Golf’s a game of two halves all right. Having hit the turn in 30, with four straight birdies, Min Woo Lee makes four straight bogeys. He crashes back down the standings to +2, and it was good while it lasted. McIlroy meanwhile pars 9 to hit the turn in 32. And back on 5, Scheffler splits the fairway, but Smith may have found a bunker to the left. Advantage Scheffler … though we’ve already found out how quickly things can turn.
Scheffler pulls his tee shot at 4 long and left. He leaves himself yet another tricky pitch … and yet again he’s up to the task! He bundles another one up to kick-in distance from 30 yards. He’ll tidy up for par. Smith however can’t get up and down from the bunker at the front – his tee shot was a yard away from being perfect – and suddenly the lead is four. Smith has probably been playing the better golf, but Scheffler has conjured up two magnificent up and downs, on 1 and 4, as well as that fortunate chip at 3. It’s all going his way at the moment!
-10: Scheffler (4)
-6: Smith (4)
-3: McIlroy (8), Im (5)
-2: Schwartzel (6), Thomas (6)
Probably worth taking a moment or two to calm down. Some pretty pictures will help.
Smith is faced with a downhill tickle. Anything too aggressive will slide miles past. He nearly rolls the left-to-right slider into the hole, but in the end has to tap in for bogey. A huge swing, and all of Smith’s early progress is for nothing. Meanwhile another birdie for Rory, this time at 8, and suddenly he’s in a tie for third!
-10: Scheffler (3)
-7: Smith (3)
-3: McIlroy (8), Im (4)
Smith, slightly discombobulated by what just happened, flies his chip 12 feet past the flag. He’s now got work to do for his par. This is wild. Meanwhile on 5, birdie for Justin Thomas who moves back to -2.
Well, well, well. Both Scheffler and Smith take turns to chip up onto 3. Both hit them fat, hitting the steep bank at the front of the green, their balls rolling back down to the bottom. They’re playing some friendly golf here, following each other around the hole. It’s a chipping contest now … and Scheffler sends his ball flying up the bank and straight into the cup! Not 100 percent sure he meant that. Whatever, had that not hit the flag, it was going miles past! A fortunate moment that turns potential crisis into precious birdie! Over to you, Cam.
Corey Conners made a hole in one on 6 last year. He very nearly does it again today! A gentle draw to kick-in distance, and he joins McIlroy and Schwartzel at -2.
Lowry slices his tee shot at the par-three 4th. That could be out of bounds. He has to play a provisional. He knocks his second into the heart of the green, and trudges up the hole with the funk on. Meanwhile back on 2, Scheffler and Smith both get relief, the former snookered by a leader board, the latter hindered by a sprinkler lead. Scheffler in particular may have got a break there, as he didn’t have a route to the green before, leader board or no leader board. Now he has!
Scheffler seriously overcooks his bunker shot at 2, and can’t make the 12-footer he leaves himself. Just the par. Smith’s eagle putt is a bit wayward, too, but he’s able to steer in a right-to-left six footer for a second birdie. Suddenly, the gap is just one! But then some very odd things happen on the 3rd tee. Smith sends a wild hook into the patrons down the left … then with the door ajar, Scheffler hooks even more spectacularly! He’s miles left. Meanwhile on 7, McIlroy rakes in a long birdie putt, and this is Sunday at the Masters, ladies and gentlemen!
-9: Scheffler (2)
-8: Smith (2)
-4: Im (3)
-3: Lowry (3)
-2: McIlroy (7), Schwartzel (4)
Tiger confirms he’ll play the Open!
Tiger has a chat with Sky, and confirms that whatever happens in between times, he will definitely tee it up at St Andrews at the Open in July. “I won’t be playing a full schedule ever again. It will just be the big events. I don’t know if I will play Southern Hills [next month’s PGA Championship] or not. But I am looking forward to St Andrews. It’s something near and dear to my heart, I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf, it’s my favourite golf course in the world. So I will be there for that one.” Yes!
