The Masters – Sunday preview
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They don’t call Saturday at a major “Moving Day” for nothing, and Saturday at the Masters was no exception. 21-year old sensation Jordan Spieth rolled through the opening two rounds on Thursday and Friday on the way to setting a new Masters midpoint scoring record at -14 following his 64-66 opening, and had the luxury of sitting atop the leaderboard with a hefty 5-stroke lead at the start of the third round.
Among the early starters, Hunter Mahan and Ian Poulter set an early pace, posting rounds of -5 and -4 respectively to move into red figures.
Phil Mickelson birdied 3 in a row between holes 2 and 4, and his long birdie putt on 16 drew one of the largest roars from the gallery on the day.
Watch Phil Mickelson make a 41-foot birdie putt on No. 16 on his way to a third round 67. #movingday #themasters https://t.co/5EIrFDEly4
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 11, 2015
Mickelson’s charge faltered somewhat with a bogey on the very next hole, but his third-round 67 has left him within 5 strokes and in good position for a Sunday push. Besides Mickelson, the fans were also anxious to see what world #1 Rory McIlroy and 4-time champion Tiger Woods would come up with. McIlroy had looked in danger of missing the cut on Friday afternoon, and Woods had looked understandably rusty in his opening rounds. Both carded identical rounds of 68, and in what will surely be one of the most anticipated pairings in recent major history, they will be teeing off together at 2:30 pm on Sunday.
Watch @TigerWoods hit his tee shot on No. 4 to 10 inches for his third birdie of the day. #movingday #themasters https://t.co/9V80naiKpd — Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 11, 2015
Watch @McIlroyRory eagle No. 2. #movingday #themasters https://t.co/eXpcBzQHby
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 11, 2015
Besides Mickelson at -11, the leading contender behind the leader appears to be Justin Rose, who birdied 5 of the last 6 holes to finish at -12, 4 strokes behind Spieth:
Watch @JustinRose99 hole his bunker shot on No. 16 for his fourth straight birdie. #movingday #themasters https://t.co/BEhTpEcx50 — Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 11, 2015
As Spieth prepares for the final round after setting another Masters record with the lowest 54-hole score recorded, he has in the unique position of having been in almost exactly the same position before. Last year, Spieth was tied with Bubba Watson for the 54-hole lead, but 4 bogeys in the final round saw his bid for a green jacket falter as he finished tied for 2nd. Will that experience help him prepare mentally for what lies ahead on Sunday, or will the young Texan be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past as the roars grow ever louder coming down the fairways on the back 9?
While pin placements were fairly difficult on Saturday, the field showed more aggressive play in going after the flags, and weather conditions have been favorable. The forecast is calling for another warm, humid day, and with the leaders teeing off in mid-afternoon, scores may dip even lower.
The PGA Championship, the final major of 2014, saw a wild final round where the lead changed hands multiple times, including 3-way and even 4-way ties, with McIlroy emerging victorious. If Mickelson, Rose, and Charley Hoffman are able to mount a final challenge, the stage could be set for a grandstand finish down the stretch in this first major of 2015 before this year’s green jacket winner is crowned.
Final round tee times:
10:00 a.m.: Thongchai Jaidee
10:10 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh
10:20 a.m.: Jamie Donaldson, Graeme McDowell
10:30 a.m.: Erik Compton, Anirban Lahiri
10:40 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
10:50 a.m.: Mark O’Meara, Steve Stricker
11:00 a.m.:Keegan Bradley, Danny Willett
11:10 a.m.: Ryan Palmer, Matt Kuchar
11:20 a.m.: Chris Kirk, Geoff Ogilvy
11:30 a.m.: Morgan Hoffmann, John Senden
11:50 a.m.: Patrick Reed, Sangmoon Bae
12:00 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Seung-yul Noh
12:10 p.m.: Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka
12:20 p.m.: Adam Scott, Lee Westwood
12:30 p.m.: Bernd Wiesberger, Bubba Watson
12:40 p.m.: Cameron Tringale, Rickie Fowler
12:50 p.m.: Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els
1:00 p.m.: Russell Henley, Charl Schwartzel
1:10 p.m.: Sergio Garcia, Ryan Moore
1:30 p.m.: Bill Haas, Hunter Mahan
1:40 p.m.: Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen
1:50 p.m.: Zach Johnson, Jonas Blixt
2:00 p.m.: Paul Casey, Ian Poulter
2:10p.m.: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama
2:20 p.m.: Kevin Streelman, Kevin Na
2:30 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods
2:40 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, Charley Hoffman
2:50 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose
