So one of the longest quests in the history of golf comes to an end. Sergio Garcia: major champion! Congratulations, Sergio! Happy birthday, Seve!
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The Tao of Sergio: “In the last few years I made my peace with the course, and accepted what Augusta gives and takes. And because of that, I am able to stand here today.” And with that, a beaming Willett helps the winner of the 81st Masters Tournament on with his new jacket, and the two embrace warmly. Try watching that without a tear in the eye!
Sergio speaks! “It’s been such a long time coming. I thought I had it on 18. But I knew I was playing well. I felt the calmest I’ve ever felt on a major Sunday today. Even after making bogey I was positive, I still believed. I hit some good shots, and I’m so happy. It is amazing to do this on Seve’s 60th birthday, and to join him and Jose Maria Olazabal, my two idols in golf, my whole life, it’s something amazing. Jose sent me a text on Wednesday night telling me he believed in me. My fiancée, my parents and her parents, they’ve all been so supportive.”
To the Butler Cabin, where Danny Willett is on hand with a certain someone’s brand new jacket! Sergio enters with a smile as wide as the room. First, a word with the low amateur Stewart Hagestad. “It’s such a blessing to be sitting here with such a worthy champion.” There’s a lot of love in the air. Has the atmosphere in this famous old cabin ever been so giddy? And then a word with the new champion...
And now here’s a word from the runner-up Justin Rose. “There is a consolation that Sergio has won. He’s felt like I’ve felt many, many times, so it’s hard not to feel good for him. I felt like I had it wrapped up at one point. When Sergio was in the trees on 13 it looked pretty good! But this course offers an opportunity for people to make a comeback, and he did. I felt I got virtually everything right. I’ve had my fair share of great things that’s happened to me, I’m sure there’s going to be many more in the future. If there was half a chance [of making the green in the play-off] given it was Seve’s 60th birthday today, I’d have given it a go!” Yep, a true gent. Commiserations to Justin.
But spare a thought for poor old Justin Rose. Like Sergio, he carded 69 today in a mano-a-mano maelstrom! His was every inch a champion’s performance too, but somebody had to lose. He’s got the thousand-yard stare going on, but like the true gentleman he is, he’s quick to warmly embrace Sergio and congratulate him. Once that’s done, though, he’s lost in the crowd as Augusta erupts around him. What a day’s golf. What a tournament this has been!
Has there ever been a happier champion? He squats down for a second, before letting out a primal scream of delight. He embraces his partner, and howls again in wonder. Five years ago, he admitted that he thought he would never win a major. But now look. We’ve waited so long for this ... since the 1999 PGA, to be exact. And now he’s done it! These are some of the most emotional scenes ever seen at the 18th at Augusta ... and the old place has seen some action!
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SERGIO GARCIA WINS THE 2017 MASTERS TOURNAMENT!!!
He sets himself, and taps his putt down the green. The ball thinks about lipping out on the left, but it loops around the back, and slo-o-o-o-o-owly drops. Sergio’s done it! After all this time, all those near misses, all the heartbreak ... he’s done it! Sergio Garcia ... is the Masters champion!!! A major winner.
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Rose paces around his par putt, checking all angles. This has to drop, surely, if he’s to retain a chance of winning the Masters. He strokes it at perfect pace, but it’s always missing on the low side. And now Sergio has two putts to win the Masters! He loops around his putt a couple of times. He blows out hard. He steps up, draws his putter back, and...
Rose knocks his third pin high. He’ll have a 12-footer straight across the green for his par. He’ll be putting first, so he at least has the opportunity to make his par and put pressure on Sergio’s putt.
Rose’s ball has come back towards the fairway. But it’s still on the pine straw, and the branches of a nearby tree are in the way. He can’t get to the green, so he just takes his medicine and chips out. Advantage Sergio, who fires another fine iron towards the pin! That one stops about ten feet past, a little to the right. He’ll have another putt to win the Masters, unless Rose holes out from the fairway.
On Sky, Paul McGinley points out that Sergio’s putt was “right down a fault-line and was never an easy putt ... even from that distance it double-broke”. That won’t stop Sergio feeling pretty bad about letting that elusive major slip through his fingers. He looks a little miserable as he takes to the 18th tee again. Rose looks much more chipper. Especially when he wins the honour. He unsheathes the driver ... and sends it into the trees down the right. He gets a lucky break again, in so much as the ball ricochets back out from deep inside the thicket. But it’s only so much luck: he’ll still have a tricky line in from there, if he has one at all. Sergio sends a fine fade around the corner, and he’s in much the better position.
The pair smile and throw their arms around each other as they leave the green. So they’re going to a play-off. Rose will be the more relieved; Sergio will relive that missed putt until the end of time if he doesn’t win it. While they prepare for that, this is how we got here:
-9: Rose, Garcia
-6: Schwartzel
-5: Kuchar, Pieters
-4: Casey
-3: Chappell, McIlroy
-2: Scott, Moore
-1: Matsuyama, Henley, Koepka, Fowler, Spieth
E: Kaymer, Stricker
Sergio has a putt to win the Masters ... and it dribbles off to the right! A little push, and his chance is gone. For now. A par for Sergio as well, and they’ll be going back to the 18th tee for the first sudden-death play-off hole. What a miss, though. Doug Sanders territory? No, not quite, it was a tricky downhill one. Not far off, though. How it’ll be viewed in the future depends on what happens next.
Rose has an eight-foot right-to-left slider across the green. Sergio’s is half the distance, but downhill and slippery, and therefore missable, especially under this pressure. Rose hits his putt ... and slips it by the right! He leans back and opens his mouth to gasp. Just a par! And Sergio has a putt to win the Masters!
Both men have short irons into 18. Rose sends his a little to the right, but he enjoys a huge stroke of luck: the ball bounces off the bank near the bunker to the right and turns towards the hole, eight feet from the flag! Sergio responds by arrowing his ball straight over the flag, and screeching it to a halt three feet behind! This is beyond astonishing. Rose to putt first. Are we to see a repeat of 16? “I can/can’t/can/can’t watch!” says Rich Fulcher. “I don’t want to do this anymore,” adds Ian Truman. “Can we all agree to turn it off?
Sergio splits the fairway at 18. Rose follows him down there. There’s nothing between these two amazing, talented, brilliant and brave players! Such a shame that one of them has to lose: either way we’ll have a worthy Masters champion, either way we’ll feel a pang of bittersweet anguish for the loser. What a game is golf!
Rose splashes out from the sand to six feet. That’s a fine shot looped high into the air and landed softly on the fast green. He’ll have a great chance to make his par. Sergio doesn’t hit his birdie effort at all; never going in. It’s a couple of feet short. Then Rose lets his short par putt drift wide right of the cup! Bogey, and after Sergio cleans up, they’re all square again!
-9: Rose (17), Garcia (17)
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Turns out there’d been a Dustin Johnson / Lexi Thompson style rules brouhaha brewing in the background! When Sergio dropped on the pine straw at 13, he removed a nearby loose stalk. Did the ball move as a result? It’s been ruled that it didn’t - and the slow-mo pictures certainly seem to back that up - so no controversy here. But they’ve put it out there for the sake of transparency.