McIlroy de-greens an hysterical 80-foot putt on 6. No matter! The fringe stops the ball rolling soon enough, and he rolls in the 12-footer coming back for his par. At -1, he’s still not out of this, but of course is reliant on the leaders bringing each other down. Speaking of the last pair, Scheffler dumps his second at 2 into the bunker guarding the front left of the green, and will have a long up and down for birdie. Smith then clears the sand guarding front right, but doesn’t get far enough onto the green for his ball to take Oosthuizen’s route towards the hole. Still, he’ll have two putts from 45 feet for his birdie.
Min Woo Lee can’t keep the run of birdies going. His first misstep of the day comes at 10, sending his second long and left. Shortsided, he can’t get up and down, and he slips back to -1. Birdie for Shane Lowry at 2, having nearly holed out for eagle with a long bunker shot. He’s -3. And a stroke of bad luck for Danny Willett, who having birdied 2, rocked back on his heels in amazement as his six-foot birdie putt on 3 defies gravity on the left lip. He’s -1.
Tiger can’t end his round with a dream birdie. A par. A second 78 of the weekend, when the gas understandably started running out, but it doesn’t really matter. Being here, and making it round in one piece, is what this was all about. The love pours down from the gallery, and the volume doesn’t drop as he makes the long limp towards the scorer’s hut. That opening-day 71 will live long in the memory. Despite all the odds, he’s back, baby … and you wouldn’t bet against him next year, would you?
Scheffler tidies up for his par, but his lead has been cut nonetheless: Smith rolls his birdie putt straight into the cup, and this is on! That could have gone better for the leader, but it could have ended up a whole lot worse. That was some chip back up. Meanwhile Charl Schwartzel holes out from the bunker at the front of 2, albeit only for par, while his partner Justin Thomas makes birdie to join him at -2.
-9: Scheffler (1)
-7: Smith (1)
-4: Im (1)
Scheffler’s nerves must be jangling like billy-o. He doesn’t let on, though. He bumps his chip up the bank, carefully, gently, and lets the slope do the work. His ball rolls serenely to three feet, and he’ll surely escape with a par that’ll feel like a birdie. Meanwhile up on 18, Tiger knocks his second pin high, then receives the sort of ovation normally reserved for the winner. Deserved reward for his efforts, and a lovely moment.
Scheffler is able to negotiate a route off the pine straw and through the trees, but he can’t hold the green. His ball rolls hysterically down the bank at the back. Smith calmly lands his ball pin high, and will have a 15-foot look at a fast start. Big chip coming up for the leader here!
The last match takes to the 1st tee … and it’s not an ideal start for the leader Scottie Scheffler. He pulls a nervous drive into the trees down the left, and that might not be too pretty. We’ll see. Meanwhile his playing partner Cam Smith splits the fairway in the fuss-free style. Sunday at the Masters didn’t take long to get interesting!
Min Woo Lee is on a serious tear-up around Augusta. Sending his second at 9 over the flag, he nearly spins his ball back into the cup for eagle. He taps in for his fourth birdie in a row, and he’s out in 30 strokes. That ties a front-nine record held jointly by Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, KJ Choi, Phil Mickelson and Gary Woodland. A reminder that the course record is 63, held jointly by Nick Price and Greg Norman. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves again. God speed, Min Woo. He’s -2.
A second birdie of the day for Rory McIlroy, who has clearly decided to attack the day. This one comes at 3, where he’d driven the green. It really should be his third birdie in a row, but he’d taken an uncertain prod at a short putt on 2 and had to make do with par. Anyway, the birdie moves him into red figures, and gives us an excuse to update the leader board for the first time.
