdie. He moves to -11. Meanwhile Paul Casey has a two-foot birdie putt, but yips the tiddler and lets it slip past, the ball scooting six feet down the green. He knocks in the return, and stays at -7, but dear me. Up on 14, Spieth clacks his second pin high, though the ball threatens to fall away to the right. He’s left with a 25-footer, which of course he nearly sinks. The ball sails four feet past - and his return putt stays out on the left. A miserable three putt and a bogey, but he’s got shots to spare.
-16: Spieth (14)
-11: Mickelson (15), Hoffman (14)
-9: Rose (14)
This is a simply wonderful display of controlled golf by Jordan Spieth. Only problem is, it’s not particularly exciting. He’s too far in front. Like he’ll care. He enjoyed a stroke of luck back there on 9, when the ball broke off the bank to the left of the green, setting him up for birdie when it could easily have found sand instead. But every time he’s enjoyed a little luck, he’s seized the day. You have to take your hat off to him for that. It’s also almost impossible to keep the fact that he’s only 21 in mind. He’s only 21! Justin Rose is one of the few players with an outside chance of bothering him tomorrow; he knocks in a putt from the fringe at the back of 14 for birdie, and he’s -9.
Hoffman and Spieth send their pitches biting into the 13th green. Hoffman’s about 20 feet away, Spieth pin high and 12 feet from the flag. Chances for birdie. Hoffman doesn’t quite hit his. Spieth does, though, his gentle left-to-right breaker always going in from the moment it left the face of his putter. Back-to-back birdies, and he’s -17 now, six clear of his second-placed playing partner.
-17: Spieth (13)
-11: Hoffman (13)
-10: Mickelson (14)
-8: Rose (13)
Spieth pushes his drive at 13 into the trees down the right. Hoffman replicates the mistake. The pair lay up in front of the creek. A birdie for Rose on 13, getting up and down from a swale to the left of the green. He’s -8. On 14, Mickelson gives himself a chance for birdie with an iron from 160 yards to 20 feet. But his putt drifts to the right of the cup and five feet past. He can’t afford to miss this. And so spends an awful long time thinking about it. Eventually he rattles it in, a firm clack designed to minimise the effect of any subtle breaks. He stays at -10, in third spot.
Spieth clips his tee shot at 12 to eight feet. He’s regained all confidence now. Hoffman dumps his ball in the bunker. He can only knock it out to 12 feet - but he holes the putt to keep things going! His flat stick has come up trumps more than once today. Spieth follows him in for birdie. And that’s him as high as -16 now. Up on 13, Mickelson gives himself a 30-foot uphill putt for eagle, caressing his approach over Rae’s Creek and into the heart of the green. But his putt always stays out on the left, trundled six feet past. No matter, the return’s tucked away, and his birdie reclaims the shot dropped at 11.
-16: Spieth (12)
-11: Hoffman (12)
-10: Mickelson (13)
-7: Streelman (14), Casey (12), Rose (12)
On 11, Hoffman rakes in a 40-foot right-to-left slider for birdie! He’s -11! Spieth takes his two putts for par, and remains at -15, four ahead of his playing partner. This is a brilliant effort from the journeyman Hoffman, who looked extremely nervous for a while, but perhaps that amazing up and down from the side of 4 convinced him he belongs. Meanwhile up on 18, Tiger can’t escape with an up and down from the sand. He ends, like fellow charger Rory before him, with a bogey, at -6 having shot 68, with perhaps too much to do tomorrow.
It’s Dustin Johnson Meltdown Time! His tee shot at 12 only just got over Rae’s Creek, sticking on the bank, Fred Couples style. A great break, and so he flops his ball straight into the bunker, having given up on the shot totally mid-swing. His third shot is splashed out ten feet past the flag. And he can’t knock in the return. Double bogey, and he’s back into the pack at -6. In other Galoot News, the defending champion Bubba Watson finished with a one-over 73 today. Having started out with a triple bogey, he ended his round with bogeys at 17 and 18. He’s -1 overall.
Spieth, after looking slightly shaky at times on the front nine, now seems in charge of his game again. He fires his approach at the dangerous 11th into the heart of the green. Two putts for par, and anything else will be a bonus. Up on 18, Tiger whips his second into the bunker to the right of the green. He’ll have a testing sand splash, because there’s not much green between him and the pin. A slightly subdued Augusta National, with the patrons having been teased with the possibility of some drama about an hour ago, but Spieth having regrouped and re-established his total control of this Tournament.
News of the wholly irrelevant Sergio? Ach, why not. He’s birdied 13 and 15, and has just missed a chance to pick up another shot after firing an iron straight at the 17th flag. He’s -4 currently. His playing partner and good friend Tiger made fairly workaday pars at 16 and 17. He’s still -7. Mickelson splashes out to a couple of feet at 12 and saves his par. Another near miss for Dustin Johnson, this time a birdie effort stopping short on 11. And back up on the tee, Spieth and Hoffman both split the fairway.