Rose gets a free drop from a sprinkler head, and though he has to stay in the first cut, he benefits from an improved lie. But he doesn’t take advantage, dumping his second in the deep bunker guarding the front of the green. Sergio lashes his second straight at the flag, over the trap Rose is in, and onto the putting surface. He’ll have an uphill putt from 30 feet for birdie.
Oh Sergio, why didn’t you commit to that putt?! His first really poor stroke of the day. Old-school Sergio returns at exactly the wrong time. But Rose really stepped up to the plate there; a real matchplay combination after Sergio sent in his tee shot. Moments of brilliance which may well have won him the Masters. He’s such a fine player. Still, Sergio can’t be giving up yet; there are two holes to play on Masters Sunday, and anything is possible. Rose’s drive down 17 leaks off to the right a bit. He’s in the first cut. Sergio blasts his down the middle.
Rose takes his time over his putt. As he should. He clips it up the green, outside the right of the cup, and curls it back into the hole! A perfectly judged putt! What a stunning birdie, and what a response to Sergio’s eagle! He moves to -10, in the lead again. Can Sergio join him? He doesn’t take so much time ... and prods a tentative effort towards the cup. It dies to the right, and that’s just a par. Oh Sergio! “I was hoping Sergio could make this year’s heartbreak more stylish and sophisticated,” writes James Ferguson. “He is doing a good job of it so far. Just the right amount of false hope. This one is really going to hurt, isn’t it?” I’m saying nothing.
-10: Rose (16)
-9: Garcia (16)
-6: Schwartzel (F)
This is astonishing! Sergio lands his ball ten feet past the flag. It turns back towards the cup. It’s not quite on the correct line like Matt Kuchar’s ace, but it isn’t far away. Six feet to the right. Rose picks up the gauntlet and arrows his straight at the flag. It stops eight feet short. What a pair of tee shots under ludicrous pressure! Garcia hangs out a flat palm, and his friend Rose slaps it. What a sweet moment in the midst of battle! Great sportsmanship.
Rose strokes a lovely 50-foot putt to the right side of the hole. He’ll still have a three-footer for his birdie. But first Sergio. He rolls his eagle effort towards the cup. It’s pretty straight. It’s on line, but has he hit it?! For a second, it looks like he hasn’t, but it topples in at the last and that’s his first eagle in 452 holes at the Masters! And what a time to make it!!! Wow! Garcia does a little Seve-style punch and skip on what would have been the great man’s 60th birthday, as the crowd explode in happy turmoil! Rose does amazingly well to keep his head amid the tumult and make his birdie. This is back on! Schwartzel, incidentally, sunk a 25-footer on the last for birdie and a 68. He’s the new clubhouse leader!
-9: Garcia (15), Rose (15)
-6: Schwartzel (F)
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... he arrows a 7-iron pin high to 14 feet! What a shot! Actually, that hit the flagstick and bounced away. So close to albatross, the Gene Sarazen de nos jours. But what a chance for eagle! First up, though Rose from the fringe.
Sergio batters a monster drive down 15. After looking so shaky off the tee through Amen Corner, he seems to have found some renewed confidence. That ludicrous par escape on 13, coupled with Rose missing his birdie chance, probably helped. But his Masters bid looked pretty much over when he was taking his penalty drop in the bushes. Now, it’s a live prospect again. But Rose splits the fairway too, then finds the fringe on the left-hand side of the green with his second. Safe and dry. The pressure’s on Sergio, hitting over the water. And...
Sergio makes his birdie putt on 14! That’s just reward for his excellent second, and now the pressure’s on Rose to make his par putt, having lagged up to five feet. But he takes a deep breath and rolls a slight right-to-left slider into the cup! What steel! Par, and he remains a shot clear of his playing partner. Meanwhile Schwartzel takes two putts for par on 17, then finds Lyle’s Bunker with his drive down the last.
-8: Rose (14)
-7: Garcia (14)
-5: Kuchar (F), Pieters (F), Schwartzel (17)
Paul Casey birdied the last, incidentally, to sign for a 68. He finishes the week at -4, and for the third year in a row will finish in the top ten. At 39, he’s still got time on his side to claim a green jacket.
Rose can only find the front left of 14. The ball threatens to trickle a little closer to the hole, but it doesn’t move much and he’ll have a 35-footer across the green for his birdie. Sergio responds by landing his ball pin high, 25 feet to the left of the flag. The green gathers the ball towards the hole, and he’ll have an eight-footer for birdie. Meanwhile up on 18, Pieters takes two putts for par, that’s a 68, and he joins Kuchar in the clubhouse lead at -5! “I know it was supposed to be Sergio Garcia Day (again...), but it really is hard to dislike Rose,” says Matt Dony, who can speak for me. “Understated consistency, nice-guy demeanour, world-class talent. If Sergio Sergio’s it up, I hope Rose holds on.”
-8: Rose (13)
-6: Garcia (13)
-5: Kuchar (F), Pieters (F), Schwartzel (16)
Rose takes his frustration out on the little white dappled thing. Blam! He splits the fairway at 14. Sergio follows him down there. Up on 18, Pieters finds prime real estate with his tee shot, then sends a fine second shot 15 feet past the flag. A chance, albeit a curly one, for a final birdie that would set a new clubhouse lead. And on 17, Schwartzel finds the green in regulation, but he’s facing a tricky 25-footer for birdie.
Sergio fires three from out of the bushes, then wedges brilliantly to six feet. Rose will be kicking himself, then, for sending his second through the back of the green. A long, long putt from the fringe, up the bank and over a ridge, then down towards the hole. The best part of 30 yards. And he gently sends an exquisite putt three feet past the cup! For a second, that threatened to drop for eagle! Then... is this another turning point? Sergio knocks in his par putt, while Rose lets his tiddler slip to the left of the hole! Absurdly, both men are walking off the hole with par! And while all that drama was developing, Pieters pars 17, Schwartzel 16. They’re not going anywhere!
-8: Rose (13)
-6: Garcia (13)
-5: Kuchar (F), Pieters (17), Schwartzel (16)
-4: Fowler (14)
While Kuchar was acing 16, McIlroy landed his tee shot four feet from the flag and made birdie. It was his last of a round of 69, his best of a disappointing week. He’s -3 and he’ll have another top-ten finish at the Masters on his CV. But it’s not what he’s after, is it.
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Yes, Sergio has indeed sent his drive at 13 into bother. Under a bush! He’s forced to take a penalty drop, and it’s all unravelling for the poor man. Pieters meanwhile splashes out of the bunker at 16 to six feet, but his par putt breaks off to the left on its last turn, and that drops him back to -5. This is beginning to look very promising for Justin Rose! But on the other hand, Charl Schwartzel birdies 15 to move back to -5, and Matt Kuchar pars the last. He’s back in 31 for a 67, and is the clubhouse leader at -5! So while Sergio may be floundering, this isn’t over yet!
