The green jacket is draped over Jon Rahm’s shoulders. Scottie Scheffler with the ceremonial task. It looks good. And that, dear patrons, is that. Ewan Murray’s report has landed, and here it is. Thanks for reading this hole-by-hole report. Hope to see you again for the PGA Championship next month at Oak Hill. Nighty night!
-12: Rahm
-8: Mickelson, Koepka
-7: Spieth, Reed, Henley
-6: Young, Hovland
-5: Theegala
-4: Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Schauffele, Morikawa
-3: Woodland, Cantlay
-2: T Kim, Im, Niemann, Rose, Lowry, Bennett (a), Matsuyama
-1: Bradley, Kirk, KH Lee
E: Finau, Stallings, Fox
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What did Jose Maria Olazabal say to him? “He said he hopes it is the first of many more … he mentioned something about Seve … if we had ten more seconds I think we both would have ended up crying … I guess Spaniards like winning on Easter Sunday and Seve’s birthday!”
As for the round … “I thought 8 was a key birdie … I didn’t expect that bogey on 9 … I had to go through Amen Corner even par … Phil and Jordan were making birdies and finishing strong … not putting myself in a difficult spot on 10, 11 and 12 was the key … then 13 was when I could turn and get on the attack … it’s not really one moment … but if I had to pick one, it was hitting that draw perfectly on 13 was the start of it.”
Jon Rahm’s turn to speak. “I wasn’t sure how it would come to me until my third shot onto the green on 18 … history of the game is a big part of why I play … Seve [who would have been 66 today] being one of them … if it wasn’t for that Ryder Cup [at Valderrama, when Seve was European captain] in 97, me and my dad talk about it all the time, we don’t know where I would be … for me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it’s incredibly meaningful … to finish it off with an unusual par, very much a Seve par (!) … in a non-purposeful way it was testament to him … I know he was pulling for me today … it was a great Sunday!”
The Butler Cabin. First up, the low amateur Sam Bennett. “It was an incredible week … just getting an opportunity to play Augusta was a dream come true … getting to see it on Sunday coming down the back nine … walking up 18 was by far the coolest experience of my life … the Masterts and Augusta was everything I’ve ever dreamed of … I definitely need some time to decompress!”
Bennett also reveals he’s going to play a 36-hole amateur tournament tomorrow, and will be carrying his own bag. What a guy! Congratulations to Sam, who provided us with one of the great Masters stories.
An extremely disappointed Brooks Koepka puts on a brave smile and speaks to Sky. “I guess I didn’t play that great … I hit some good shots but ended up in terrible spots … I’m still baffled at 9 how it stays there … it was tough to catch him when he was playing that good … I’ve known I’ve been healthy, it was just showing everybody else … I feel good, I’ve been playing good, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing and I’ll be just fine … second’s not very fun, so that’s motivation in itself!”
That opening four-putt on Thursday, though! You really did fear for Rahm, who notoriously runs hot every now and then, after that. But he repaired the damage by the 3rd hole, and went on to shoot 65, a performance of grit and maturity. He becomes only the second player to win the Masters after starting out with a double bogey, after Sam Snead did it in 1952. This is not bad company to be keeping.
This is a really popular victory. The Augusta gallery whoop and holler plenty. As Rahm makes his way to the scorer’s hut, Jordan Spieth pops up to offer his warm congratulations for a stellar final round. Rahm simply had too much in reserve for his nearest competitor Koepka. It proved a round too far for the LIV man, and yes, the joke inherent in that observation is obvious. But it’d be crass to make it, given how well Koepka played all week … and in any case, LIV players have made up 50 percent of the top six. Let’s spread the love around, all the world’s top players coming together for a great spectacle, with a special nod to Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth, who both made outstanding, if ultimately futile, late tilts at the title. As we seem to say so often after this great tournament: what a Masters Sunday that was!
-12: Rahm
-8: Mickelson, Koepka
-7: Spieth, Reed, Henley
-6: Young, Hovland
-5: Theegala
-4: Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Schauffele, Morikawa
-3: Woodland, Cantlay
Having made his par putt … not bad going after that drive, too, eh? … he raises both arms in the air in triumph! Warm congratulations from Brooks Koepka, who played so well for most of the week before coming up short today. Then on come the family! Parents, partner and progeny. A beautiful moment. Jose Maria Olazabal – now one of four Spaniards to win a green jacket – is greenside to celebrate too! Congratulations to Jon Rahm … and happy 66th birthday to the much-missed Seve. Not a bad way to mark it!
Jon Rahm wins the 2023 Masters!
Not bad going after four-putting the 1st green on Thursday, huh?!
Brooks Koepka is on the green in two. He can’t quite drain his birdie putt, and smiles ruefully as he taps home for par. A final round of 75, and he finishes tied for second, just as he did in 2019.
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The gallery rises to applaud the arrival of the champion elect. Rahm isn’t allowing himself to get lost in the moment yet. He double and triple checks his yardages. Out comes the wedge, and he bumps his ball up to four feet! It’s in the bag! Finally, a huge smile plays across his face, and he grasps his caddie’s hand in delight. Off comes the cap as he strides towards the green. Jon Rahm is about to win the Masters!
Rahm didn’t realise his first tee shot had twanged back out of the trees and into the second cut just before the fairway. So he just sends a careful iron further up the hole, from where he’ll wedge in without, you would have thought, any further fuss. But that was slightly farcical. Not quite up there with Scottie Scheffler’s four-putt on the 72nd, but daft enough. Imagine the nerves, though, to be fair. A green jacket within reach. A green jacket!
… so Rahm then hits his worst tee shot of the week. A hysterical pull into the trees down the right! He’s not sure where it’s gone, so prepares to hit a provisional! Koepka splits the fairway, then Rahm hits his second down the middle, where he should have hit his first! Up on the green, par for Viktor Hovland and a final round of 74. He wears a wry grin, but receives a warm ovation. Par too for Patrick Cantlay, who cards 75 today. They end the week at -6 and -3 respectively.
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Koepka bounces his chip up the swale. It sails 15 feet past. Rahm hits a very tentative birdie putt, leaving it six short. Koepka’s par effort slides by. Rahm carefully steers in his par putt, and barring a meltdown of epic proportions, he’s about to win the Masters!
-12: Rahm (17)
-8: Mickelson (F), Koepka (17)
-7: Spieth (F), Reed (F), Henley (F)
-6: Young (F), Hovland (17)
-5: Theegala (F)
Koepka tries to whip a Hail Mary around the trees and towards the green. He gives it everything he can, but can’t draw it enough. The ball clatters into the gallery to the right of the green. Rahm finds the middle of the putting surface. Up on 18, the 2021 champ Hideki Matsuyama misses a short putt. A bogey at the last and a 75; he’s -2. His playing partner Russell Henley pars and signs for a 70. He’ll finish in the top five at -7.
If Brooks Koepka’s birdie on 16 has rattled Jon Rahm at all, the leader isn’t showing it. He splits the 17th fairway, while in fact its Koepka whose nerves betray him, as he sends another wild drive into the gallery down the left. He’s pulled just about everything today. Meanwhile up the hole, Viktor Hovland drains a monster across the green for a birdie that takes him back to -6. It’s not quite happened for the 25-year-old Norwegian this afternoon, but he’s going to follow up a top-five finish at last year’s Open with another strong showing at a major. His trajectory is locked in.
Sam Bennett wins the silver medal!