And Mickelson’s charge is slowing a little. Spooked by finding the second cut with his tee shot down the left of 11, he misses the green on the right, then leaves his chip up eight feet short. The par saver doesn’t go in, and he’s back to -9. And now he’s found the front bunker at 12.
-15: Spieth (10)
-10: Hoffman (10)
-9: Mickelson (11)
-8: D Johnson (10)
Spieth’s iron control isn’t quite what it was over the first two days. He whips his long second to 10 into the bunker front right of the green. That’ll be a tricky up and down. But he gently splashes to a couple of feet to save his par. He’s had plenty of opportunity to buckle, but simply refuses to do so. In its own way, this is as impressive as his first two, low-scoring, rounds.
A birdie effort from Dustin Johnson on 10. A huge left-to-right breaker from the back of the green, 20 feet from the hole. It’s a turn away from dropping, and he’s -8 still. Kevin Streelman had dropped a shot at 10, but he’s snatched it back quickly. His tee shot at 12 found the back of the green, but he’s rolled in a 20-footer for birdie, and he’s back to -7. Hideki Matsuyama has been making a wee move, incidentally: eagle at 8, and now birdies at 12 and 13. He’s -6.
A rush of bubbling hot blood flashes through Mickelson’s veins, as he trundles a birdie putt ten feet past the hole on 10. Danger there. But he knocks in a huge par saver, its size all about significance rather than length. He remains at -10. But he’s five behind again, Spieth knocking in his short birdie effort on 9. He’s out in 35, and for all his uncertainties, has traversed the tricky opening nine holes under par.
-15: Spieth (9)
-10: Mickelson (10), Hoffman (9)
-8: D Johnson (9)
Tiger blooters his second at 15 over the water and into the heart of the green. He doesn’t quite hit the long eagle putt he leaves himself, but his ball stops four feet short, and that’s a birdie. He’s -7. Another birdie for Rose, this time at 9. He’s out in a level-par 36, warming up after a cold start for the second day in a row. He’s -7 again. Rory gently lobs his wedge at 18 to six feet, giving himself chance to scramble his par. It’s a tricky one, a left-to-right breaker. And he gives it a little bit too much, the ball lipping out on the left, and that’s two bogeys in the last three holes. He signs for a 68; he’s in the clubhouse at -6 and perhaps too far back now, unless Spieth suffers some sort of collapse today. And that looks unlikely right now; he’s just bumped his wedge off the bank to the left-hand side of 9, his ball rolling to eight feet. A great birdie chance.
Rory drives into the first big bunker on the left of 18. Playing blind, he can only land his ball in front of the green. At -7, it’s desperately important that he gets up and down for par, if he’s to retain even an outside chance of winning tomorrow. Back on 8, Spieth sends a greenside chip from the front straight through the green, but nearly drains the putt he leaves himself from the fringe. Par. Hoffman, from the front, rolls two putts up from distance and that’s a birdie, breaking that long run of pars. And so he and Lefty have eaten into that lead. Just a little nibble so far, but there’s no point being greedy:
-14: Spieth (8)
-10: Mickelson (9), Hoffman (8)
-8: D Johnson (8)
On 9, Mickelson lifts his second to four feet, a simple uphill putt for birdie. That’ll take him to -10. It’s in, and he’s out in 32. His playing partner Casey raced his birdie putt six feet past the hole, but stroked in the return. He’s level par for his round at the turn, still -7. Meanwhile it was threatening to unravel for McIlroy, left with a 40-footer for birdie on 17. He rattled it six feet past the hole, but avoided back-to-back bogeys with a fine par saver clacked straight into the cup. He remains at -7.
Tiger finds trees again, this time down 14, and can only send his second to the far-right corner of the green. On the fringe, in fact. He’ll do well to get up and down from there, and leaves his chip 25 feet short. The luck all used up on 13. He leaves his par putt eight feet short, too, an appalling stroke. He gave up on that halfway through. But he knocks in the very missable bogey attempt. He’s back to -6, but can’t moan too much: level par through the last two holes, while driving like a maniac.
This is horrible for Spieth. He splashes out from the bunker at the back, and it looks as though his ball is going to work its way to the flag on his right. But the ball breaks back to the left, and rolls a good 40 feet away from the pin. He’s left himself a lot of work to do. His ball was on a piece of string for the first couple of days; he’s not displaying the same sort of control today. But he is, of course, still under par for his round. And he’s got the moxie, nearly sinking an outrageous par save, the ball skating past the right of the cup. So close to a jaw-dropping escape. But that’s another bogey, and once again he’s back to where he started the day. But there are worse places to be: -14, still five shots clear of second place! A seventh par of the day for Hoffman, and a par for Phil up 8.
-14: Spieth (7)
-9: Mickelson (8), Hoffman (7)
-8: D Johnson (7)
-7: McIlroy (16), Woods (13), Streelman (9), Casey (8)
Rory whistles his tee shot at 16 up a bank to the right of the green. He’s near enough to the pin, tucked away on that side, but it’s a tricky chip down. He can only roll his ball to eight feet, and misses the par putt. That’s his first dropped shot of the day, and he’’s back to -7. Rose begins to make amends by raking in a 20-footer on 7 for birdie; he’s back to -6. And Spieth’s ball pings through 7 and into a bunker to the back of the green. Another tough up and down for par awaits him.