-8: Rose (12)
-6: Garcia (12)
-5: Kuchar (F), Pieters (16), Schwartzel (15)
Pars for Sergio and Rose at 12. Rose very nearly drained his gentle left-to-right drifter, but it died to the right just before the cup. Rose remains two clear of Pieters and his playing partner. And he once again turns the screw on Sergio by blasting a monster drive down 13. Sergio has to nail his ... and he pulls it. That’s not in Rae’s Creek, is it? He wanders after his ball with furrowed brow.
Pieters sends his tee shot at 16 into the bunker between the pin and the water. A birdie at 13 moves Rickie Fowler back to -4. Kuchar crashes his drive straight down 18, and though he toys with Lyle’s Bunker, he’s in prime position. Scott hits the bank in front of the green at 15, and watches in horror as his ball topples back into the water. And in the final group, both Rose and Sergio find the heart of the green at 12, but they’ll have 30-footers across the thin green for their birdies.
Rose misses his six footer for birdie. Such a shame after a brilliant approach. But par at 11 on Sunday will do. And he’ll be two clear, because Sergio can’t get up and down from the edge of the green, missing a ten-footer for par, and that’s a bogey. Meanwhile birdie for Pieters at 15 after a good look at eagle; four birdies in a row and he’s right in this now! Kuchar pars 17 meanwhile, and he’ll soon be posting a score to beat.
-8: Rose (11)
-6: Pieters (15), Garcia (11)
-5: Kuchar (17)
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Spieth couldn’t make his bogey putt on 12 and that’s a double, another Sunday shocker on 12. Augusta National has really done a number on his noggin. He drops to +1. Fowler bogeys after finding the sand; he’s back to -3. Schwartzel meanwhile is faced with a treacherous pitch from the left of 14. He lands on the green, but the ball scoots 80 feet past. A long trundle for par back up the hole goes six feet past; he pops it in, but that’s a momentum-busting bogey and he’s back to -4. Adam Scott is at -4 too, moving the other way after birdies at 13 and 14. Birdie for Paul Casey at 15, following bogey at 14. He’s -3. Meanwhile Fred Couples signs for a 72. He’s +1 for his week’s work.
Now Pieters joins the group at -5 with his third birdie on the bounce, this time at 14! Back down the hole, once Pieters clears the green, Schwartzel sends his second miles left. Meanwhile Sergio is indeed stuck flush behind a large tree to the left of 11. He really should take his medicine and chip back out onto the fairway, but opts to fire through a very small gap to the left of the tree and a bush. Fortune favours the brave, as he punches a low iron to the front of the green. He’ll have chance to scramble his par, or at least limit the damage! But Justin Rose shows his match-play moxie by sticking his second to six feet. The pressure turned up on Sergio, right here!
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Hole-in-one for Matt Kuchar at 16! He bounces his ball to the right of the flag, ten feet past, and lets the topography take the ball back towards the hole. And it’s always going in! If Augusta had a roof, it’d be spinning somewhere over North Carolina now! An ace at the Masters, but more importantly, an eagle that moves him to -5! Another birdie or two, and he’ll be posting a score that may give the leaders, whoever they may be, pause!
-8: Rose (10)
-7: Garcia (10)
-5: Kuchar (16), Schwartzel (13)
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Up on 13, Schwartzel has a look at eagle from 25 feet, but the ball stays high on the left. He leaves himself a missable four footer, but in it goes, and at -5 he’s only three off the lead! This is turning into a fascinating, and unpredictable, afternoon! Although make of this what you will: Sergio has whistled his drive at 11 into the trees down the left, and may be snookered by another tree!
Jordan Spieth finds water at 12 for the second Masters Sunday in a row! He lands his ball on the Fred Couples Bank. It threatens to stick, but dribbles back into the drink. He goes to the drop zone, and chips to six feet. But he’ll be dropping at least one stroke here. He just hasn’t got going at all today.
Two putts, and that’s Sergio’s first bogey since 9 yesterday. That is something of an escape, given the preposterous place he’d put himself. Rose meanwhile gets up and down from the front, chipping to a couple of feet, and he’s now leading the Masters on his own! Fowler meanwhile can’t get up and down from the back of 11 and drops to -4.
-8: Rose (10)
-7: Garcia (10)
It’s difficult to explain how bad Sergio’s shot was there. Fired miles to the right, he’s got a small tree directly in front of him, a huge bunker further on, and then one of Augusta’s trademark greens of nonsense. He lashes a chip high and back down onto the green, his ball rolling across it from right to left and into the fringe at the side. That’s actually not too bad from where he was. But he really needs to get up and down. “Does Dr Golf do home visits?” wonders Simon McMahon. Dr Golf suddenly feels very ill.
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Fowler sprays his drive at 11 into the trees down the right. He’s got a route out, but his second goes off the back of the green. Pieters takes two big booms to reach the heart of 13. He’s pin high, and will have a good look at eagle from 15 feet. But he knocks it 10 feet past! He rolls in the birdie putt and moves to -4. And on 10, Rose is well short in two, while Sergio has pushed his second into awful trouble, miles wide right, up on a bank, behind a bunker ... and a tree. This is disaster! Oh Sergio!
So it’s 5pm on Masters Sunday in Augusta, and the final pair reach the 10th tee. The 81st Masters Tournament begins! Here’s how they stand ...
-8: Rose (9), Garcia (9)
-5: Fowler (10)
-4: Schwartzel (12)
-3: Kuchar (14), Casey (13), Pieters (12)
... and here’s a stat that will send shivers through fans of Sergio Garcia. Rose’s cumulative score to par over the back nine in his Masters career is -11. Sergio’s is +31.
Schwartzel lands his tee shot at 12 six feet past the flag. That’s a great chance for birdie, but he lets the putt drift away to the right. He stays at -4, right in the mix, but you can’t be passing up chances like that on Sunday afternoon.
Sergio booms another big drive, this time down 9, and wedges 12 feet past the hole. That’ll be a tricky one downhill, but it’s makeable. Rose goes pretty long with his second, and he’ll be left with a very testing 35-footer down a ludicrously fast green. Matthew Fitzpatrick putted back onto the fairway from there. But Rose tickles his well wide to the left, the green bringing it back to a couple of feet, such a delicate touch. He escapes with par. Sergio meanwhile leaves his high on the left, and it’s a slightly disappointing par. They stay at -8. Meanwhile on 10, Fowler makes his par and remains at -5, but Spieth’s race is run, having flayed his drive into the trees down the right and bogeyed. He’s back to -1. And it’s a three-putt par for Paul Casey on 13, a missed opportunity, while Matt Kuchar makes it three birdies in a row at 14 to move to -3.
Slam-dunk star Russell Henley continues to shine. Birdies at 13, 14 and 15 and he’s -2 overall today with just one hole remaining. Matt Kuchar is at -2 too, after birdies at 12 and 13. And Kuchar’s playing parter Rory McIlroy has birdied 13 as well to move to -2. Almost certainly too late, but it’s Sunday afternoon on the last nine at the Masters, and never say never.
