There will be red on Sunday, but it certainly won’t be clad in green in the early evening. Hopes of seeing Tiger Woods among the title contenders at the Masters after the first two rounds were alive and well, but a disastrous day on Saturday ended any chances for the five-time champion.
Updated yesterday at 7:34 p.m.
Against all odds, Woods arrived at the Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday morning with a spot in the top-20. At +1 after two days, it was believed that the tiger was capable of climbing the rankings. Especially since the firmer conditions were supposed to benefit him.
However, nothing went as planned.
From the first hole, Woods committed a bogey. The problem ? His poor reading of green.
He recovered well on the second hole. He took advantage of a nice exit from the bunker and the undulation of the green to put his ball a few centimeters from the cut. After all, maybe the first hole was just a hiccup. Well, no.
His troubles on the greens followed him throughout the day. Reading, power, precision, nothing was going well for the tiger when he had his putter in his hand.
Still, his tee shots were up to snuff. He had never hit so well since the start of the tournament.
Between holes 3 and 11, he made two bogeys and a double bogey, on the fifth, where four putts were needed to advance to the next hole.
It was more the mental aspect of Woods that was tested on Saturday, rather than his physical condition. His body seemed to hold on, more than the day before at least.
However, he looked frustrated, distracted and on edge a few times, especially on the greens.
At 12and, at par 3 from the Amen Corner, he landed a very precise tee shot. He was able to record a birdie, a first since the second hole.
Same as 13and hole, where he landed his second shot directly onto the green, thanks to superb control of his iron. He missed his putt for the eagle, but the birdie was a formality.
Except that, like his start to the round, he had a lot of difficulty on the greens at the end of the course.
Even though he showed up on each of the greens to thunderous applause, which he didn’t shy away from nodding, he committed a bogey on the 16andanother at 17and and a double bogey to end his day at 18and.
Expedited, Woods headed towards the chalet to have his scorecard validated and finish with this third round.
He returned a score of 78 (+6), for a cumulative of +7. It is his highest score in 93 rounds at the Masters Tournament.
Five times he needed three putts to complete a hole, in addition to his adventure of four putts on the fifth. This is the first time in his career that he has so many greens from three putts. He finished with 36 hits on the greens.
Woods is already thinking about Sunday
“At least I got to practice my putting! How many have I made? 1000? Woods asked with a laugh in an interview after her day at work.
He also mentioned that from his perspective, he didn’t play that badly. “Only on the greens I had no feeling,” he added.
Even if he admits that his score of +6 is well below his expectations, he is ready to turn the page quickly and attack the day of Sunday, which promises to be warmer.
On Saturday, the players tasted the medicine of mother nature. The temperature fluctuated between five and six degrees Celsius. Golfers also had to negotiate with strong winds. Several players, like Collin Morikawa and Kevin Kisner, did not hesitate to take out the tuque and the neck warmer. Several players, like Scottie Scheffler, have also chosen to dress in onion skins, with several layers of clothing.
Scottie Scheffler leads the charge
During the third round, Scottie Scheffler smiled, often. With reason.
The world number one flew over the day on Saturday, without ever being really worried. His domination was awfully close to that of Dustin Johnson in 2020. It is obviously too early to say that his victory is assured, because the real tournament begins on the back nine on Sunday. All in all, his confidence seems unshakable.
PHOTO MIKE SEGAR, REUTERS
Scottie Scheffler
Like the day before, his game revealed no flaws. His short game, on and around the greens, proved why he held the title of best player in the world.
Unlike Friday, he started his round well, with four birdies on his first nine holes. His precision on the greens made the difference during the first half of his round.
It got complicated, however, from the twelfth for the American. Three bogeys and a birdie on the next four holes. Accuracy errors on the greens, among others, explain this slight trough.
Meanwhile, Australian Cameron Smith was also having a round of thunder. Leader after the first day, the man with the Longueuil cup had a brilliant day of work with six birdies. He handed a card of 68 (-4). The precision of his irons has been key to his success. He is currently in second place.
While Smith was having his scorecard validated, Scheffler was busy looking for his ball, which he had sent into the woods, to the far left of the fairway at 18and hole. A rare failing tee shot for the 25-year-old golfer. After several minutes of arguing with the officials, he landed a massive shot from the pine needles. The ball fell a few meters in front of the hole and ended up behind the green, in the long grass.
Upon arriving on the green, Scheffler received a standing ovation from the spectators.
He finishes with a bogey and a cumulative score of -9. He is three strokes ahead of Smith.