The most preposterous birdie of the week! Tiger, having snap-hooked his drive and been extremely fortunate not to lose his ball OB, punches his second up the fairway, wedges to 15 feet, and rattles in the birdie effort! A roar rips around Augusta.
Spieth sends a 7-iron over the flag at 6. It’s a slight misjudgement, leaving a tricky 15-footer coming back, but he tickles in a big left-to-right breaker, and he’s back to -15! What a birdie! He was threatening to falter there, over the past three holes, but that’s turned things round again! Meanwhile it’s six pars on the bounce for his playing partner Hoffman. Dustin, ahead of the pair, had earlier birdied 6. And Rory chips up to four feet on 15 and rolls in his birdie putt.
-15: Spieth (6)
-9: Mickelson (7), Hoffman (6)
-8: McIlroy (15), D Johnson (7)
-7: Streelman (8), Casey (7)
Tiger has just snap-hooked his drive at 13 into the trees down the left. That’s without question the worst shot hit here all week. The ball ricochets back into play, but dear me. A bogey for Casey on 7; he’s back to level for the day, and -7. Also at -7, Kevin Streelman, with another birdie at 8. Meanwhile on 15, McIlroy sends his second over the water, but only just. The ball threatens to topple back into the drink, but somehow stays up on the dry stuff. Lucky Rory! He’d better run down there quickly and play his chip.
Mickelson gets up and down marvellously from a deep bunker at 7 to save his par. Sergio misses a tiddler for par on 12. He drops back to -2, level par for his round. He’s four behind his playing partner Tiger, who cards his fourth par in a row since that birdie at 8. “Can’t help but feel that the organisers deliberately paired Sergio with Tiger to put him off his stride,” opines Simon McMahon. “In my parallel universe, Sergio is playing with Russell Henley and is currently leading the tournament by fifteen shots, having aced the first 9 holes. He’s the Kim Jong Il of European golf.” I thought we ascertained the other day that he was golf’s version of Liverpool Football Club? Only without the historical roll of honour? I lose track.
Jonas Blixt is going along very nicely. Birdies at 8, 10, 12 and now a 12-footer for another at 13; he’s -6. Spieth meanwhile is faced with a huge putt up and down, over the warped green of 5. But from 40 feet away, he teases a lovely putt up to three feet. He should save his par now. And it’s in. That should settle him again. Meanwhile a much-needed birdie for Rose on 6? Well, it should be, but from five feet he blocks it out to the right and has to settle for par. He remains at -5; this is another poor start to a round by the 2013 US Open champ.
A three-putt for Rose on 5, another shot slipping away. He’s back to +5. Meanwhile Spieth is looking a bit shaky himself right now. He splits the fairway at 5, but underhits his approach, his ball toppling back to the front of the green with the pin well on. That’ll be a testing two-putt under any circumstances, but especially so off the back of a three-putt. “Come on wheels! Drop off!” writes Simon Farnaby, desirous of drama, I’m sure it’s nothing personal. “It’s a shame Spieth is so far ahead. Tiger, Rory, Phil, DJ Thick ... it could be a classic.”
Dustin Johnson leaves a simple, straight birdie effort at 5 a couple of feet short. He stays at -7, having birdied 2 and bogeyed 4. Mickelson sticks his tee shot at 6 to 12 feet, but doesn’t hit the putt, the ball dying to the left as it reaches the hole. And Casey sees a good chance slip by on 6. Some good birdie opportunities spurned there. Spieth’s not going to keep dropping shots, the field are going to have to make a few up.
Up on 13, McIlroy finds the green in two. A long putt faces him, but he lags it up brilliantly, and strokes a cheeky slider in for birdie. He’s -7, and going very nicely indeed. Back on 4, Hoffman sends a majestic flop high into the air, using the camber of the green to guide his ball from the top tier to five feet. A deserved par, because that was an astonishing chip from a position 20 yards right of the green. Spieth meanwhile, having pushed his tee shot a tad to the top right of the green, the pin bottom left, leaves his first putt eight feet short. And his par effort is never going in, always missing on the top side. Bogey, and he’s back to -14.
Updated
Mickelson doesn’t hit his snaking birdie putt at 5 at all. He leaves it five feet short, and does very well to knock in the saver. He’s still in second at -9. He’ll be there on his own soon, I’ll be bound, because here’s a dismal tee shot by Hoffman at 4, pushed way out to the right. He’ll be forced to chip over a bunker and onto a two-tier green. Good luck with that. He’s looking very shaky. “Was that bad?” he asks his caddy. That he has to ask the question suggests nerves have taken a firm grip.
Updated
Rose has had a thorny start. (Sorry.) A chance to arrest his downward momentum with a birdie on 4, but he doesn’t hit his effort from 12 feet, and it dies off to the right. He stays at -6. As does Tiger, who knocks his second into the middle of 10, before leaving his 15-foot birdie chance short. Par is good enough on that hole. He moves on.