Another bogey for Charley Hoffman, this time at 10. He’s back down to -2, and a player who at one point this week led by five at -7 looks to have run his race. His playing partner Ryan Moore is a turn away from making birdie, but he stays at -3. Joining Moore at that mark: Thomas Pieters, who also led this tournament at one point on the first day. Having birdied 8, he makes another at 12 from the fringe at the front of the green.
-8: Rose (8), Garcia (8)
-5: Fowler (9)
-4: Schwartzel (11)
-3: Casey (12), Pieters (12), Moore (10)
Rose looks a lot more calm and collected than Sergio right now. Breaking news, huh. Which is not to say Sergio is in a particular flap; Rose is just serenely wandering around in an ice-cool manner. Up on 11, the 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel is not finished. He arrows his second straight at the flag - to hell with worrying about the water! - and slips the six-foot birdie putt into the cup. He moves to -4.
Fowler clips his third at 9 to a couple of feet, and saves his par. That’s a fine scramble, but he’ll look back at the approach as a missed opportunity. He’s -5. Par for Spieth, and he’s out in 38. He stays at -2. Back on 8, Rose flies his chip 15 feet past the flag, but no matter! He tickles in a downhill left-to-right slider, and that’s three birdies in a row! Sergio is inside him, having bumped a fairway wood up the bank and past the cup. And his putt stays out on the high side! He asks his caddy: how did that not drop? It’s now a tie at the top!
-8: Rose (8), Garcia (8)
-5: Fowler (9)
-3: Casey (12), Schwartzel (10), Moore (9), Hoffman (9)
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Sergio batters a huge drive down 8. He’s looking to reach the green in two with his iron, and doesn’t catch it properly, but he’s just off the front. Rose is perhaps 30 yards behind him in two, having let his drive drift off to the second cut on the left. Up on 9, Fowler’s approach falls back off the front of the steep green. Par for Casey at 12, despite hitting a gorgeous tee shot pin high to eight feet, and he stays at -3.
Rickie Fowler, of the chasing pack, starts doing some work! A lovely chip up the bank at the front of 8 to a couple of feet, and that’s a birdie that brings him back to -5. Spieth misses his short one for birdie, though it did have a very large left to right curl. He stays at -2 and it’s just not happening for him. Casey sends his second at 11 into the sand to the back right of the green. He can’t get up and down, and he drops back to -3. A dropped shot for Scott on 10; he’s back to -2. A good up-and-down from Hoffman from the front of 9, having failed to negotiate the steep front with his approach. He stays at -3. And on 13, Jon Rahm rakes in a 70-footer for eagle: he’s -1. His playing partner William McGirt, having got wet with his second, chips in from the drop zone for a birdie four! He’s -1 too!
Sergio scoops his ball carefully out of the sand, ten feet past the hole, hoping the tilt of the green will send his ball backwards. It does, but not by very much. That’s so unfortunate on these super-fast greens. He’s left with a snaky six footer down glass. Just a little tap, and though it threatens to lip out on the right, the ball drops and now it’s Sergio’s turn to punch the air in relief. A par that will feel like a birdie. What an up and down! But his lead is only one now, because Rose pops his putt away for birdie! Too early to say this has become a two-man battle ... but it’s at least beginning to look like that. The chasing pack have some work to do, put it that way.
-8: Garcia (7)
-7: Rose (7)
-4: Casey (10), Fowler (7)
Charl Schwartzel is the latest player to birdie 9 after going very close with his second. He reaches the turn in 35 and at -3 is right in the hunt. Birdie for Hoffman at 8, and he rises to -3 again. Bogey for Westwood at 10, and he’s back to -1. And on 7, Rose sends his second into the middle of the green, using the topography to gather his ball back towards the pin. He’ll have a three footer for a second birdie in a row! Sergio opts to fire through a gap in the trees and send his ball into the bunker at the front right, hoping his sand skills will see him good.
Spieth bounces his chip into the face of the bank leading up to the green. It only just falls over the top and onto the playing surface. He’ll have a 15-footer for par. But he makes it! Could that be a turning point? He stays at -2; had he dropped back any further, it would surely have been an uphill battle from there. Fowler makes a tough two-putt par from the back of the green, a fine scramble after finding the trees down the left. Back down the hole, that news should give Sergio succour ... because he’s just betrayed his nerves for the first time, pulling away from his tee shot after some noise in the gallery, then flaying his drive into the same spot Fowler found himself a few minutes ago. Rose splits the fairway.
Rose makes his birdie putt, and moves back to -6! He clenches his fist in celebration, knowing full well something had to happen for him sooner rather than later. He’s back to -6. Sergio meanwhile lags a brilliant putt to four feet, and despite putting through his own shadow, tidies up for par. He stays at -8. Meanwhile a safe, no-drama par for Casey on 10. And on 7, Fowler is in the trees down the left. He whips his ball up onto the back right of the green, a wonderful escape. Spieth, from the centre of the fairway, inexplicably leaves his second short. Very strange.
Lee Westwood replicates Paul Casey’s birdie at 9. Having replicated Russell Henley’s birdie at 7, he’s reached the turn in 35 and is -2. Not out of this yet, but he’ll be needing something to happen to Sergio certainly. Maybe one or two of the other lads ahead of him as well. So here’s Sergio sending a very average tee shot at 6 onto the left-hand portion of the green. Problem is, the flag is on the right, 50 feet away. That’ll be a tricky two putt for par. Rose meanwhile goes over the flag and will have a ten-footer coming back for his birdie.
Spieth and Fowler both send short tee shots into 6, their balls falling back down the bank at the front. Fowler gets up and down, but Spieth sends his second trundling past and can’t knock in the putt from the fringe at the back. Another bogey, and Spieth’s non-performance so far is a great surprise. That was a very good few minutes for Sergio. Long, long, long way to go, though. You suspect he knows that more than anyone. He’s lived it, after all. We’ve just watched it.
-8: Garcia (5)
-5: Rose (5)
-4: Casey (9), Fowler (6)
-3: Scott (7), Moore (7)
Rose finds the front of 5 in regulation, but he’s on the bottom platform of the green and the flag’s on the top one. He trundles his long putt past the hole and onto the fringe at the back. Two more putts, and there goes that long run without a tree-putt; bogey, and he’s -5. Sergio makes the top ridge, though - just - and two safe putts gives him another par. Paul Casey meanwhile reaches the turn in 32, with another birdie at 9 after a magnificent wedge to three feet. He’s -4 and right in this tournament now.
Ryan Moore sends his second at 7 from 140 yards to 18 inches. Brilliant birdie, and he’s back up to -3. But Hoffman’s sticks on the fringe at the back; he tries to putt across it and down towards the hole, but the ball snags in the longer grass and doesn’t even make the green! He ends up with a double-bogey six, and he drops to -2.
Updated
Stewart Hagestad wins the Silver Cup for low amateur! Hagestad, who works for a real estate company in NYC, came back in 35 strokes to secure his prize, with birdies at 10, 13 and 14 offsetting bogeys at 11 and 16. He signs for a 73, and ends the week at a very creditable +6. Curtis Luck, the world number-one amateur, shot a brilliant 72 today, but was hamstrung by his opening round of 78. Congratulations to Stewart!