A huge ovation for the amateur Sam Bennett as he makes his way up 18. He’s earned every single second of the love that’s pouring down from the gallery! Two rounds of 68 followed by a very solid weekend’s work: 76-74. He ends the week at -2, the only amateur still standing. The brightest of bright futures awaits: could he one day join Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, and Hideki Matsuyama in winning low amateur then going on to win the Masters as a pro? Stay tuned!
… so having said that, Koepka rolls his birdie putt straight into the middle of the cup. That was so confidently struck, Koepka has clearly gone into Carefree Mode. Two putts for par for Rahm, and the lead is down to three with just two to play.
-12: Rahm (16)
-9: Koepka (16)
-8: Mickelson (F)
Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka have had to wait for the match ahead quite a few times today. I wonder if Cantlay’s, eh, methodical style has been a factor in Koepka’s poor performance? He’s notoriously intolerant of slow play (and good on him for that). Perhaps it’s knocked him off his stride. Any road, he whistles his tee shot at 16 straight at the flag. It ends 20 feet past. Rahm also sends a fine iron in, his ball stopping a few yards inside Koepka’s. This, barring a collapse for the ages, is surely over now.
Patrick Reed ends with birdie at 18. A fine 68 today that briefly threatened more. He ends the week at -7. Back on 16, a three-putt bogey for Patrick Cantaly, who has failed to bring his A-game this afternoon. It’s not scintillating to watch him struggle with his B-game at the glacial pace he travels at. He drops to -3, while his playing partner Viktor Hovland pars to remain at -5.
Koepka’s eagle putt stops three feet short. His head drops as he trudges towards his ball. Rahm hits a poor birdie putt, though, letting his ball slide away to the left, never likely to drop. Just the par, and Koepka makes his birdie to close the gap. But it’s still a four-shot gap with three holes to play. Meanwhile bogey for Reed on 17, the result of his being unable to get up and down from sand guarding the front of the green, puts an end to his outside dream of a second green jacket.
-12: Rahm (15)
-8: Mickelson (F), Koepka (15)
-7: Spieth (F), Henley (16)
Rahm bounces his wedge into the middle of the 15th green. He’ll have a look at birdie from ten feet. He smiles broadly, perhaps the last serious opportunity for trouble behind him. What Koepka would give to drain this eagle effort.
Koepka’s clearly of a mind to take a shy at the green with his second. He waits for Viktor Hovland to make par – a fine effort after his second found the drink – then sends his ball into the heart of the green. Meanwhile up on 16, Henley gives his long right-to-left birdie putt a good go, but it loses energy just before it reaches the hole and turns away. Par, and he remains at -7.
Jon Rahm hits a short, careful drive down the 15th. He’ll probably lay up from there. As he wanders down to his ball, he munches on a sarnie. “How many sandwiches does Jon Rahm eat?” wonders Simon Farnaby. “He’s like a Pez dispenser in reverse. But with sandwiches.” Rahm finishes his reverse sandwich dispensing, and lays up.
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A birdie for Justin Rose at 18. The 2017 runner-up finishes at -2 after his second 73 of the weekend. Shane Lowry pars and also finishes at -2. The European Ryder Cup pals walk off smiling, arm in arm. Back on 15, Russell Henley lays up but can’t get up and down and is forced to settle for par. Opportunities running out for Henley, who remains at -7. His tee shot at 16, safe on the green but not particularly close, doesn’t really help him.
Koepka pulls his short putt wide left, and that’s an awful time to make bogey. All of the grief can be traced back to that wild drive; he was always out of position after that. Rahm then tickles in his birdie effort … only just, mind, the left lip grabbing a ball that for a millisecond threatened to stay out. A huge swing there, and Rahm is in the box seat now. With four holes left, he’s got a four-shot lead over the clubhouse leader, and five shots on the man he’s going around with!
-12: Rahm (14)
-8: Mickelson (F)
-7: Spieth (F), Reed (16), Henley (14), Koepka (14)
-6: Young (F)
-5: Theegala (F), Morikawa (16), Hovland (14)
Koepka kind of has to go for the birdie putt, and he gives it a proper whack. His ball rolls five feet past and he retains the honour. He’ll also give Rahm a read. Whatever, he has to make this par putt, or he’ll be running out of road.
Reed manages to get up and down from the bunker at 16. A little fist-pump of the air; he’s still in this at -7. Hovland’s par putt at 14 lips out, and his race may be run; he’s -5. Once he vacates the green, Koepka, who had sliced his drive into the trees down the right, punches a low scuttler into the heart of the green … but the camber takes his ball a good 40 feet away to the right. The door’s ajar for Rahm, and the big Spaniard barrels through it, easing his approach to the left of the pin, the bowl of the green gathering his ball to the right, stopping it four feet from the flag. A couple of potentially decisive putts coming up!
Koepka rolls in his birdie chance! That could be a huge momentum shifter … though we said that after his up-and-down for par at 10, and look what happened after that. Rahm rolls in his birdie putt, too, and three strokes still separate the final pair. Meanwhile Reed dumps his tee shot at 16 into the bunker front left.
-11: Rahm (13)
-8: Mickelson (F), Koepka (13)
-7: Spieth (F), Reed (15), Henley (14)
-6: Young (F), Hovland (13)
Koepka has just enough room to plant his feet, but he’s chipping down from a severe slope. His chip comes out hot and thin, racing past the hole and for a second threatening to head for the creek. But it stops on the green, albeit a good 20 feet past the hole. Rahm then nearly delivers a body-blow, coming very close to rolling in his chip from the fringe. His ball rolls four feet past, and he’ll have a much better look at birdie than Brooks.
Brooks Koepka’s mojo has completely deserted him. He sends yet another pull wide left of the 13th green, and his ball sticks awkwardly in the second cut, right next to a deep bunker that will seriously compromise his stance. Rahm’s approach isn’t all that either, but his gentle tug finishes in a much friendlier position, in the fringe back-left of the green. Meanwhile up on 15, Patrick Reed’s second only just squeaks over the water, and though his eagle putt never looks like dropping, he makes the five-footer he leaves himself to get back to -7 in short order. The 2018 champion seriously in the mix here!
A huge ovation for Scottie Scheffler as the outgoing champion walks up 18. Par, a 70, and he finishes the week at -4. A fine defence. Meanwhile back on 13, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka are forced to wait as Viktor Hovland gets up and down from the back of the green for a birdie that keeps his hopes alive. Just. He’s -6.
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Rahm and Koepka take turns to belt their drives down 13. Both are in position to go for the green in two. Will they hunt down the eagle that could make all the difference? Or will they play it safe and lay up? Big decisions ahoy!
Koepka putts from the fringe this time. His effort never looks like dropping to save his par, and dies apologetically to the right. Bogey, and Rahm is in control of this Masters right now. But history teaches us that there’s a long, long, long way to go yet. Meanwhile up on 18, a disastrous end to Cameron Young’s round. His bid for the birdie that would tie Mickelson’s clubhouse lead falls apart as, from the centre of the fairway, he pulls his approach down the swale to the left of the green, then fails to bump his chip up onto the putting surface. Young takes a putter to what’s left anyway, rolling up from the fringe to a couple of inches. Bogey to finish, and he ends the week at -6 after an otherwise fine final round of 68.
-10: Rahm (12)
-8: Mickelson (F)
-7: Spieth (F), Henley (13), Koepka (12)
-6: Young (F), Reed (14)
-5: Theegala (F), Matsuyama (13), Hovland (13), Cantlay (12)
Patrick Reed sends his second at 14 over the back of the green. He bundles his chip eight feet past the hole, and can’t make the one coming back. He slips back to -6. Mistakes are becoming much more costly now … and from the fringe at the back of 12, Brooks Koepka flubs a chip, his ball briefly threatening to squirt out of the longer grass and onto the green, but stubbornly staying in it and off it. Rahm lags his long putt up for a par, and the pressure is once again cranked up on Koepka.