Spieth could be forgiven for feeling the heat, but he’s just caressed his second at 3 to ten feet, straight over the flag. That was an arrow. Another birdie opportunity. His playing partner Hoffman doesn’t give a 20-foot birdie putt enough energy. A third par on the bounce. He looks slightly nervous; this is uncharted waters for the 38-year-old journeyman. And then Spieth’s birdie effort: it looks like he’s guided a gentle left-to-right curler into the cup, but it lips out on the left. Bogey for Dustin on 4, who drops back to -7. And on 5, Mickelson flays his tee shot into the trees, but gets a kind lie and finds the centre of the green with his second. A chance for a fourth birdie in a row, from 25 feet!
A stunning up and down from the back of 9 by Tiger, when a bogey looked almost certain. He bumps up to 12 feet, the best he could do, then rams home the par saver. He’s out in 32 strokes, and strides off the green with a determined gait. And the big beasts are beginning to stir all right, because on 4, Mickelson dribbles in a left-to-right slider from 20 feet, and that’s a third birdie on the bounce! He’s sharing second spot with Charley Hoffman! Oh this is beginning to cook up all right.
Rory creams a delicious iron to ten feet on the treacherous 11th - then pulls a simple putt, without much break, miles left of the hole. He has the good grace to look thoroughly disgusted with himself, but at least he’s through one of the trickiest holes on the course without damage. He remains at -6. Dustin meanwhile birdies 2, to join Casey and Mickelson on Hoffman’s tail. But Spieth traverses 2 in serene style, just as he did the opening hole. Only this time he birdies. Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looks right now:
-15: Spieth (2)
-9: Hoffman (2)
-8: Casey (3), Mickelson (3), D Johnson (2)
-6: McIlroy (11), Woods (8), Streelman (5), Rose (2)
-5: Els (4)
If it’s still possible for Rory and Tiger to win this Masters, it’s also still possible for the Par 3 Contest jinx to be finally broken. Kevin Streelman was this year’s champion, and he’s just birdied 3 and 4 to move to -6. Lefty has birdied 2 and now 3! Casey is almost certain to birdie 3 after wedging to 18 inches. And it’s in. Kevin Na meanwhile has birdied 2 to move to -5.
Spieth is faced with a huge right-to-left breaker for his birdie putt on 1. He lags it up and makes his par. That’s a perfect nerve-settler for the leader. His playing partner, Charley Hoffman, knocks his approach over the flag to 15 feet, but doesn’t quite hit his birdie attempt. He stays at -9, while the leader stays at -14. Up on 10, McIlroy remains at -6 after hitting a long iron pin high, racing a 30-foot putt eight feet past the hole, and knocking in the return. That’s a staunch saver, because eight behind the leader, he’s got no margin for error now. And he’s joined at -6 by Tiger, who wedges his third at 8 to 12 feet, before knocking in the birdie putt with supreme confidence. Whatever happens to Tiger in this Tournament, he’s back, baby. He’s back. Golf’s missed him. And this has been an astonishing performance this week, when you think about the disaster that was predicted before the gun.
The leader Jordan Spieth is out and about. He’s split the fairway with his drive, and found the middle of the green with his second. A good 30 feet from the flag, but he’s just after a steady start, and anything else is a bonus. Wise beyond his years. Gone minutes before, Justin Rose dropped a shot at that opening hole. His playing partner Dustin Johnson made par. The leaders are out; it’s on.
Russell Henley’s playing extremely well. He started the day with a double bogey at Tea Olive, but birdies at 2, 5, 7 and now 8 have elevated him to -4. He’s alongside Ian Poulter, who has signed for a superlative, blemish-free, five-under round of 67. He’s the early clubhouse leader, and while the mark won’t remain, that’s an incredible round by the English star. And he’s just about to find out that Arsenal won at Burnley, too. What a day he’s had.
Rory drops his approach at 9 over the flag, letting the ball roll back to eight feet. He makes no mistake, and that’s back-to-back birdies! He’s out in 31 strokes. Put that next to his 31 coming back home last night, and he’s suddenly in form. How he’ll rue his slow start to this Tournament. So the top of the leaderboard’s beginning to change. Well, not the very top, but you know what I mean. So here’s where we are ...
-14: Spieth
-9: Hoffman
-7: Casey (1), Rose, D Johnson
-6: McIlroy (9), Mickelson (1)
-5: Woods (7)
Birdie for Sergio at 7. He’s -3, alongside Russell Henley and Jonas Blixt, who are also one under for their rounds so far, through 7 and 8 respectively. Ernie Els is out, but he’s dropped a shot at the opening hole, dropping back to -4. Tiger lets a 12-foot birdie effort on 7 slide by to the right of the hole, and leaves himself a testing six footer back up, but he makes it for par. Both Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey have parred the opening hole.