Another birdie for Paul Casey, this time at 8, and he’s now officially involved in this Masters at -3! Back on 5, Fowler sends a poor second towards Hoffman’s Grandstand. A tricky chip faces him, but he bumps it up to six feet; that’s exceptional from there. But it’s still a testing putt, and it stays up. He drops back to -4. Spieth meanwhile creamed his second into the middle of the green. He’s got an uphill 20-footer for his birdie. He knocks it four feet past, and needs every inch of the cup to make the one coming back. He very nearly missed that. But he stays at -3. Hoffman meanwhile knocks his tee shot at 6 pin high to 12 feet, then fails to hit the birdie putt. He stays at -4.
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Mickelson made eagle at the par-five 2nd, and he very nearly repeats the trick at 13. He’s one turn away from draining a 30-footer. Birdie, and he’s +4, having earlier doubled 3, and dropped further strokes at 4, 7 and 11. No fourth green jacket for Lefty, but we’ve known that for a while now. Rose and Sergio sends their tee shots at 4 into Spieth Country, the meat of the green on the left; like Spieth before them, both nearly knock in their long birdie putt. Pars. That’s 46 consecutive holes here without a three-putt for Rose!
Trouble for Hoffman at 5, who finds the pine straw down the right, then clatters his next one into the greenside grandstand on the same side of the hole. He gets a drop, but sends his chip 12 feet past the hole. He can’t sink the putt he’s left with, and drops back to -4. Meanwhile another birdie for Martin Kaymer, this time at 15. That’s six in seven holes, though he’d bogeyed 14, and is only -1 after all that.
Spieth finds the heart of 4, but he’s left with a long putt across the green. He so nearly drains it, a huge left-to-right breaker from 60 feet. But it stops one dimple short of its destination! What a superb putt, and so unfortunate that it didn’t drop. Fowler however finds the bunker at the front and can’t get up and down; he’s back to -5. Birdie at 6 for Scott, and he’s back to -3. McIlroy birdies 8 to move to -1.
Sergio and Rose boom their drives down 3. They’re very close to the green. Rose’s chip lands flush on the putting surface, and bounces off the back. He’s got a tricky one coming back, but plays it softly, and well. A three-footer for his par. In! Sergio meanwhile bumps his into the bank and lets the ball creep over the top and onto the green. He’s got an eight footer for his birdie. And he turns it in beautifully, right to left! Suddenly he’s got a two-shot lead, a dream opening to his round! And to think, it should have been even better, a short one missed on 2. But this will do him. This will do.
-8: Garcia (3)
-6: Fowler (3), Rose (3)
Spieth hits a crisp par putt, and walks after it with confidence. But it slides off to the right at the last turn, and slips three feet past the hole. He tucks the bogey putt away, but this is an erratic start by the Augusta specialist; he drops back to -3 again. Fowler meanwhile didn’t hit driver, chipped a full wedge up to six feet, and pops in the birdie putt! He joins Rose in a share of second at -6! Meanwhile some admin: bogey at 5 for Scott, his partner Schwartzel had dropped one at 3, and Moore followed up his double at 3 with a bogey at 4.
-7: Garcia (2)
-6: Fowler (3), Rose (2)
-5: Hoffman (4)
-3: Spieth (3)
-2: Couples (9), Casey (6), Scott (5), Schwartzel (5), Moore (4)
Nope! Sergio doesn’t really hit his, and it dribbles off to the right. Rose prods a very nervous effort to the right, and it’s never dropping. A pair of pars, and they remain at -7 and -6 respectively. Meanwhile a good break for Spieth on 3, as he drives towards the bunkers on the left and finds the small patch of grass in the middle of them. But his chip up towards the green bounds through the back. A delicate chip back awaits. He batters it into the upslope, with a view to killing as much speed as possible; the green tilts treacherously forwards. But somehow it stops the minute it lands on the putting surface! There goes that good luck; that was ridiculously unfortunate. He’s got a testing ten footer to save his par.
A fidgety Sergio sends his second at 2 into the bunker guarding the front right of the green. He’s left with a tricky shot from there, with plenty of sand to cross and not much green to work with. So he splashes out into the heart of the green, and uses the slope to gather the ball back towards the hole. What vision! He’s still left with a testing six footer for his birdie, but that’s exceptional from there. Rose meanwhile finds the second cut down the left from the bunker, then bundles his third up brilliantly to four feet. Can either of the European heroes make their birdie?
Spieth knocks in his birdie putt to reclaim the shot he dropped at the opening hole. He moves back to -4. Fowler bumps his chip up to four feet, and tidies up for par. He remains at -5. A bit scrappy from the two American heroes so far, though that brilliant bunker splash will have settled Spieth’s nerves. Up on 3, Hoffman lets a 15-foot downhill birdie putt slither six feet past the hole. But he knocks in the return to save his par. His partner Moore, however, having found the sand to the left of the green with his second, runs up a double bogey and drops back to +3.
Sergio blooters a monster down 2. Rose lets his leak off into the bunker down the right. Down by the green, Spieth blasts out of the bunker front left, sending his ball scampering across the wide green to eight feet. That’s pure genius from there. Fowler, just off the back, trundles his chip past the hole and off the side to the right. An unwelcome burst of adrenaline there. But here’s a welcome burst: Martin Kaymer birdies 13 to make it five in a row! He’s -1.
Updated
Birdie for Moore and Hoffman at 2, and they join Fowler at -5, one shot off the lead. Adam Scott drives the green at 3, but the ball topples off the side and he can’t get up and down, missing a short birdie putt. A sickener, and he stays at -3. Birdie for Couples at 8 and he’s -2. Meanwhile Rose leaves his approach to 1 short of the green. Sergio however flies his over the flag and spins it back pin high to five feet. A brilliant up and down by Rose, a chip to six feet and a staunch putt, and he pars. Garcia guides his birdie putt, which has a cheeky right-to-left slide, into the cup with confidence. And we have a new leader of the Masters!
-7: Garcia (1)
-6: Rose (1)
-5: Moore (2), Hoffman (2), Fowler (1)
Martin Kaymer’s best finish at the Masters to date is a tie for 31st. He’ll vastly improve on that this week, the way he’s going right now. Four birdies in a row, between 9 and 12. Amen Corner on a Sunday? Pah! He’s back up to level par, and how he must be cursing his double bogey followed by five bogeys on the back nine on Thursday! He’d be leading otherwise! Suffice to say, the erstwhile US Open and PGA champion may have belatedly fallen in love with Augusta National!
The final pairing are out! Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Olympic gold medallist, splits the fairway. Sergio Garcia, who has only led a major after 54 holes once, at the 2007 Open, rips it down the track too. Up on the green, Spieth bumps his chip up the bank towards the flag. The ball breaks off to the left and stops three feet past, but that’s a marvellous effort from there. Even better is Fowler’s effort: he loops one up which lands past the flag and dribbles back to two feet. But Spieth flies his short putt wide left of the hole, and has a testing three footer coming back. In that goes, but it’s a bogey to start for the 2015 champion. Fowler taps in for his par. This is happening, folks!