Jon Rahm hits his tee shot at 12 into the heart of the green. Pin high, but a good 40 feet to the left of the flag. Brooks Koepka pulls to the back-left of the green. Neither ideal, but the watery grave of Rae’s Creek has been given the big bodyswerve.
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Sky Sports talk to Phil the Thrill. “This is as much fun as I could possibly have playing golf … this has been a lot of fun … regardless of the outcome it’s been a really fun day for me … I’m grateful we get to play here and compete and be part of this great championship … to play like I did today was extra special … we’re all really appreciative to be part of this … it’s great for the championship to have all of the best players here and competing.”
Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm both find the 11th in regulation. Rahm very nearly guides in a right-to-left curler from 30 feet for birdie. His ball stops one turn short before it’s tapped in for par. Koepka, from similar distance, misreads and leaves his birdie effort wide left. He doesn’t miss the tiddler he leaves himself, though, and the pair stride towards the 12th tee, and their destiny. Phil Mickelson, though, eh? “The Nutbag cometh,” writes Simon Farnaby, channelling his inner Eugene O’Neill / Freddie Couples.
Here’s another! Patrick Reed lays up at the par-five 13th, wedges to seven feet, and rolls in the birdie putt. Russell Henley meanwhile makes a two-putt par from distance at 12. And on 17, a birdie for Cameron Young. Three down the last and he’ll have a share of Lefty’s clubhouse lead. Plenty of folk in with a shout here.
-10: Rahm (10)
-8: Mickelson (F), Koepka (10)
-7: Spieth (F), Young (17), Reed (13), Henley (12)
-5: Theegala (F), Scheffler (15), Matsuyama (12), Hovland (11), Cantlay (11)
Astonishing scenes of a different stripe over at 10, where Koepka gets up and down from the awful position he found himself on the bank to the side of the green. After chipping down to ten feet, then ramming home the putt, he quietly pumps a fist with determination. Could that be the big momentum shift he needs? The wake-up call? Rahm can’t make his birdie putt then both pump big drives down 11. Many stories yet to be told this afternoon.
If there was a roof over Augusta National, it would currently be sailing over Florida. The patrons loved that moment all right … and have started to dream their dreamy dreams. The old fellow is engulfed by well-wishers as he leaves the arena. There’s a slight bittersweet tang as another fan favourite, Jordan Spieth, ends with bogey, the result of hooking his drive into trees down the left. Spieth signs for a 66 and slips back to -7. What scenes on 18, though. The odds are that Mickelson’s total won’t be enough … but it’s Sunday at the Masters, where we’ve long learned to rule nothing out.
Lefty cards 65!
Phil Mickelson cracks his drive at 18 down the middle. Then creams his second pin high to 12 feet. Then steers in the left-to-right slider for a closing birdie! He walks it in with putter raised and feet splayed, an ersatz reworking of Jack Nicklaus’s famous celebration on 17 in 1986! The 52-year-old veteran has come home in 31 strokes, and his round of 65 equals the best of the week! The three-time Masters champion posts a clubhouse total of -8, and it’s time to start dreaming, folks! He couldn’t, could he? Of course not, don’t be daft. But he could! He really, really could!
-10: Rahm (9)
-8: Mickelson (F), Koepka (9)
-7: Spieth (F), Henley (11)
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Brooks Koepka has completely mislaid his game. He attempts to whip a 5-iron around the trees and towards the 10th green; he overcooks it and the ball sticks up on the bank to the right of the green. That’s going to be a hell of a chip back down. Jon Rahm cranks up the pressure by arrowing his approach straight at the flag. He leaves himself an uphill look at birdie from 15 feet.
Anyway, it’s that time to say … welcome to the start of the 2023 Masters Tournament! Yep, the final pair have hit the turn. It all happens now! Rahm sends his tee shot at 10 down the left-hand side of the fairway; Koepka’s drive heads right, and nearly finds the tree he found himself snookered behind earlier today. Not quite, and his ball holds in the first cut, but that’s still not the ideal position. Up on the green, Patrick Cantlay ships another shot, his erratic round continuing apace. He’s -5.
Quite a few big names brought back into the mix there. Neither Rahm nor Koepka seem on top of their games today, so if somebody posts a score … well, let’s just leave that thought there. The latest star to insert himself into the story is the 2018 champ Patrick Reed, who started slowly with a double-bogey at 2, but has since birdied 3, 6, 7, 8 and now 12, the latest the result of his draining a 45-footer.
Rahm and Koepka take turns to lash their drives down 9. Neither of their subsequent approaches are particularly top-drawer. Rahm’s topples back off the false front; Koepka’s stays stuck on the fringe to the left of the green. Rahm bundles his third eight feet past the flag; Koepka hits a hot putt across the green and ten feet past. Koepka retains the honour, and leaves his par putt high on the right. He’s played the front nine in 39 strokes and drops to -8 … but Rahm leaves his putt out on the high side too, and the leading pair walk off with bogey. The chasing pack once again given hope!
-10: Rahm (9)
-8: Spieth (17), Koepka (9)
-7: Mickelson (17), Henley (10)
-6: Young (15), Reed (12), Cantlay (9)
-5: Theegala (F), Woodland (13), Lowry (12), Matsuyama (10), Hovland (9)
-4: Scheffler (14), Fitzpatrick (14)
Sahith Theegala pars the last and signs for a 67. At -5 for his week’s work, he’s got a decent chance of finishing in the top ten on his Masters debut. Meanwhile on 10, trouble for Russell Henley, who sends his second at 10 into the sand to the right of the green, and then his wedge out ten feet past … but he rattles the par putt into the middle of the cup to save his par to remain at -7.
Phil Mickelson nearly holes out from 170 yards on 17! An arrow, straight at the flag. He’ll tap in to move to -7. This is astonishing. Lefty! Who’d have thought? He couldn’t, could he? No, of course not. But he could! Spieth then knocks his approach from a similar distance to a comparatively average (!) five feet. He knocks his birdie putt in too, and this is getting wonderfully ridiculous! Heading in the other direction, Viktor Hovland, who can’t get up and down from a plugged lie in a bunker to the left of 9, and he’s turning in 39 strokes, -5 overall.
-11: Rahm (8)
-9: Koepka (8)
-8: Spieth (17)
-7: Mickelson (17), Henley (10)
Koepka responds magnificently, rolling his putt up from 80 feet to kick-in distance. Par, and though he’s now a couple back, that could have been a whole lot worse. Meanwhile over on 16, Spieth dunks his tee shot into the sand guarding the front of the green, but gets up and down to save his par. Mickelson comes so close to birdie, but his 15-foot putt dies to the right on its final turn. And up on 9, Henley screeches his approach to a couple of feet, and the resulting birdie moves him into a share of third.
-11: Rahm (8)
-9: Koepka (8)
-7: Spieth (16), Henley (9)
-6: Mickelson (16), Young (14), Woodland (12), Hovland (8), Cantlay (8)
Scottie Scheffler can’t make his 12-foot bogey putt on 12. He becomes the latest Sunday victim of the famous Golden Bell. He drops back to -4, dreams of retaining his title extinguished as quickly as they’d been rekindled. Meanwhile Rahm creams a fairway wood up the 8th as far as he can, while Koepka fizzes his third into the green … though he’s a way away from the hole. Two difficult putts from distance to save his par … and the pressure’s really ramped up when Rahm wedges elegantly from 50 yards to 12 inches. He taps in for birdie.