A relatively quiet start for Sergio, meanwhile. He birdied 3, before doing what Sergio does so well and handing the shot straight back to the field at the following hole. He remains at -2. Poulter remains at -4 through 17, having missed a 20-foot birdie putt on 15 by inches, and got himself up and down from distance on 16 to save par. Adam Scott started strongly with birdies at 2 and 3, but a dropped shot at 4 takes him back to -4. Mahan continues to do well, with birdies at 9, 11 and 13 more than compensating for a dropped stroke at 12; he’s -3. And the best card posted into the scorer’s box so far: a 69 by Cameron Tringale, who is -1 overall.
It’s probably worth revisiting Bubba’s opening six holes: triple bogey, birdie, birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie. Since then, two pars, the latest at the par-five 8th. What’s the matter with him? At -2, he’s level par for his round, but that’s about his only nod to the concept of equilibrium.
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Another birdie for Rory, this time at 8. He’s three under for his round and -5 overall, alongside Tiger, who we already know about, and Charl Schwartzel, who has birdied 2 and 3 to start strongly for the third day out of three. He’s been going along very steadily without ever quite catching fire. He could be due a birdie blitz.
Fowler’s charge has slowed somewhat. A failure to get up and down from the back of 14, and a disappointing three putt on 15, and he’s back to -3 overall. But it’s so nearly on again at 16: his tee shot is beyond ordinary, into the heart of the green, 40 feet from the flag, but he nearly drains the long birdie effort. It horseshoes out. The pace looked perfect, too. Shame. That’s not the only recent hot action on 16: a few minutes ago, Darren Clarke sent in a 7-iron, two bounces, to within a dimple’s width of a hole in one! A birdie which gives the 2011 Open champion a bit of breathing space at the bottom of the leaderboard; he’s +5, a couple ahead of Vijay Singh and Thongchai Jaidee. That’d have been the first ace at 16 since 2012, when Adam Scott and Bo van Pelt both made one.
Joining Fowler, Tiger and Rory on the charge today is Ian Poulter, who has now birdied 12, 13 and 14 to move to -4 overall. Right behind him, John Senden has just drained a long-range putt for an eagle on 13 to move to +1. Plenty of guys making their move today ahead of Spieth’s 2.55pm ET tee time. And with that, I’ll hand things back over to Scott Murray.
That’s three straight birdies for Tiger Woods, who hit his tee shot on 4 to within 10 inches of the cup. He’s now -5 for the tourney, nine shots off the pace but in the top 10 on a major leaderboard for the first time since the 2013 British Open. Meanwhile, Bubba Watson has yet to make a par through five holes. The defending champ opened with a triple bogey before back-to-back-to-back birdies and a bogey on 5.
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Fowler just saved par at 12 after birdies on three of the previous four holes. He is -5 today, -4 overall and tied for eighth, one of only seven players within 10 strokes of the lead. Last year the 26-year-old Californian became just the third player ever to finish in the top five at all four majors in a calendar year, joining Tiger and Jack. Many tabbed him for a major breakthrough in 2015, but it may have to wait: it’s hard to imagine him catching up to Spieth’s extraordinary pace at this stage.
The chickens come home to roost for Stenson, whose putting has been a disgrace since the turn. After turning down four birdie opportunities in a row, he’s now let an eight-foot par effort slip past the 14th hole, and he’s back to level par for the tournament. Another birdie for Koepka, this time at 8, and he’s -3 overall, four under for his round. But what about Rickie Fowler, who has just carded back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, his fourth and fifth of a blemish-free round? He’s -4 overall, and I think it’s safe to say that today promises to be a scorefest. Time to hand over to Bryan Graham, who will take your hand for the next hour and lead you through this Georgia wonderland... see you soon...
Eagle at 2 for McIlroy! He wheechs his second shot into the heart of the green from 210 yards, then drains a 40-footer to move to -4 overall. Oh for his Tournament to have started at around 6.30pm last night! Bubba cleans up a little of the carnage he caused on the opening hole with a birdie of his own, and he’s back to level par. After flirting with the cut yesterday evening, he’s suddenly tied for eighth! All this low scoring is very interesting. A very real chance that Jordan Spieth will run away with things later on, but if a few scores are posted, and he starts feeling the heat, we could be telling quite a few stories before the setting of the Saturday sun.
Watch @McIlroyRory eagle No. 2. #movingday #themasters https://t.co/eXpcBzQHby
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 11, 2015
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And speaking of the Worksop Wizard, he’s going on the sort of determined charge he should have launched on Sunday 11 April 2010, but didn’t. Birdies at 12, 13 and 14, and Westwood’s back to level par for the tournament. “Getting close to the first bell and I’ll take Sergio to win his match by at least two,” predicts Seamus Devlin. “Woods hasn’t played at the weekend for so long. Sergio will enjoy this, his tail up I predict a 68 or better.” There’s logic. There’s cold logic. And then there’s Sergio.