-6: Rose, Garcia
-5: Fowler (1)
-4: Moore (1), Hoffman (1)
-3: Scott (2), Schwartzel (1), Spieth (1)
-2: Casey (4), Pieters (3)
-1: Couples (7)
A tricky start for Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, who both find sand down the left of 1 with their opening drives. Spieth bashes his ball onto the green, but it topples back down the bank and he’s left with a tricky up and down. Fowler is nearer the face and can only take his medicine and chip towards the front of the green. He’s got a test to save his par too. Meanwhile bogey for Lee Westwood on 3; that’s two short putts missed in a row, and he drops to level par. On 2, birdie for Charl Schwartzel, who moves to -3. “I was going to say I thought Heisenberg rather than Heidegger was known for the Uncertainty Principle (6.25pm) but on second thoughts I’m not at all sure about this,” quips Jay Collins.
McIlroy, having tidied up for his par at 3, finds the green with his tee shot at 4. But he’s on the wrong side, miles from the hole. That’s a three-putt bogey, and his race is almost certainly run. He’s back to level par. Meanwhile opening pars for Schwartzel, Scott, Moore and Hoffman. Schwartzel trundled in a 60-foot chip across Tea Olive on his way to the title in 2011; no such fast start today.
Paul Casey creamed his second into 2 to four feet, but somehow missed his straight eagle putt. A birdie, but not one he’ll feel particularly happy with. However he dribbles a downhill 30-footer into the cup at 3 for another birdie, and that’ll leaven his mood. He’s -2. Coming after him, birdie for Thomas Pieters on the same hole, but his partner Lee Westwood left a tiddler high on the left after splashing close from sand. Par for him; they’re -2 and -1 respectively.
Thanks to Lawrence! And so much for Marc Leishman winning the Guardian’s strictly unofficial Spectacular Shot of the Day salver. He holed out for eagle from the fairway at 7 earlier on, but that shot had nothing on Russell Henley’s second at 5. A slam-dunk from 190 yards, no bounce, straight into the cup with an explosion! Bang! Boom! Eagle! The officials were obliged to come out and re-cut the hole. Henley has since sent a spectacular approach into 7, his ball biting on the fringe at the back before turning and rolling serenely 40 feet towards the cup and stopping 18 inches past. Birdie, and he’s level par. Well worth grabbing that final qualification place last weekend by winning the Shell Houston Open!
Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman take to the 1st tee, leaving only Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia still to come. And with that it’s only right to hand back to Scott Murray to take you through the climax of the 2017 Masters. Enjoy the golf!
A routine start for Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters, who both collect pars at the 1st. Up ahead at Flowering Peach – the par-four 3rd – McIlroy nearly drives the green but then bumps a heavy chip well beyond the flag. That was a touch clumsy and he leaves himself with an awkward putt from the fringe, breaking right – which he judges wonderfully to a couple of feet.
Couples is a just fraction short with his putt at the 5th and makes his first par of the day. His -1 remains the best score out on the course right now but he has been joined by Rory McIlroy, who consolidates his opening par with a birdie at the second after using the slope to guide his second shot into the middle of the green. Kuchar also picks up a shot at the 2nd.
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Rickie Fowler, who is set to start at 2.35pm Augusta time (7.35pm BST) alongside Jordan Spieth, is feeling confident: “It’s felt somewhat easy, and that’s because of the gameplan and the preparation coming here. Anyone who says they haven’t thought about winning the Masters is lying. The big thing is just getting the ball in play and going from there. Patience is big out there today.”
Birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie. It’s been quite a start by Fred Couples. The 57-year-old, who has been battling his troublesome back this week, has moved to -1 and his drive at 5 to the right of the fairway gives him the angle to attack the pin – he fires to around 15 feet. Back at the 1st, Paul Casey measures a beautiful iron shot into the middle of the green to give himself a presentable birdie chance, but never really finds right the line and will have to settle for par.
Rory McIlroy looks pumped, and maybe a little too pumped as he booms his opening drive from the 1st tee into the trees down the left-hand side. It’s a monstrous hit of more than 350 yards but wayward, and he looks to have his work cut out. However, McIlroy has a good line out of the foliage to the green and he finds the front edge of the short stuff, before putting to within eight feet and rolling in for a par. Nicely done, Rory. His playing partner, Matt Kuchar, finds the fairway with his opening drive but leaves his 140-yard approach just short of the green, close to the front-left bunker. Kuchar chips on to give himself a chance for a par but it slides by the hole and that’s a bogey for the American to start the round.
Fred Couples and Jason Dufner will be a popular pairing today and a fun duo to follow. They both began the fourth and final round on +1 but while Dufner dropped a shot at the 1st, Couples has made birdie at the two opening holes to be the only man out on the course below par, at one under. Oh – and just as I write, he makes a bogey on the par-four 3rd to slip back to level overall.
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Hello there! Most of the big hitters at the top of the leader board will begin their final round at this year’s Masters over the next hour. Next up on the 1st tee are two of those with an outside shot, both coming in at even par after three days at Augusta: Matt Kuchar and Rory McIlroy. It is all so beautifully poised – here’s a reminder of how the business end looked overnight:
-6: Rose, Garcia
-5: Fowler
-4: Spieth, Moore, Hoffman
-3: Scott
-2: Schwartzel
-1: Westwood, Pieters
E: Casey, Kjeldsen, Kuchar, McIlroy, Rahm, McGirt
Updated
If you need another example of how quickly it can all go wrong, Brendan Steele has just obliged. He’d been the hottest of the early starters, with birdies at 1, 2, 3 and 7. But he misjudged his chip into the steep 9th green, and the ball came back down the fairway. A double bogey, and never has reaching the turn in 34 felt so bad. He drops back to +4.
And with that, I’m off to calm myself down as much as possible before the leaders tee it up. For the next hour, Lawrence Ostlere will be your friendly guide. See you soon!
The 3rd has cost Phil Mickelson dear this week. He started yesterday with a couple of birdies, then took a double on 3 after faffing around at the bottom of the bank guarding the front-left of the green. Well, he’s done exactly the same thing today, hitting an awful flop up, failing to reach the putting surface, and running up another double bogey. So much for those crazy dreamy dreams; he’s back to +2. See, this is the thing about Augusta National: it can be a doddle to pick up shots when the going’s good, but it’s very, very easy to quickly hand them all back. An eagle followed by a double! What’s the betting that won’t be the last time we see that pattern today? And on that subject ... “I’ll see George Wright’s Schrödinger analogy and raise you Sergio’s Heidegger Uncertainty Principle,” begins Andy Gordon, speaking from a position well above my head. “It is impossible to equate Sergio’s position and momentum at any given moment at a major, and that is why we love the vagaries of golf and will still be watching at midnight!”