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Brooks Koepka is not on his game at all right now. All that confidence on display earlier this week has drained away for now. He hooks a wild drive into the woods down the left of 8 and is forced to chip out sideways. Jon Rahm splits the fairway. Meanwhile up on the green, Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland take turns to pass up birdie chances from 12 feet. They both remain at -6.
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Scottie Scheffler whistles his tee shot at 12 into the rhododendrons behind the green. He’s forced to take an unplayable lie, and even after doing that, is in all sorts of trouble, stuck halfway up the bank among the flowers. Trouble there. He does well to bundle his ball back down onto the green, 12 feet past the flag. He’ll have a chance to limit the damage to bogey. Meanwhile up on 15, Jordan Spieth crashes his second into the heart of the green, and two putts later, makes a birdie that takes him right into the story here! Birdie for Lefty too … and eagle for Cam Young on 13, a putt drained from downtown … and this Masters is bubbling up real nice!
-10: Rahm (7)
-9: Koepka (7)
-7: Spieth (15)
-6: Theegala (16), Mickelson (15), Young (13), Woodland (11), Henley (8), Hovland (7), Cantlay (7)
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What a moment for Sahith Theegala on 16! He’s in a very similar spot to the one Tiger Woods famously found himself in 2005 … and holes out in almost identical fashion! A delicate bump up onto the green, a huge right-to-left curl down the slope, and in! There’s no dramatic beat as the ball pauses on the lip before toppling, but other than that, it’s really, pretty, amazingly, stunningly similar. “OH, WOW! In your life have you seen anything like that?!” Well, yes. Yes we have. Theegala is -6.
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Koepka gives his putt across the green a good clack. It’s always missing high on the left. The door’s ajar for Rahm to take a two-stroke lead … but he decelerates on his putt, which dies apologetically to the left. Just the par, and Koepka tidies up for his as well. Meanwhile the defending champ really isn’t dead yet: he drains a biggie across 11 and suddenly he’s just four off the lead! Neither Rahm nor Koepka look completely convincing right now, and they’re giving the chasing pack succour.
Koepka and Rahm are both hitting into 7 from the centre of the fairway. The former pulls his approach. He still finds the green, but he’s 30 feet to the left of the flag. The latter leaves himself an uphill eight-footer. The big moments just keep on coming. Two huge putts coming up.
Rahm pearls his drive down 7. Koepka, the pressure on, follows him down. Up on 15, Sahith Theegala makes his sixth birdie of the day to move to -5 … and at 14, Jordan Spieth creams his second from 173 to three feet, tidying up to rise to -6. Meanwhile back-to-back birdies at 6 and 7 for Patrick Cantlay, who hasn’t thrown in the towel yet! It is, to quote Billy Liar’s favourite comic Danny Boon, all ‘appenin’.
-10: Rahm (6)
-9: Koepka (6)
-6: Spieth (14), Woodland (10). Henley (7), Hovland (7), Cantlay (7)
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In fact Rahm’s tee shot did spin off the front of the green. From the fringe, he takes a wedge and screeches it to a halt five feet from the pin. Koepka then knocks a skinny chip up the bank and 20 feet past the hole. He’s lucky it’s been so wet this week, because under normal conditions that would have probably rolled all the way down to the front of the green. As it is, his putt back misses wide on the right, and that’s another shot gone. Rahm walks his par saver into the cup and the 2023 Masters has a new sole leader.
-10: Rahm (6)
-9: Koepka (6)
-6: Woodland (9), Henley (7), Hovland (6)
… although the leading pair are in pretty generous mood. Rahm’s tee shot at the par-three 6th nearly backspins off the front of the green, while Koepka sends his over the green and down into Hovland Country. Meanwhile the eagle-eyed of you will have already worked out that Spieth couldn’t get up and down from the bunker on 13, but Mickelson took two putts for a birdie that catapults him into the narrative. Masters Sunday is fun. Masters Sunday is hectic.
A rush of adrenaline for Viktor Hovland as he sends his tee shot over the flag at 6 and down the back of the swale. He chips up to six feet, then gives his par saver a hell of a rattle. From a rush of adrenaline to a rush of blood. Then he horseshoes the one coming back, and out of nowhere, that’s a double-bogey six. Meanwhile on 9, Gary Woodland sends his drive into the pines on the right, leaves his second short, misjudges his chip up, and ends up making bogey. All of a sudden, there’s some serious separation between the leading pair and the chasing pack.
-10: Rahm (5), Koepka (5)
-6: Woodland (9), Henley (6), Hovland (6)
-5: Mickelson (13), Spieth (13), Young (10), Scheffler (9), Reed (8), Cantlay (6)
OK, corrections and clarifications time: I was a bit out with the distance on Rahm’s putt. Just the 60 feet. Just! Anyway, he lags it up to kick-in distance, and nobody’s ever going to be unhappy with par on 5. Koepka’s effort, from 25 feet or so, dies to the right. Par as well. The pair walk off still tied at -10.
Rahm and Koepka both find 5 in regulation, but neither go close. Rahm in particular has plenty of work to do; he’s left himself a putt that’s the best part of 100 feet. A little encouragement for the chasing pack … and with this in mind, both Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth go for it on the par-five 13th. Fairway woods out! Spieth lashes his into the bunker back left, but Lefty finds the heart of the green. Earplugs in if either of them hole their next one.
Another big-time putt from Viktor Hovland! He only just makes the front of the deep 5th green, and leaves his first putt a good 12 feet short. But he rolls in the par saver and remains at -8. Another dropped shot for his playing partner Patrick Cantlay, though, who was always out of position after driving into the bunkers down the left. He topples further back to -4.
Birdie for Scottie Scheffler on 9. That follows birdies at 2 and 3, and the champion hasn’t given up on his defence quite yet! He’s -5.
Koepka whips out majestically from the bunker, over the flag to six feet. Rahm can’t quite guide in his big left-to-right swinger for birdie, but taps in for par. Back over to Koepka, who tickles his downhill putt wide left. Just a share of the lead for Koepka now, and he’s bringing the chasing pack just that little bit closer. Speaking of which, it’s a birdie for Phil Mickelson on 12, and Lefty’s up to -4 … and it’s back-to-back birdies for Gary Woodland, the latest at 8. Russell Henley slips back though after sending his second at 5 down the swale to the back right of the green, from where it was too huge an ask to get up and down. Masters Sunday, right here, right now!
-10: Rahm (4), Koepka (4)
-8: Hovland (4)
-7: Woodland (8)
-6: Henley (5)
-5: Spieth (12), Young (9), Cantlay (4)
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A three-putt bogey by Patrick Cantlay on 4. That’s his second careless mistake so far, to go with taking three from the front of 1. He slips back to -5 and has probably used up his quota of mistakes allotted by the golfing gods already. Par for Viktor Hovland. Then once they vacate the area, Jon Rahm swishes his iron pin high, right in the heart of the green … but Brooks Koepka dunks his tee shot into the bunker guarding the front. There’s not much green to play with from there, the pin being tucked in front of the trap. Another big matchplay-style exchange of shots coming up.
A big moment on the 3rd green. Neither Koepka nor Rahm get particularly close with their chips up the bank. Decent enough, but they’re only half-chances. Koepka leaves his 15-footer a couple of feet short. Strangely timid. But Rahm steers in his slightly shorter left-to-right curler, and the gap at the top is only one!