A strong start today for 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson. He’s birdied 2 and 3, and is -2 overall. Meanwhile a fourth consecutive birdie putt is missed by the increasingly abject Henrik Stenson, this time at 13. He remains at -1, but should be up to -5 now. The difference between someone who can pick up ranking points, week in, week out, and seize the special moments in majors, right there. Nothing on the line this week now, of course, but it’s instructive nevertheless. I wonder if, despite all his tee-to-green talent, Stenson’s missing the steel required to get the job done when it really matters. It’s either there, or it isn’t. It’s what did for Lee Westwood.
Oh Bubba! A nondescript start for Rory McIlroy, who has parred Tea Olive. But he’ll be thinking that nondescript is just fine and dandy, having witnessed his playing partner, the defending champion Bubba Watson, fanny around in the trees, greenside sand, and on the green. An opening triple-bogey seven! Ooyah, oof. That’s his title defence over, then, although in fairness I guess we knew that already.
Another birdie for Rickie Fowler, this time at 8. He’s the third player out there, along with Stenson and Koepka, to be three under for his round. He’s -2 for the Tournament now. Stenson misses yet another short birdie opportunity, this time having gently clacked a wedge to eight feet at 12. That’s three egregious misses in a row. He should be six under for his round now! That’s really poor putting. He’s beginning to look very frustrated, and no wonder, because the rest of his game is in tip-top condition. By the way, there was no Sangmoon Bae in that little list of players three under for their round, you’ll have noted. As mentioned earlier, he had birdied 2, 7 and 8, but a double at 9 has dropped him back to even par.
Stenson really is on one at the moment. From the top of the hill at 11, he’s fizzed an iron straight at the flag, caring not a jot for the watery danger to the left. His bravery pays dividends, and he leaves himself a ten-footer, pin high, for birdie. It’s got a gentle right-to-left curl, one that’s too tricky for Stenson to read. The ball dies in front of the hole and shaves the left lip. Another par. But for the cumulative width of a dimple, Stenson would be five under for his round. As it stands, he’s merely three under for it. But that’s fired him up the leaderboard to -1. Meanwhile I’ve done well to keep my trap shut regarding Brooks Koepka this time. He’s just picked up another birdie, at 6. He’s three under for the day, and -2 for the Tournament. I’m still saying nothing, other than to suggest there is clearly a low score out there today, if someone wants it badly enough. Jordan Spieth, perhaps.
Brooks Koepka makes a strong start to his round. Birdies at 3 and 4, and he’s -1 for the Tournament. Kopeka was going well early in his round on Thursday, three under through 8, at which point this report started talking up the talented youngster’s chances as a dark-horse, each-way finish. Cue meltdown around Amen Corner, featuring a soggy triple-bogey at 11. So this time I’m saying nothing. Zilch. Zip. Bad hole-by-hole reporter. Naughty hole-by-hole reporter. A pleasant front nine for Ian Poulter, too, with birdies at 2 and 8. And here’s Hunter Mahan with birdies at 2 and 3; he’s -1. Plenty of players out there in red, sub-par numbers for their round. Today’s golf promises to be a lot of fun.
Chance for another birdie for Stenson, who has creamed a lovely iron over the flag at 10. He’s left with a tricky left-to-right dribbler back down the green from ten feet, but doesn’t strike his putt with any conviction. Par will have to do. But there’s clearly opportunities for birdies out there. Great news for the field chasing Jordan Spieth, although it’s great news for Jordan Spieth too.
Henrik Stenson may be yet to win a major tournament, but he’s number two in the world, and as such was one of the favourites for the 2015 Masters. But he went into the tournament with the sniffles, very much under the weather, and accordingly never quite got any momentum going. He shot a pair of 73s on the opening two days, just enough to keep him here for the weekend. But perhaps he’s getting rid of that bug, or has been down CVS for some of that really good cough mixture they do that’s laced with strong booze. Because he appears to be feeling a whole lot better today. Birdie at 2, bogey at 4, but now look at this: birdies at 7, 8 and 9, and he’s reached the turn in 33. He’s -1 for the Tournament. Along with Bae, who has just birdied 8, at three under for his round he’s the hottest thing currently out on the course.
Thongchai Jaidee had a good day yesterday. He holed out from the middle of the 3rd fairway for an eagle, on his way to a two-under 70 which guaranteed his weekend participation. But he must wonder why he bothered. Bogeys at 1, 3 and now 4, and that’s a wretched start to his round. He’s propping up the field at +4. Jamie Donaldson appears to be on his way to give Jaidee some civil engineering assistance; a double bogey at 4, and he’s +3. And speaking of holing out from the middle of the 3rd fairway... much good that eagle of Morgan Hoffmann’s has done. He’s bogeyed 5 and now 7, and he’s back to where he started the third round, at +1.
Another birdie for Sangmoon Bae, this time at 7. He’s -1 for the Tournament now, tied for 27th place. No great shakes in itself, that position, but if the weekend were ending now, it’d represent the South Korean star’s best finish in a major, his previous high-water mark being a tie for 37th here in 2012. Bae might be hoping to improve dramatically on his major record this year, having started the PGA Tour season strongly; he won the Frys.com Open in Arizona back in October, and has had three other top-ten finishes since, including six place in the Tournament of Champions. A confident start to his weekend’s work.