-9: Scheffler
-6: Smith
-4: Im
-2: Schwartzel (1), Lowry
-1: MW Lee (8), McIlroy (3), Thomas (1), Conners (1)
E: Morikawa (3), Willett (1)
Yet another birdie for Lee, who is having a stormer! He sends his second at the par-five 8th towards the trees down the left, but scoops up to four feet, and rattles in the putt. He moves into red figures for the week at -1. Meanwhile up on 16, the gallery stands as one to acclaim the brilliance and bravery of Tiger, whose tee shot momentarily threatened to curl right-to-left and roll towards the hole, but stopped eight feet short. As ovations go, it’s not half bad, although nothing on the one heard after the chip that slayed Chris DiMarco back in 2005. In your life! Just a par in the end, but his round isn’t really about the score any more. Incidentally, he’s going around with Jon Rahm today, and the pair seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Rahm, three under for his round, sends his tee shot into the bunker between green and water, then throws his ball 12 feet past the pin, using the slope to bring the ball back to kick-in distance. So close to an outrageous birdie. He’s +4 for his week, and this final-round performance will give him succour for next year.
Will we see an albatross on 2 today? It’s not beyond the realms, because the pin is in Oosthuizen’s position, and Min Woo Lee isn’t the only player to have gone close. Harry Higgs went even closer not long after, his ball stopping one dimple’s width wide to the right. It really did look a facsimile copy of Louis’s famous shot in 2012, but the final frame of the footage betrayed us. Shame, not least because it would have been great to see how Higgs – who got the old puppies out at the Phoenix Open a couple of months ago – would have celebrated. To be fair, the vibe is a bit more rarified here, and he would have acted accordingly. Still, one can dream. Higgs is now +3 for his round through 7.
Tiger just being here this week has been so life-affirming. Who really expected this? Pure magic. The old fellow is beginning to struggle after four days of herculean effort, though, understandably so given all he’s been through. After yesterday’s tired 78, walking is signally harder today, and he’s just dropped a shot at 14, his fifth bogey of the day. But this is Tiger, and even his bogeys can get the gallery whooping and hollering. This one is sensational! Having sent a huge slice into the trees down the right, he pitched out, then left himself a 27-footer for par. He barely touched the treacherous downhill putt, which missed to the right and rolled 37 feet past. You already know what he did next, don’t you. Yep. The long bogey putt back up the green was never missing, and the great man limped away wearing the most infectious smile as the patrons poured on the love. He’s +11 overall, and for reasons that transcend sport, this week deserves to be filed alongside his many other memorable achievements at this great place. You have got to love Tiger. Tiger!
A perfect start for Rory McIlroy. He cracks his opening drive down the middle, then wedges to ten feet. He rolls confidently into the cup, and the birdie brings him back to level par in short order. Rory isn’t out of this, but he’ll need to shoot something in the mid to low 60s and hope Scottie Scheffler, Cam Smith and Im Sung-jae have off days to varying degrees. Meanwhile Min Woo Lee keeps on keepin’ on: from the centre of 7, he spins a glorious approach to six feet and makes a second birdie in a row. He’s level par, and looks a real prospect. He’s already got the Scottish Open on his CV.
Minjee Lee finally won her maiden major last year at the Evian, after a couple of close shaves at the Dinah Shore and the British Open. Her little brother Min Woo isn’t half bad at golf either. The 23-year-old Aussie has hit what could already be the shot of the day, coming four feet shy of replicating Louis Oosthuizen’s 2012 albatross at 2. Lee tidied up for his eagle, and he’s since made birdie at 6. He’s whisked up the leader board to +1 as a result. A pretty impressive performance on debut, this.
While we’re on the subject of required reading, just in case you missed it yesterday, this piece is a blast. Dan Davies recounts his efforts to build nine holes in his back yard, “a ridiculous, homemade homage to the par-three course at Augusta, albeit with many more opportunities for Tony Finau to pop his ankle.” Hey, Augusta National was once just a field, too, until Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts and Alister Mackenzie made their dream real. Entertainment and inspiration is just a click away!
Some light reading for anyone worried that Masters Sunday is destined to turn into a procession led by Scottie Scheffler. It might, of course. But then it might not. History tells us a three-shot lead is nothing at the turn, never mind with the whole 18 still stretched out in front of us. Oh Greg!
The Russell Henley dream couldn’t last. Yet another birdie putt, this time from the back of 10, shaves the hole but trundles six feet past. He can’t make the one coming back, and it’s a three-putt bogey. Now he’s pulled his approach at 11 into the pond. He does well to get up and down from the drop zone to limit the damage to bogey, but any chance of matching that record 63, having gone out on 30, is gone. He’s +4.