-11: Koepka (3)
-10: Rahm (3)
-8: Hovland (3)
-7: Henley (4)
Jordan Spieth hits one of the shots of the week on 11. He’s miles wide right of the green and facing a chip towards a flag not so far away from the lake on the other side. No matter! He hits a stunning – but aggressive – chip that bounds towards the hole and screeches to a halt inches to the right of the cup. He’ll save his par in spectacular style. He remains at -5.
Gary Woodland is in the mood to make one of those aforementioned runs. From 150 yards to seven feet at 7, and in goes the putt for birdie. He joins Patrick Cantlay at -6. Meanwhile back on 3, Viktor Hovland curls a 20-foot left-to-right birdie effort across the front of the hole. Another inch’s worth of pace and that was in. He remains at -8.
-11: Koepka (2)
-9: Rahm (2)
-8: Hovland (3)
-7: Henley (4)
-6: Woodland (7), Cantlay (3)
-5: Spieth (10), Young (8), Matsuyama (4)
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Rahm has a decent lie on the pine straw to the right of 2, but pulls his second into the bunker front left, a fair old way from the flag, which is tucked away on the right. He can’t get up and down from such a long distance, and has to settle for par. He’s fortunate to see Koepka, who had found the bunker on the right and splashed out to five feet, lip out on the left. Par as well. Neither of the leaders have made a particularly impressive start … and if somebody from the pack makes a run at them, there’s just a danger that they become too concerned with tearing lumps out of each other to notice. The odds are against, but just sayin’.
Jordan Spieth is taking a Hail Mary shy at this! Three birdies in a row, at 8, 9 and 10, and all of a sudden he’s -5 for the tournament. In textbook Spiethian style, he’s only parred two of his 10 holes so far: six birdies and two bogeys. The spirit of Seve, who would have been 66 today, right there. Meanwhile Russell Henley rakes in a long birdie effort across 3 and moves onto the shoulder of the leading pack at -7.
There’s only one problem with the putts left by Cantlay and Hovland: a huge 90-degree left-to-right turn halfway to the hole. Hovland gets his to six feet, but he pushes his birdie putt right and has to make do with par. He’s -8. Cantlay’s effort is much better, and he’s able to tap his second one in for a birdie that cancels out that opening bogey. He returns to -6. Meanwhile birdie for Xander Schauffele at the par-three 4th, reward for knocking his tee shot to four feet; he’s -4.
Cantlay and Hovland take turns to whistle fine seconds into the par-five 2nd. Had the course not taken on so much water over the last couple of days, both shots would have rolled out in Louis Oosthuizen albatross style. But it has, and they don’t. Still, they’ll have good looks at eagle, and more realistically will take two careful putts for birdie. Back on the tee, Koepka crashes a monster down the middle, but Rahm sends his drive bobbling towards trees on the right.
The early pace of play is a wee bit slow. Hovland and Cantlay have only just crashed their drives down 2. Up on the green, Henley screws his wedge to a couple of feet and holes out for a birdie that brings him up to -6. That leaves Koepka and Rahm sitting together on a wooden bench by the 2nd tee. They’re having a laugh and a chat. So much for the big PGA-LIV rivalry. You could Photoshop in some tinnies and a couple of propped-up fishing rods, and that’s two pals out enjoying the spring sunshine on Easter Sunday.
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Sahith Theegala keeps on keepin’ on! He curls in a 40-foot right-to-left swinger on 10 for a birdie that negates his first dropped shot of the day, a bogey at 9. He’s -4 for both round and tournament. Meanwhile birdie for Collin Morikawa, who joins the group at -5 in a tie for fourth behind the leading trio.
Rahm bumps his chip up from the right of 1. It’s an aggressive effort that nearly pays a birdie dividend, but instead of dropping, the ball skates the left-hand lip before rolling eight feet past. Over to Koepka, who lags up from 60 feet to a couple. He’ll make par. So it’s back to Rahm, whose eyes will have lit up when watching Koepka’s tee shot sail off over the trees, but now needs to make a right-to-left curler to stay in touch. In it goes. A big putt. He made a fair few of those this morning; well, there’s another.
-11: Koepka (1)
-9: Rahm (1)
-8: Hovland (1)
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Koepka is so far wide left, and so far back on the 9th fairway, that he can send a 5-iron over the trees between the holes. He takes advantage of his good fortune to find the left-hand portion of the green. Rahm meanwhile shoves his approach into the swale to the right of the green. And up on 6, Cam Young comes up short of the green at the par-three, then leaves his chip six feet shy. But he nails the putt to remain at -5.
The final match of the 2023 Masters takes to the course. Brooks Koepka plumps for a 3-wood for safety … and sends a huge hook onto the 9th fairway! That’s an appalling, nerve-addled start. He pulled quite a few to the left earlier today; he’ll need to fix that and quick. Jon Rahm, encouraged right at the get-go, whips his tee shot down the right-hand side of the fairway. Meanwhile up on the green, Viktor Hovland steers in his right-to-left slider for a brilliant par save – that medicine he took in the trees seems oh-so sensible now – but Patrick Cantlay, having come up short with his second, starts with a bogey. Throw in birdie for Cameron Young at 4, and the early fourth-round leader board looks like this:
-11: Koepka
-9: Rahm
-8: Hovland (1)
-5: Young (5), Woodland (4), Henley (1), Cantlay (1)
Viktor Hovland likes a swashbuckling shot, but isn’t taking any risks so early in his round while in contention on Masters Sunday. He punches conservatively – sensibly – through the biggest gap trees and back onto the fairway. He then fires his third straight at the flag, only for the spin to take him back 20 feet. He’ll have some work for par.
The 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland opened with birdie. Now he makes another at 3, deserved reward for bumping a clever pitch up the bank, using the camber of the green to gather his ball, right to left, towards the hole. A couple of feet away. In goes the putt, and he moves to -5. He’s alongside Shane Lowry, who makes it two birdies from two holes at the first par-five.
The penultimate match takes to the 1st tee. Viktor Hovland’s opening drive is wild, a big hook to the left. Over the trees. It could have reached the 9th fairway. Patrick Cantlay’s tee shot is a much smoother affair, and he finds the left-hand edge of the fairway. Up on the green, Hideki Matsuyama chips close only to miss the short par putt he leaves himself, and slips to -4 immediately. Meanwhile it’s back-to-back birdies for Phil Mickelson, who cracks his second at 7 to four feet, tidies up, and rises to -3.
The defending champion Scottie Scheffler seems determined to go out in style. Having birdied 2, he lobs up from the bottom of the hill at 3 to six feet and makes his putt. Another birdie and he rises to -4. In the match ahead, Joaquin Niemann adds to his birdie at the opening hole with another at 4. He’s -4 as well. Back on 2 it’s birdie for Jason Day; he’s, yep, -4. And joining them all on that mark is Sahith Theegala, who cards his fourth birdie of the day at 8. There’s usually one player who springs from the pack on Sunday, posting low to finish high – see Rory last year, for example - and the 24-year-old debutant could be just the man this time around.
It won’t be long before the serious contenders take to the course. In the meantime, Phil Mickelson keeps the patrons entertained by nearly slam-dunking his tee shot at the par-three 6th straight into the cup. The ball pitches a couple of feet to the left of the hole and stops dead. He tidies up for his birdie, and the three-time champion, 53 years old in a couple of months, moves to -2. Given his lack of form over on the LIV tour, this has been a magnificent performance from the veteran Californian.
Some start by the 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, too! He creams an iron from 170 yards to a couple of feet, nearly holing out for a spectacular eagle. A kick-in birdie is a more than acceptable start to a round on Masters Sunday, though, and he tidies up to move to -4.