All eyes today will be on the final three or four pairings, of course. Will Spieth and Hoffman flounder, or tear off into the distance? Can Rose, Dustin, the Big Easy, Lefty or Paul Casey-y mount a charge? But there are some stellar pairings elsewhere. The Australian duo of Adam Scott and Jason Day. The defending champion Bubba Watson and the world number one Rory McIlroy. Jonas Blixt and Patrick Reed could provide a street-fighting masterclass. Ryan Moore and Angel Cabrera have both begun to find a low-scoring groove. And what’s this? Why, it’s Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia. Tiger and Sergio! Anything could happen here, moments of jaw-dropping genius or scenes of watch-through-the-fingers tragedy. Or both. Probably both. And that’s before we even bother mentioning their comically unstable personal chemistry. “Sergio and Tiger’s pairing should be a bundle of laughs,” writes Craig McEwan. “I wonder if SG can show some cojones and outscore TW?” I think we both already know the answer to that.
Rickie Fowler enjoyed a birdie-birdie start on Thursday, and yet last year’s top-five finisher never quite got going this time round. He’d handed both of the shots back by the 5th, another two by the 11th, and signed for a one-over 73 on the first day. He then started bogey-bogey yesterday, and despite gaining those shots back by the 8th, things got desperate around the turn: a bogey at 9, another at 10, a double at 11. At +5, he was going home for the weekend, but four birdies in the last six holes saved his skin, and he’s now carded birdies at 2 and 3 today. How he must wish the Tournament only began at the second half of the second round. See also Rory McIlroy.
There’s been an early claim for shot of the day, and to be honest the rest of the field will do well to beat it. Morgan Hoffmann - no relation to second-placed Charley, two Ns you see - has just eagled 3 by holing out from 123 yards. His ball bounded onto the green like an excitable pup, bit to the right of the hole, took a sharp right-angled turn, and spun into the cup. Brilliant! He’s two under for his round through 4, and -1 for the Tournament, the highest-placed player of those already out. The other players under par for their rounds this morning: Sangmoon Bae (birdie at 2, level for the Tournament); Rickie Fowler (birdie at 2, level); and Vijay Singh (birdie at 1, level). And Stricker, who we’ve already heard about. And probably Jeff Knox.
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Steve Stricker was the first man on the course today, on his lonesome in Tournament terms, the odd man out of the 55 players left in the draw. But of course he’s playing with Jeff Knox, Augusta National club member, course record holder off the members tees (61), and official Masters marker. Knox beat Rory McIlroy by a shot during last year’s third round, 70 to 71, but no word on how he’s doing this time. His mere presence has caused Stricker to up his game, though. Stricker shot a pair of one-over 73s on Thursday and Friday; today he’s birdied 2 and 3 and despite dropping one at 4, is still under par for his round through seven holes.
The weather forecast certainly is good news for Spieth, though. It’s going to be cloudy and a bit breezy in the morning, but as the day wears on, the sun will put its hat on and come out to play. So the players going out last should have the best of it. Hip hip hip hooray. Whether the weather forecast is to be trusted is another matter entirely; we were warned of serious storm disruption yesterday, but all that occurred was the odd rumble of thunder in the background as Lefty and Rory finished their rounds in the gloaming. Sunday should be lovely and sunny, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Word is that the committee have decided not to turn on the big industrial oojamaflip which sucks the moisture out of the course and makes the greens rock hard. It’s difficult to know whether this is good news for Jordan Spieth or not. On the one hand, he’ll be playing the slightly soft course of the first two days, and he’s not done too badly on that, has he. On the other, softer conditions make it theoretically easy for plenty of other players to put a birdie blitz together. Nothing personal against Spieth, but the powers that be won’t want to see him run away with this even further. They’re after a little drama for the weekend. (Poor CBS.) Looks like they’re banking on Spieth playing a little more conservatively over days three and four, and a charge from a couple of big names in the pack. Hmm, we’ll see. By the look in Spieth’s eye over the first two days, he’ll just keep on keepin’ on. Either way, the opening few holes this evening promise to be fascinating.
Loaded on ice tea and pimento cheese, patrons? That’s great news. Then we’re good to go! Welcome to the drama of Moving Day. Well, that’s what we usually say. Drama? Moving? With Jordan Spieth so far ahead of the pack, the usually frantic Saturday movements could end up being little more than a calm, ordered procession. Then again, a couple of low scores early on could give our leader something to think about. You never know. It’s hard enough winning your first major; we can only imagine the pressure when you’re suddenly expected to do it, and will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, for all time, if you don’t. This could be quite a day, one way or another.
After an exuberant 64 and a steely-eyed 66, the absurdly talented 21-year-old Jordan Spieth goes into the third day of the Masters holding a five-shot lead. Only three men in history have been here before, and all have gone on to win the Tournament. So perhaps the 79th Masters is already over. But all three men went on to win the Tournament in highly varied fashions. So perhaps the 79th Masters still has a story or two to tell yet.