Another sign that we could get some lower scoring today: some good old-fashioned Masters weather has finally arrived in Georgia. It’s sunny, warm, and there’s not much in the way of wind at all. A slight breeze, maybe. The course should play long and fast and hard, certainly by the standards of the first three days. Pretty much perfect conditions for a Masters Sunday!
Bob MacIntyre is going along nicely, too. Having opened with a bogey, he’s since birdied 2, 3, 7 and 8, and hits the turn in 33 strokes. The 25-year-old from Oban is +3 overall and clearly likes Augusta, though he won’t end the week high enough to claim a place for next year, as he did last time round after finishing tied for 12th.
Here we go, then, and should any of the pack chasing Scottie Scheffler require any encouragement ahead of their quest, some has come in the shape of Russell Henley. The 32-year-old, playing in his home state, hasn’t got much of a record at the Masters. A tie for 11th in 2017 is the best he’s achieved. He’s unlikely to better that today, but he could make some impression nonetheless. He’s out in just 30 strokes, following up a birdie at 2 with four consecutive birdies at 6, 7, 8 and 9. So there’s a score out there if anybody fancies seizing the day. Too early to get excited, of course, but a reminder that the lowest round at the Masters is 63, shot by Nick Price in 1986 and Greg Norman ten years later. Henley’s +2 overall.
There’s only one way to start. The greatest piece of music ever put out under the CBS banner, and that includes the Byrds, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis.
Welcome, patrons!
For a short time yesterday afternoon, the 2022 Masters threatened to turn into a procession, with the outrageously talented world number one, Scottie Scheffler, perambulating calmly at its head. But the realisation of where he was and what he was doing inevitably kicked in, and he wobbled a little on the way back home. Meanwhile the 2020 runners-up, the equally well-equipped Cameron Smith and Im Sung-jae, took the opportunity to close the gap.
Scheffler is still strong favourite, three clear of Smith, five shots better off than Im. But bigger leads have been shipped on the back nine on Sunday alone. So nothing’s in the can. Most of the names near the top of the leader board will need help from Scheffler if they’re to pull off an outrageous comeback victory, but right now they’ll all retain hope in the knowledge that anything is possible on Masters Sunday. Anything. Here’s the top of the leader board after 54 holes …
-9: Scheffler
-6: Smith
-4: Im
-2: Lowry, Schwartzel
-1: Thomas, Conners
E: Willett
+1: Fleetwood, Kokrak, McIlroy, Morikawa, D Johnson
+2: Champ, Simpson, Zalatoris, Matsuyama
… and here’s when everybody’s teeing off today. (USA unless stated, all times BST). We’ll get going here at 6pm BST. It’s on!
15.10 Cameron Davis (Aus), Adam Scott (Aus)
15.20 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Billy Horschel
15.30 Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes (Can)
15.40 Bubba Watson, Max Homa
15.50 Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm (Spa)
16.00 Russell Henley, Daniel Berger
16.10 Harold Varner III, Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
16.20 Sepp Straka (Aut), Tom Hoge
16.30 Seamus Power (Irl), Kevin Na
16.50 Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa)
17.00 Kevin Kisner, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)
17.10 Sergio Garcia (Spa), Tony Finau
17.20 Patrick Reed, Lucas Glover
17.30 JJ Spaun, Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
17.40 Lee Westwood (Eng), Harry Higgs
17.50 Hudson Swafford, Si Woo Kim (Kor)
18.00 Marc Leishman (Aus), Talor Gooch
18.10 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Viktor Hovland (Nor)
18.30 Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson
18.40 Dustin Johnson, Cameron Champ
18.50 Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy (NIrl)
19.00 Jason Kokrak, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
19.10 Danny Willett (Eng), Corey Conners (Can)
19.20 Justin Thomas, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
19.30 Shane Lowry (Irl), Im Sung-jae (Kor)
19.40 Cameron Smith (Aus), Scottie Scheffler