The final round
Here we go, then … and there are a couple of the early starters who could sell their scores on the first few holes to the leaders for cash money. Sahith Theegala, making a fine fist of his Masters debut, has birdied 1, 2 and 4 and is currently -3 through 7. Cameron Young, who threatened to stay the distance before his third round of 75, opens with a pair of birdies that takes the Match Play runner-up to -4. And the 2016 champion Jordan Spieth has birdied 1, 2 and 5: throw in bogey at 4 and he’s -3 for the tournament.
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The fourth-round tee times … are here. This blog will reactivate at 7pm, when the final round of the Masters gets going. See you then!
1.27pm (6.27pm BST): Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick (England)
1.36pm (6.36pm): Gary Woodland, Jason Day
1.46pm (6.46pm): Justin Rose, Shane Lowry
1.55pm (6.55pm): Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed
2.05pm (7.05pm BST): Collin Morikawa, Sam Bennett (a)
2.14pm (7.14pm): Hideki Matsuyama, Russell Henley
2.24pm (7.24pm): Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay
2.33pm (7.33pm): Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm
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… so Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm go into this final round as favourites. But those in the chasing pack will fancy their chances, especially if the mano-a-mano grind saps the leading pair’s energy. You can make a case of that having happened in round three: Koepka and Rahm both shot one-over 73s, taking chunks out of each other and allowing the likes of Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama and Russell Henley to close the gap with their under-par efforts. A reminder that big fourth-round comebacks have been known at Augusta National: Jack Burke Jr. won from eight back in 1956, Gary Player from seven in 1978, Fuzzy Zoeller and Nick Faldo from six in 1979 and 1996 respectively. So let’s rule nothing out. Anything and everything is on the table. It’s on! Fourth-round tee times coming up …
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The 54-hole leader board
-11: Koepka
-9: Rahm
-8: Hovland
-6: Cantlay
-5: Matsuyama, Henley
-4: Morikawa, Bennett (a)
-3: Schauffele, Reed, Rose, Lowry, Woodland, Day
-2: Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Niemann, Young, Im
-1: KH Lee, Fox, Moore, Mickelson, Spieth
No mistake. Rahm pops his par putt in, and he’ll be in the final match with Koepka in a couple of hours. He signs for a 73 as well, and ends the third round at -9. Meanwhile it’s a fine round of 76 by the low-amateur elect, Sam Bennett. Not quite up there with his two 68s, but still damn fine work by the 22-year-old up-and-coming Texan. He goes into round four at -4. Meanwhile Im Sung-jae ended with par for a best-of-round 67. He’s -2.
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Koepka rams his par putt in, and he signs for a 73. He’s -11. A big putt coming up for Rahm in more ways than one. Obviously he’ll not want to drop a shot. But if he does bogey, he’ll not be in the final group with Koepka, as Hovland is already home and hosed at -8.
Koepka judges his 55-foot putt up (and almost off the right-hand side of) the green very well indeed. It stops four feet short, a little tester for par, but that’s pretty good from where he was. Over to Rahm, who nudges his putt onto the green, Morikawa style. That stops four feet short as well, and given he’ll be once again tickling downhill, Rahm has the tricker test.
Koepka’s second into 18 finds the green, but he’s well short of the flag. He’ll have a tricky two putts up and over the ridge. Rahm responds by sending his approach over the flag to Morikawa Country. He’ll need a delicate putt or chip from there, as we’ve just seen. Big couple of shots coming up! They could shape the whole tournament.
Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka both lash their drives up the 18th fairway. Up by the green, Collin Morikawa hits an outrageous putt from the top of the bank behind. He tickles it down the slope, and the ball almost grinds to a halt. One last joule of energy squeaks it onto the apron, upon which it rolls out another 15 feet to kick-in distance! Just the most amazing touch and feel! A proper moment of Masters wow and flutter. Par, and he signs for an otherwise disappointing 74, going into the final round at -4. Meanwhile Viktor Hovland, pin high in two, is this close to raking in a 25-footer across the green, but the ball turns right at the last, refusing to drop by the width of a dimple. Nevertheless, he’s signing for a two-under 70, and will compete seriously for the Masters in round four!
-11: Koepka (17)
-9: Rahm (17)
-8: Hovland (F)
From 25 feet, Koepka leaves his birdie putt three short. That’s uncharacteristically timid. A chance for Rahm to make up some ground from 15 feet. For a while, it looks as though his birdie putt is tickling in … but then it breaks to the left dramatically! Rahm can’t believe it. Koepka doesn’t learn the lesson, though, and prods with great uncertainty at his par putt, which dies to the left and stays out. Bogey. Big moment for Rahm … and in goes his par saver. All of a sudden, quite a few big names are within range!
-11: Koepka (17)
-9: Rahm (17)
-8: Hovland (17)
-6: Cantlay (F)
-5: Matsuyama (F), Henley (F)
-4: Morikawa (17), Bennett -a- (17)
Koepka and Rahm both find the 17th green in regulation. Neither are particularly close to the pin, but Rahm is half the distance inside his opponent. Meanwhile the 2020 runner-up Im Sung-jae is going along very nicely indeed: the birdie he makes at 8 is his sixth of the round, a bogey at 17 the only blemish so far. If he pars his last, the 9th, he’ll be signing for a best-of-round 67. He’s currently -2 for the tournament, and seriously ruing his second-round 76.
A fine par save for Viktor Hovland on 17. Out of position from the get-go, he can only wedge his third from the front of the bunker guarding the approach to the green to 15 feet. But he tickles in the gentle left-to-right slider and punches the air modestly. That’s a massive momentum saver. He remains at -8, just four off the lead, though he’s just sent his tee shot at 18 towards the right-hand side of the fairway, so he might not have a straight route into the green.
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Jon Rahm opens up his lob wedge and goes at his ball in the manner of prime Phil Mickelson. He does exceptionally well to flop high over the sand and stop his ball eight feet past. Brooks Koepka splashes delicately from the bunker and nearly holes out. Par. Rahm underhits his par putt, and suddenly the gap is three again.
-12: Koepka (16)
-9: Rahm (16)
-8: Hovland (16)
So having earlier mentioned how Brooks Koepka had been taking care of business at the par-fives this week, he’s subsequently only parred both of the ones on the back nine. An illustration of how much longer, and tougher, the course is playing after all that rain. He doesn’t seem completely happy with his game today, and now he dumps his tee shot at 16 into the bunker to the right of the green. You’d think advantage Rahm, but he takes one hand off his club as he sends his tee shot wide of that bunker. He’s left himself a downhill lie and a shot over sand. Oh, and he’s short-sided too. On Sky, Sir Nick Faldo suggests anything within six feet for Rahm would be sensational.
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No sixth birdie in a row for Viktor Hovland. But it’s a fine par at 16, after pushing his tee shot wide right of the green. A delicate up and down to scramble, and he remains at -8. Meanwhile Brooks Koepka chips close from the bank on 15 to salvage his par, while Jon Rahm needs three putts to get down from the best part of 100 feet. A par for the Spaniard as well, but it’s the US star who will feel better given the way that all panned out.
-12: Koepka (15)
-10: Rahm (15)
-8: Hovland (16)
-6: Cantlay (F)
-5: Matsuyama (F), Henley (F)
Under normal, bone-dry conditions, that ball of Koepka’s was gone. But it’s clear the nerves are beginning to kick in already, with both Rahm and Koepka dicing with wobbly blue bother. And it’s only the third round! Imagine the pounding their tickers are going to take when they come around again later!