Let’s start with the man who lost his 36-hole record to Spieth yesterday. Raymond Floyd reached the halfway mark of the 1976 Masters in 131 strokes, enough for a five-shot lead over Jack Nicklaus. He never remotely looked like relinquishing it. On the final day, nobody at any point got to within seven strokes of him. He ended up eight strokes ahead of 24-year-old Ben Crenshaw in second place. But we can do better than this.
Twelve months earlier, Nicklaus had opened up with 68 and 67, establishing a five-stroke lead over Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson. “Little short of a disaster or unsuspected brilliance from elsewhere can prevent Nicklaus winning,” wrote the Guardian’s legendary Pat Ward-Thomas. Disaster and brilliance both duly arrived, and so nearly flummoxed the Golden Bear. Nicklaus collapsed to a 73 on Saturday, while Johnny Miller went out in 30 shots, carding six successive birdies, eventually signing for a 65. Tom Weiskopf meanwhile shot 66. And so Weiskopf went into the final day leading Nicklaus by one, Miller three shots further back.
The three men would battle it out on a Sunday of epic proportions. Nicklaus, ever the genius, edged it when it really mattered. He was the steadiest of the three around Amen Corner, and later sunk this 45-footer on 16 ...
... for birdie, the signature moment. Miller and Weiskopf, watching from the tee, were so spooked they nearly dumped their next shots in the lake. Nicklaus signed for a 68. Miller and Weiskopf needed birdies at the last to force a play-off; the former missed from 20 feet, the latter from eight, the ball staying out on the right when it surely had to turn and drop. Nicklaus had his lucky 13th major title. Weiskopf, runner up at Augusta for a fourth time, was left holding on to hope. “All I know is, one of these days the putt is going in and I’ll win a Masters.” The putt never went in. He never won a Masters.
And then there was Herman Keiser, the sombre-faced Missouri Mortician, who held a five-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the 1946 Masters. He held it going into the final round, too, but he stumbled, shooting 74. Ben Hogan, meanwhile, chasing his first major, ate into the lead and went up the last needing a birdie to win, a par to force a play-off. He caressed his second into the centre of the green, 15 feet above the pin. He tapped the birdie putt down the glacial grass. “I just touched it lightly,” he recalled, “and it started rolling so slowly I could read the name on it.” The ball slid two feet past the hole. Hogan yipped the return. Keiser was the champion, after all.
So perhaps the 79th Masters is already over. But perhaps the 79th Masters still has a story or two to tell yet. We’ll get going here at 4pm BST, or 11am if you’re lucky enough to be gadding around Georgia right now, full of pimento cheese and hope. It’s on!
The standings after round two:
-14: Spieth
-9: Hoffman
-7: Rose, D Johnson, Casey
-6: Mickelson
-5: Els
-4: Na, Streelman, Haas, Moore
-3: Cabrera, Oosthuizen, O’Meara, Day, Scott, Matsuyama, Schwartzel
-2: Woods, Garcia, Willett, Henley, Blixt, Reed, B Watson, McIlroy
And today’s tee times ...
10.05am ET (3.05pm BST): Steve Stricker
10.15am ET (3.15pm BST): Lee Westwood, Anirban Lahiri~
10.25am ET (3.25pm BST): Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson
10.35am ET (3.35pm BST): Sang-moon Bae, Cameron Tringale
10.45am ET (3.45pm BST): Morgan Hoffmann, Jason Dufner
10.55am ET (3.55pm BST): Darren Clarke, Ian Poulter
11.05am ET (4.05pm BST): Rickie Fowler, Vijay Singh
11.15am ET (4.15pm BST): Jamie Donaldson, Jimmy Walker
11.25am ET (4.25pm BST): Thongchai Jaidee, John Senden
11.35am ET (4.35pm BST): Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell
11.55am ET (4.55pm BST): Chris Kirk, Hunter Mahan
12.05pm ET (4.05pm BST): Erik Compton, Bernd Wiesberger
12.15pm ET (5.15pm BST): Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson
12.25pm ET (5.25pm BST): Seung-Yul Noh, Geoff Ogilvy
12.35pm ET (5.35pm BST): Ryan Palmer, Keegan Bradley
12.45pm ET (5.45pm BST): Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy
12.55pm ET (5.55pm BST): Jonas Blixt, Patrick Reed
1.05pm ET (6.05pm BST): Danny Willett, Russell Henley
1.15pm ET (6.15pm BST): Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia
1.35pm ET (6.35pm BST): Hideki Matsuyama, Charl Schwartzel
1.45pm ET (6.45pm BST): Jason Day, Adam Scott
1.55pm ET (6.55pm BST): Louis Oosthuizen, Mark O’Meara
2.05pm ET (7.05pm BST): Ryan Moore, Angel Cabrera
2.15pm ET (7.15pm BST): Kevin Streelman, Bill Haas
2.25pm ET (7.25pm BST): Ernie Els, Kevin Na
2.35pm ET (7.35pm BST): Paul Casey, Phil Mickelson
2.45pm ET (7.45pm BST): Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson
2.55pm ET (7.55pm BST): Jordan Spieth, Charley Hoffman