Eagle for Lefty on 2! Stricker’s eagle was only the sixth at the hole all week, but it hasn’t taken long for number seven to come along. The pin’s in perfect position for a few more: a well hit shot into the front of the green will be gathered round to the hole at the back right. Phil Mickelson has just hit such a shot, pretty much a facsimile copy of Stricker’s. And in goes the six footer. The eagle brings him to level par for the tournament; unless the leaders do something very strange en masse, he’s too far behind to win. But that’s not stopping the galleries celebrating like crazy. A very low round and a score posted by their hero will give the leaders pause, they’ll be thinking. Well, what’s the point in watching sport if you’re not allowed to dream?
Last year was a stellar one for English golf. This year could be too, should Justin Rose, Lee Westwood or Paul Casey match Danny Willett’s feat of 12 months ago. But recognition for the sport is at an all-time low. Here’s our man Ewan Murray on why these talents deserve better.
Brendan Steele keeps on keepin’ on. Birdie at 7 now, his fourth of the day, and he’s risen as high as +2. However that other fast starter, Matthew Fitzpatrick, has dropped a stroke at 6; keeping it up isn’t quite as easy as it looks. He’s back down to +4. But this will give the late starters much heart. Perfect conditions for a run towards destiny. “I’m in a similar bind to Ian Truman,” sobs George Wright. “If, and it’s hard to even consider, It Happens, they might as well call it a day on the whole professional golf business, and that won’t do. On the other hand, if It Doesn’t Happen, then they need to put the game down out of kindness. The only solution is a media blackout. This Masters ended yesterday, and Serge neither won nor didn’t win. Schrödinger’s Masters, if you will. Of course, this falls down when you realise that not opening the box means not watching the golf. Hmm. The dilemma continues.” Does this mean I can go home or not?
Steve Stricker hits an absolute pearler from the top of the hill at the par-five 2nd. Think Louis Oosthuizen’s famous albatross in 2012, exactly the same route in from the front of the green, curling round to the pin at the back-right. Only this time the ball stopped eight feet short. Ah such a shame. But one of the most dependable putters in the game makes no mistake with the eagle putt, and after bogey at the opening hole, he’s +3. Stricker qualified for this Masters with his fourth-placed finish in the Open at Troon last year. The Stenson-Mickelson duel makes it easy to forget that excellent performance from the (then) 49 year old. A regular presence towards the top of major leader boards, and a shame he’s never won a big one. Birdie for his partner Hideki Matsuyama too: he’s +3 as well.
With all this talk of poor Larry Mize struggling, it’s only fair to remember the year he slipped on the green jacket. Just in case you missed it earlier this week, here’s a little historical ramble to while away the time before the leaders come out and blow our minds.
Ernie Els has just bogeyed 10. It drops him down into a tie for 52nd with Larry Mize, who is trying to avoid trailing in last, 30 years after winning his only major here. Both veterans are at +15. The Big Easy is favourite to prevail in this two-man battle: the 47-year-old has 11 years on Mize, after all, and he’s carded two birdies today, at 7 and 8, as opposed to Larry’s one (at the 2nd). These lads are five shots worse off than the amateur Curtis Luck and the man who hit the first shot of this year’s Masters, Daniel Summerhays, who is heading the wrong way with bogeys at 5 and 6. “I sense I’m not the only one who’s struggling to deal with this?” wonders Ian Truman, with reference to You Know Who. “I mean if he wins it, then I’ll likely never watch golf again, knowing I’ll never be happier. If its a heartbreaking loss, then I’ll likely never watch golf again, knowing my heart cannot be mended. I think the only way my golf watching career can stay intact is a meek front nine watching the others cruise past him, in which case I’ll just turn off the TV around 10.”
There is certainly a score out there today! Because here’s Matthew Fitzpatrick making it three birdies in a row, at 3, just like Brendan Steele before him. He’s +3. This sort of carry-on will be generating much anticipation among the late starters and serious contenders. Plus the odd cold shiver too, for fear of missing out. Meanwhile it’s time for Poetry Corner, and the latest work from the William Carlos Williams de nos jours, Rich Fulcher.
Why tempt us so, Sergio?
Was that a triple bogey, oh no!
Why don’t you just go, go, go!?
An ambiguous piece. One genuinely can’t tell where to place this on the spectrum of positivity. An exploration of the duality of meaning.
A super-fast start today by Brendan Steele, with birdies at 1, 2 and 3. He’s +3. A few players further up the leader board would offer him cash money for that. Coming behind him, Matthew Fitzpatrick, who matches at least two-thirds of the feat with two straight birdies of his own. The second came after splashing a long-range bunker shot at 2 to two feet. He’s +4 too. That meltdown on Friday afternoon, triggered when he putted off the green at 9, has cost the young Sheffield star, who finished tied for seventh last year, another high finish.
Meanwhile here’s Sergio supporter Hubert O’Hearn, who, regular readers will be pleased to hear, is still sporting the lucky Boston Celtics hoodie he’s been wearing ever since the 1999 PGA Championship Thursday. “More predictive evidence that Sergio, HE’S GOT THIS! The pairing couldn’t have worked out better. Justin Rose is familiar, steady as a rock, and unlikely to go on either a strength-draining run of horror or to hit impossible Lefty style shots. Plus, do not dismiss the Arnie Factor. In this, the first year after the great man’s death, what could be better than a winner with an individual swing, a loyal fan base and an occasionally balky putter? HE’S GOT THIS!”
Shot of the day might be in the bag already! Marc Leishman, one of the dark-horse tips at the start of the week, but a grave disappointment after shooting 73-74-78, has a little something special to take home after all. He’s just holed out from 149 yards on 7 for eagle. As hole-outs from the fairway go, it’s not exactly Oosthuizen ‘12 or Sarazen ‘35. But hey, it’s not half bad nonetheless. He’s +8.
Ernie Els never did get to wear that green jacket. So close so often during the early 2000s, but it wasn’t meant to be, despite him having the game and all. The veteran South African threatened to compete in a Mickelson-Couples style at one point on Thursday, with four birdies in five holes between 13 and 17, but it’s been downhill ever since. An error-strewn 83 yesterday saw him tumble down the leader board, and now he’s first out with Club Member Who The Committee Would Rather You Forget About As The Attention He Receives Is In Their Opinion All Out Of Whack, and locked in a battle to avoid last place with Larry Mize. The 1987 champ is currently winning that one: he’s +14, a shot ahead of Els who bogeyed 4 and 6. We’ll keep an eye on that for all you completists (and miserablists) out there.
So, er, yeah. So much for our positive tip. “I hope it does get to Amen Corner,” begins Simon Farnaby with reference to Sergio’s bid. “But it won’t even get to Amen Corner I’m afraid. I’m thinking this will be more like this: JUST miss for a par on the first, and that will set the wheels in motion. Then he’ll double bogey, I don’t know, 4, then just fizzle away and we won’t see him again until he holes out on 18.” Well this is going to be a fun evening. All round to Farnaby’s!
Louis Oosthuizen, who sensationally holed his second shot at 2 in 2012 for an albatross, on his way to a play-off with Bubba Watson, can only find the sand front right in two this Sunday. But he gets up and down from the bunker, and that’s a birdie that takes him to +7.