Heart-in-mouth time for Jon Rahm, who like Viktor Hovland before him, only just gets over the drink at 15 with his second. His ball comes to rest on the front-right corner of the wide green, and he’ll have a monster eagle putt. Two putts for birdie is far from certain. Meanwhile Brooks Koepka, having found the trees down the left from the tee, lays up and wedges in. His ball lands by the flag, but spins back and for a second looks like rolling all the way down the slope and into the drink. But the wet turf saves him. The ball sticks on the bank. It’s not quite Fred Couples on 12 in 1992, but it’s something. A huge break for Koepka!
Five birdies in a row for Viktor Hovland! His second into 15 only just gets over the water – laughing, he performs the breaststroke mime as he wanders down to the green – but from there he takes two putts to move to -8. Just the two more, and he’ll be matching the record set by Steve Pate between 7 and 13 in 1999 and matched on exactly the same holes by Tiger in 2005.
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The third high-profile four-putt of the week, after Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama, is made on 18 by Matt Fitzpatrick. A terrible end to an otherwise decent round by the US Open champion. Double bogey to finish, a level-par 72, and he walks off as dejected as you’d imagine. He’s -2, and to borrow a phrase from Barry Keoghan’s character in The Banshees of Inisherin, there goes that dream.
Rahm gives his birdie putt a good whack, and it still comes up one turn short. Still, he’ll take par. Koepka meanwhile bounces his chip up from the swale to the back-left of the green, and nearly holes out. His ball rolls three feet past. He’s not missing the one coming back. Meanwhile the 33-year-old local lad Russell Henley steers one in from the fringe at the back of 16 to join the party.
-12: Koepka (14)
-10: Rahm (14)
-7: Hovland (14)
-6: Cantlay (F)
-5: Matsuyama (F), Henley (16)
Hideki Matsuyama makes it home in 70. On the face of it, a round of two-under is nothing special, but factor in a bogey-triple-bogey start that featured a four-putt, and that’s a brilliant return. The 2021 champion played the last 11 holes in five under par. He goes into the final round at -5, and if he can get that putter going, is the sort of player who can go on a serious birdie spree. He’s still in this, with all the depends-on-what-the-leaders-do caveats.
From the centre of 14, Brooks Koepka pulls his approach into the gallery back-left of the green. That was travelling at speed, too, and would have gone a lot further had it not hit some poor patron upside the noggin. Jon Rahm responds by knocking his second pin high. He’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet. This is great matchplay-style fun.
Jon Rahm rattles his long birdie putt at 13 six feet past. That’ll be a tester coming back. Not only that, it informs Brooks Koepka’s approach, and he makes sure of pace first, lagging up to tap in for his par. Can Rahm sink another of these crucial putts he keeps leaving himself? No he can’t. Off to the right it goes, and the gap at the top is two again. That’s a poor bogey for Rahm, who was wedging into the green from prime position. A gift for Brooks. Meanwhile up on 14, Viktor Hovland creams his second from 166 yards to 12 feet and steers in the birdie putt. He’s far from out of this! Could he do it? The Norwegian could. [No! – Self-ed.]
-12: Koepka (13)
-10: Rahm (13)
-7: Hovland (14)
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A third-round 71 for the reigning champion Scottie Scheffler. He’s -2 going into the final round, and won’t be joining the elite list of players to retain their Masters title: Jack, Nick, Tiger. That uncharacteristically stodgy second round of 75 so costly.
Koepka and Rahm take turns to undercook their wedges into 13. Both distinctly average. On Sky, Faldo sounds distinctly unimpressed. “There’s nothing fancy out of those two, is there?” Bennett becomes the third of the group to fail to get his ball over the ridge in the middle of the green and up onto the shelf near the flag. He’s an amateur. He’s allowed. That’s surprisingly poor from the leading duo. Putting competition coming up!
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Brooks and Rahm both lay up at the par-five 13th. “In this situation, are you playing the man or the course?” That’s the question Paul McGinley asks of Sir Nick Faldo on Sky Sports. What’s Faldo’s answer? You already know Faldo’s answer. “Oh you’re playing the man!” You can almost hear the six-time major winner rubbing his hands in gleeful anticipation.
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Words, yes, we have them. But pictures also! Immerse yourself in the beauty of Augusta National with our delightful gallery. In you pop!
Patrick Cantlay shoots 68
Koepka can’t make his par putt. He doesn’t quite give it enough, and the ball dies to the left on its final turn. He taps in, as does Rahm, and suddenly Koepka’s lead – four shots as the sun came up this morning – is down to just the one. Meanwhile it’s three birdies in a row for Viktor Hovland, no mean feat, and yet he’ll be slightly disappointed after knocking his second at 13 from 244 yards to 20 feet, then just missing the eagle putt. Still, he’s back in the mix … as is Patrick Cantlay, who pars the last to sign for a best-of-round 68.
-12: Koepka (12)
-11: Rahm (12)
-6: Cantlay (F), Hovland (13), Bennett -a- (12)
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Koepka opts to putt from off the green. It’s not a wise choice. He rattles a hot one 12 feet past the hole. The gallery coos in drama-on-Sunday fashion. It’s still only the third round! Rahm putts as well, from the fringe at the back, and lags close despite having to deal with a mud-ball. Then the gallery groan in sympathy-on-Sunday fashion as Bennett’s birdie putt shaves the right-hand lip. Just a par for the amateur. He remains at -6.
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RAHM: Where did that wind come from?
BROOKS: Oh boy! That’s getting carried as well!
The 12th hole, ladies and gentlemen, with a strong breeze swirling around Amen Corner. Rahm’s ball pitches into the azaleas to the back-left of the green, but spins back onto the fringe. Koepka’s misses the green to the left. Sam Bennett’s? Over the flag to ten feet. The crowd go ballistic. They’re loving this kid. Who doesn’t? This is a performance for the ages.
Sam Bennett really is very impressive, like that’s breaking news in the wake of Thursday and Friday’s evidence. Yesterday afternoon, in dreadful conditions, he got off to an awful start, only to gather himself and make a series of nerve-steadying pars. This morning, he missed his first par putt, but immediately responded with a bounceback birdie on 8, and now he’s walking in a very missable 12-foot par saver on 11. What confidence! The young Texan amateur remains at -6 and is made of the real stuff. He’s got a future all right. Two-putt pars meanwhile for Rahm and, from just off the green, Koepka.
-13: Koepka (11)
-11: Rahm (11)
-6: Cantlay (17), Bennett -a- (11)
From the centre of the 11th fairway, Jon Rahm nearly plonks his ball into the water guarding the front left of the green. It skips over the corner and onto the putting surface. Wow, he’d have been fearing the worst as that approach was sailing through the air. Brooks Koepka comes up just short. A few nerves beginning to kick in, perhaps, and it’s still only the third round! Meanwhile up on 17, Patrick Cantlay , always out of position after finding the first cut down the left with his drive, misses a short right-to-left curler for par and slips back to -6. The chasing pack can’t afford mistakes like that, and the resigned look on Cantlay’s face suggests he knows that all too well.
Bounceback birdie for Viktor Hovland at 11. He’d hit a lovely second from the best part of 200 yards to four feet. He rises to -4 … then chips in from the back of 12 for another! While this is threatening to turn into a two, possibly three-man battle, Hovland is one of a pack of players who could insert themselves into the equation if they put something sensational together over the last few holes. But unless the top two stumble, time is running out.