Meanwhile continuing our positive theme, here’s Chris Duffy with an email headed “All Aboard The Sergio Train”, exactly the sort of correspondence I can get on board with. “After three days of self-denial, this morning I came to the shocking discovery that not only can Sergio win today, but actually, the Masters Stat Gods are really in his favour.
- 15 of the last 20 Masters champs have been in the top 10 for greens in regulation; Sergio is currently tied 6th for the tournament.
- 6 of the last 10 champions have been in the top 10 for driving distance; Sergio is currently ranked 7th.
- 11 of the last 20 winners have been in the top 10 for putting; although yesterday was relatively (by his unusually high standards) poor, if he’d kept up his average for the first two days, Sergio would be 10th in the rankings. And he’s got fewer three-putts than Spieth, Scott, Rose and Fowler.
“So colour me red and yellow and put me down for first class, cos he really, really can do this. Probably.”
In terms of tempting fate, this is all sorts of wrong. But facts are facts, and this is where we are. Tickets, please!
Let’s start this very special day on the front foot, in a positive frame of mind. The early starters have already chalked up a few birdies. Larry Mize celebrates the 30th anniversary of his famous play-off win over Greg Norman and Seve (give or take three days) with birdie at 2. Also picking up a stroke at the generous par-five: Marc Leishman, Andy Sullivan and Bernd Wiesberger. Mize has since handed the shot back at 4, while Leishman started with a double and bogeyed 4 as well - they’re +13 and +11 respectively - but let’s not get too hung up on detail just yet. Positivity! Sullivan and Wiesberger rise to +8, as does James Hahn after birdie on Tea Olive.
Today’s weather. It’s gorgeous in Georgia. A sunny spring day, with temperatures nudging 80 degrees in the afternoon. Barely any wind. Similar conditions didn’t guarantee low scoring yesterday, your Justin Roses, Jordan Spieths and Lee Westwoods apart. But the pins are in slightly friendlier positions today, the time-honoured Sunday sites of some of the more famous birdies and eagles (and the odd albatross) in Masters history: towards the front of 18, back left at 16, the right of 12, back right at 2. There’s a low score out there if someone wants it. They all want it.
Here are the pin positions for the final round of #themasters: pic.twitter.com/V23YXaklcQ
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 9, 2017
Welcome, patrons!
There’s no getting away from this: Seve would have been 60 today. Is it written? Stories like this aren’t written, are they? Aren’t they?
Sergio García will be hoping, pleading, praying that it is so. Can he join the desperately missed legend, lord of the Augusta manor in 1980 and 1983, and José María Olazábal, champion here in 1994 and 1999, as a Spanish winner of the Masters? After all those years, all those close shaves in all those majors? He’s the romantic’s choice. Seve? A little help over here?!
What a story of redemption it would be. Then again, what a story of redemption it would be for Jordan Spieth, who crumbled so spectacularly around Amen Corner here last year, when it looked certain he would join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as a back-to-back Masters champion. Quadruple bogey at 15 on Thursday, en route to a 75, suggested Augusta National had broken him. It hasn’t broken him, though, has it. Look how he’s regrouped and recovered! If he wins his second Masters today, he’ll have completed the largest comeback after 18 holes in the old tournament’s history.
But Justin Rose has unfinished business on his mind too. He posted a total of -14 here two years ago. Nobody in any other year has shot so low around Augusta without winning the Masters. He was just unlucky that he caught Jordan Spieth at the height of his powers. Rose also came close in 2007, only to double-bogey 17 when the title looked a very live prospect. Last night, in a most serene and fuss-free fashion, Rose quietly decimated the back nine in 31 strokes, carding five birdies in the last seven holes. Olympic heights. He could be ready to right some wrongs.
As could Rickie Fowler, who boasts top-five finishes in all the majors and has, like Sergio, been striving so hard to claim that elusive first major. He kept threatening to unravel on a difficult day yesterday, but fought hard for a 71 that keeps him just behind the leaders Rose and García. It might be the best place for him: he came from behind to win the 2015 Players, the biggest prize on his CV to date. Nobody would begrudge this popular young man.
Nobody would begrudge Spieth or Rose, either, of course. Or Sergio. Or indeed any of the other names with a chance of making some history today: Charley Hoffman, who led this tournament for so long; Ryan Moore, who came so close at the Tour Championship last year; Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel, who know what it takes to win here; Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, so desperate to find out what it’s like.
It’s a glittering leader board, and so the final day, almost perfectly set up, promises dramatic riches beyond our wildest dreams. Strap yourself in for the greatest sporting afternoon of the year: Sunday at the Masters! Our coverage starts at 4pm UK time, and the real action begins when the leaders reach the turn. Golf fever? Yeah, us too. Will someone please call Dr Golf?! And maybe say a little prayer to Seve?
Here’s the top of the leader board after three rounds ...
-6: Rose, Garcia
-5: Fowler
-4: Spieth, Moore, Hoffman
-3: Scott
-2: Schwartzel
-1: Westwood, Pieters
E: Casey, Kjeldsen, Kuchar, McIlroy, Rahm, McGirt
+1: Chappell, Walker, Dufner, Couples
+2: Snedeker, Koepka, Perez, Henley, Haas, Mickelson
+3: Day
+4: Thomas, Stricker, Matsuyama, Kaymer
... and these are today’s tee times, local then UK in brackets.
10.05am (3.05pm): Ernie Els
10.15am (3.15pm): Marc Leishman, Larry Mize
10.25am (3.25pm): Andy Sullivan, Bernd Wiesberger
10.35am (3.35pm): Curtis Luck (a), James Hahn
10.45am (3.45pm): Adam Hadwin, Louis Oosthuizen
10.55am (3.55pm): Ross Fisher, Daniel Summerhays
11.05am (4.05pm): Kevin Kisner, Byeong Hun An
11.15am (4.15pm): Brendan Steele, J.B. Holmes
11.25am (4.25pm): Matthew Fitzpatrick, Emiliano Grillo
11.45am (4.45pm): Stewart Hagestad (a), Daniel Berger
12.05pm (5.05pm): Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace
12.15pm (5.15pm): Steve Stricker, Hideki Matsuyama
12.25pm (5.25pm): Jason Day, Justin Thomas
12.35pm (5.35pm): Bill Haas, Phil Mickelson
12.45pm (5.45pm): Pat Perez, Russell Henley
12.55pm (5.55pm): Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka
1.05pm (6.05pm): Jason Dufner, Fred Couples
1.25pm (6.25pm): Kevin Chappell, Jimmy Walker
1.35pm (6.35pm): Jon Rahm, William McGirt
1.45pm (6.45pm): Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy
1.55pm (6.55pm): Paul Casey, Soren Kjeldsen
2.05pm (7.05pm): Lee Westwood, Thomas Pieters
2.15pm (7.15pm): Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel
2.25pm (7.25pm): Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman
2.35pm (7.35pm): Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth
2.45pm (7.45pm): Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia
Updated