-13: Koepka (10)
-11: Rahm (10)
-7: Cantlay (16)
-6: Bennett -a- (10)
-5: Matsuyama (15), Hovland (12)
-4: Fitzpatrick (15), Rose (13), Henley (14), Woodland (13), Niemann (13), Morikawa (12), Day (12)
-3: Schauffele (15), Fox (14)
What a par save by Brooks Koepka! He pours in the 13-foot par putt he’d set up for himself. That’s a huge save having snookered himself from the tee! Suddenly the pressure is batted back to Jon Rahm, who having spun his approach back off the front of the green, then trundled an aggressive chip four feet past, is faced with a curly tickler down the slope. He guides it in. Ice in the veins. Both men walk to the 11th tee laughing and chatting. Hold on, lads! What about all this PGA-LIV animosity? Follow the script, will you! Great to see.
Bogey for Matt Fitzpatrick on 14, the result of a wild drive into trees down the left. He drops back to -4. Jordan Spieth moves into red figures after nearly slam-dunking his tee shot at 12; what he’d have given for that birdie in 2016. Viktor Hovland goes backwards with back-to-back bogeys at 9 and 10; he’s -3. His playing partner Collin Morikawa heads in the same direction after dropping a shot at 10 then another as the result of a weak chip at 11. He’s -3 as well.
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Koepka doesn’t spend too much time thinking about it. He takes his medicine and punches out sideways. Then he clips his approach pin high to 15 feet, and will have a chance to salvage a precious par. Meanwhile Patrick Cantlay continues to go along smoothly. After that aforementioned eagle at 15 in 2019, he immediately checked his own momentum with bogey at 16; today he pitches his tee shot at the picturesque par-three to five feet, and pours in the birdie putt. He rises to -7, the one player making serious progress in Moving Round.
Serious trouble for Brooks Koepka at 10. Having watched Jon Rahm split the fairway with his 3-wood, he slices towards the trees on the right. His ball lands smack-bang behind one of them. He might be able to punch forward through a small gap in the branches; he might also be forced to chip out sideways. Either way, he’s not making the green in regulation.
One of the shots of the week into 15 by Patrick Cantlay. He creams his second pin high from 220 yards to 12 feet. His eagle putt stubbornly stays high on the left, when it should surely turn right in the direction of the water. But it doesn’t drop and he has to settle for a birdie. Cantlay briefly led this tournament on Sunday in 2019 after eagle on this hole, before stumbling home. He’s now in position to compete again today. He’s four under for his round so far, the hottest property out on the course.
-13: Koepka (9)
-11: Rahm (9)
-6: Cantlay (15), Bennett -a- (9)
-5: Fitzpatrick (13)
Rahm is faced with a treacherous bunker shot. He’s got to aim 40 feet left of the pin, and land softly, hoping the slope doesn’t take his ball away towards the fairway. He executes it almost perfectly. The ball lands like a feather, turns 90 degrees right, and then, thanks to the camber on the other side of the green acting as a backstop, rolls back into the heart of the green, stopping 12 feet from the flag. The best he could do. On Sky, Ewen Murray points out that Seve would have been 66 today, and he’d have doffed his cap to that one. Rahm rolls in the putt, one of the great up and downs on this famous hole. That’s a staunch save, because Koepka chips and putts with minimal fuss. The pair walk off with their pars, Rahm the happier having made three big putts in a row. Koepka must be wondering what he has to do to shake this guy off.
Brooks doesn’t take care of business on 9. He’s in the middle of the fairway, having watched Rahm send his tee shot onto pine needles down the right, then hit a mud ball into the bunker to the left of the green. But though he lands his approach on the green pin high, there’s too much backspin on his ball, which tumbles back down the false front and onto the fairway. An up-and-down contest coming up.
The 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama will be seriously ruing the cold start he made to this third round. Bogey at 1 followed by a four-putt double-bogey at 2. Ooyah! Oof! He’s just made birdie at 13, his fourth in six holes after picking up shots at 8, 10 and 12. All of a sudden he’s back up to -4. He’s going round with Matt Fitzpatrick, who also birdies 13, a decent response to a dropped shot at 12. The US Open champ is back to -5.
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Koepka makes his birdie putt … but so does Rahm, who pours in from ten feet. Right in the middle of the cup, never missing! That’s a big birdie that ensures he stays on the leader’s tail. Tell you what, though, Koepka really has been taking care of business on the par-fives this week. He’s birdied every one so far, with two exceptions: a bogey at 13 on Thursday, and an eagle at 8 on Friday. (Bachman-Turner Overdrive earworm.)
-13: Koepka (8)
-11: Rahm (8)
-6: Bennett -a- (8)
-5: Cantlay (14), Morikawa (9)
Rahm’s wedge into 8 is pin high but a good 12 feet right of the hole. Half a chance for birdie, which he’ll do well to make, because Koepka chips to a couple of feet. He’ll surely be taking back the shot he dropped on the previous hole in short order. But before he can, Bennett drains a 30-foot left-to-right breaker for a birdie of his own! The 22-year-old Texan amateur moves back to -6. A huge roar as the nerve-settler drops, and a big smile plays across his face.
Brooks gives it all he can with his fairway wood. He can’t reach. If Koepka can’t get there in two, surely nobody can. Rahm lays up, as does the amateur sensation Sam Bennett … who for the record couldn’t make his par saver on 7 and carded his third bogey of the round. He’s going backwards, now at -5, but whatever happens from here on in, he’s guaranteed to win the silver medal, as the only amateur to make the cut. He’ll join a select list: previous low amateurs at Augusta include subsequent champions Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Hideki Matsuyama.
… so the gap having closed to two, it’s advantage Koepka from the tee at 8. Rahm’s drive finds the bunker to the right of the fairway, while Brooks splits the fairway. Exactly how much of an advantage that’ll be is something we’ll soon find out: while the weather is dry today, it’s cold and windy, and having also had a good drink yesterday, the course is playing longer than it did on the first couple of days. In other words, Koepka still has a ways to go to reach the green if he’s dreaming of a second eagle of the week on this hole.
Brooks Koepka restarts the day with a four-shot lead … but that doesn’t last long! First off he trundles his ten-foot par saver on 7 four feet past the hole. He makes the one coming back, but that’s a bogey five. Then Jon Rahm pours in his birdie putt, deserved reward for the glorious approach he hit into the green during the deluge last night. It’s not taken long … but this is on!
-12: Koepka (7)
-10: Rahm (7)
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Tiger withdraws
Here we go, then, a shotgun restart. But there’s one player who won’t be teeing it up again today … the five-time winner and living legend Tiger Woods. The leg’s giving him too much gyp, 20-plus holes in a day 20 steps too far. He withdraws. But it’s not been a wasted week for the great man: he’s extended his sequence of never missing a cut at Augusta National to 23 consecutive tournaments, a record he now shares with Gary Player and Freddie Couples. Godspeed Tiger, see you here next year, we hope.
I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis. Thank you to the fans and to @TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 9, 2023
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Preamble
Good morning Augusta National! Yesterday the heavens opened and this happened …
… and now a Homeric, but hopefully dry, super Sunday awaits us. The third round resumes at 8.30am local time (1.30pm BST) with the final round expected to begin at 12.30pm local (5.30pm BST). We’ll get going the minute the players do. In the meantime, here’s how the top of the leader board looked when the hooter went last night …
-13: Koepka (6)
-9: Rahm (6)
-6: Bennett -a- (6)
-5: Cantlay (13), Fitzpatrick (11), Morikawa (7), Hovland (7)
-4: Rose (9), Henley (9), Mickelson (9), Niemann (9), Young (8), Day (7)
-3: Scheffler (12*), Fox (11), Woodland (9)
-2: Schauffele (12), Matsuyama (11), Reed (10), Lowry (9), Burns (9), Spieth (8)
