The Live Report: The Masters, Round 3
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By PGATOUR.COM staff
WRAPPING UP ROUND 3 (7:15 p.m.): For a third straight major, Lee Westwood will have a chance to win his first. The Englishman began the day where he started it, atop the leaderboard. Though, this time he's alone after a 4-under 68 on Saturday that gives him a one-shot advantage over Phil Mickelson.
Right behind them, as mentioned earlier, will be Tiger Woods and K.J. Choi, each of whom is four shots back and will play together for a fourth straight day on Sunday.
Woods said it was a big accomplishment for him to be in that position given the way he played -- seven birdies, five bogeys and 30 putts.
"I warmed up terrible and fought it all day," said Woods, who added that he had a two-way miss going on his swing.
If Woods is going to get his fifth career Green Jacket, he'll have to do something he's never done in a major championship -- win from behind. -- Brian Wacker
WOODS, CHOI TOGETHER AGAIN (6:40 p.m.): Tiger Woods will have a familiar partner Sunday at the Masters in K.J. Choi. the two played together the first three days and will again in the final round after nearly matching each other score for score every round (Woods: 68-70-70, Choi: 67-71-70).
They'll play in the penultimate group with Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood in the day's final pairing. -- Brian Wacker
COUPLES ON HIS CHANCES (6:30 p.m.): In 2006, Fred Couples played with Phil Mickelson in the day's final pairing. If Couples is going to take it a step further and become golf's oldest major champion, he's going to have to take it low Sunday, and he knows it.
""If I can shoot 67, 8 tomorrow or lower, I'll have a shot," Couples said after his Saturday 68. "But it's gonna take a ridiculous score." A few minutes later, he noted it might take a 65 or 66.
If he stumbles tomorrow, though, Couples won't blame it on being 50.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, it's not because I'm 50 and tired," he said. "It's because I didn't play well." -- Brian Wacker
TIGER BOGEY (6:25 p.m.): After a tee shot that went so far to the right on No. 17 that Tiger Woods hit a huge, sweeping hook up the 15th hole on his second, Woods was unable to get up-and-down from just to the right of the 17th green. The bogey drops Woods to 7 under and five shots back of Lee Westwood. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON IN WITH A 67 (6:20 p.m.): It felt like Sunday the way the roars were echoing through the trees at Augusta National. It was just moving day, though, with Phil Mickelson making the biggest -- and loudest -- move of the day with a 67 (tied for low round of the day) that leaves him one shot back of Lee Westwood at the moment.
At one point, Mickelson had the lead by himself, coming from four back in about 40 minutes time with a eagle-eagle-birdie stretch that was one of the best in Masters history. Mickelson bogeyed the 17th hole, but he's right there, in position to pursue a third Green Jacket. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON MAKES BOGEY (6:10 p.m.): We're deep into the third round and there's movement all over the place on the leaderboard. Phil Mickelson bogeyed No. 17 and is now tied for the lead with Lee Westwood at 11 under.
Meanwhile, Fred Couples nearly matched his best ever round at Augusta, coming up one stroke short with a 68 that still leaves him in excellent shape at 7 under through three rounds.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, is in a tie for third, along with K.J. Choi at 8 under with two holes to play.
Ian Poulter? He never got it going, missing putts and missing shots before tumbling down the leaderboard with a double bogey on the par-3 12th. Poulter bounced back with a birdie on the next hole, but he's five shots back at 6 under for the week. -- Brian Wacker
TIGER RESPONDS (6 p.m.): It has been anything but the kind of day Tiger Woods would have liked, but he's keeping himself in the tournament. Woods just birdied the par-5 15th hole, rolling one in from about 8 feet to get to 8 under for the week. That puts Woods into a tie for third, four back of Phil Mickelson and three back of Lee Westwood. Meanwhile, K.J. Choi, who has played with Woods through each of the first of three rounds, birdied as well to get to 8 under. -- Brian Wacker
WHAT'S AT STAKE (5:45 p.m.): Aside, of course, from the Green Jacket, the winner will get a healthy check -- specifically $1.35 million out of a purse of $7.5 million. -- Brian Wacker
PHIL ON TOP (5:40 p.m.): Phil Mickelson is in the lead by himself. After back-to-back eagles, Mickelson just added a tap-in birdie on the par-5 15th (where he laid up). That gets Mickelson to 12 under and one shot clear of Lee Westwood, who bogeyed No. 12. -- Brian Wacker
WESTWOOD FALTERS (5:30 p.m.): Lee Westwood had to hear the roar for Phil Mickelson a couple of holes ahead of him -- Ian Poulter sure did and he backed off his shot before making double bogey. You also have to wonder if it affected him. Westwood bogeyed No. 12 and dropped back to 11 under and into a tie with Mickelson.
On a side note, Mickelson's wife, Amy, who has been battling breast cancer, is here in Augusta this week, though she's not out at the golf course. You wonder if that will change come Sunday. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON MAGIC (5:20 p.m.): So much for that four-shot lead. Phil Mickelson just made his second eagle in a row -- this time holing out from 139 yards on the par-4 14th hole.
Mickelson is just the third player in Masters history to make back-to-back eagles (Dustin Johnson and Dan Pohl were the others).
More importantly, Mickelson is now just one shot back of Lee Westwood late in the third round. -- Brian Wacker
LARGEST LEADS (5:18 p.m.): With his birdie at the 10th hole, Lee Westwood has opened up a four-stroke advantage. But it's doubtful he'll get anywhere close of the record 54-hole lead held by Tiger Woods, who took a nine-stroke lead after the third round of the 1997 Masters en route to a record 12-stroke victory. Should Westwood maintain his four-shot advantage, history will be on his side. Just three players in Masters history have ever failed to win after leading by four or more strokes after 54 holes (see below). -- Mike McAllister
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MICKELSON MAGIC (5:10 p.m.): Phil Mickelson just moved into second place all by himself thanks to an eagle on the par-5 13th, a hole the two-time Masters champ has played in 5 under this week.
Mickelson is 3 under on his round and three back of Westwood. The big reason: He's finally playing like the Mickelson of old by dominating par-5s, hitting is straight and making putts. -- Brian Wacker
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ANOTHER BIRDIE (5:05 p.m.): Make that four birdies for Lee Westwood, who is now four shots clear of his closest competitor, Ian Poulter, for the second day in a row.
Westwood tied for third at last year's PGA Championship and tied for third at the British Open, but he has never had much success here. Until now, he's had (just one top 10 and that was a tie for sixth in 1999.
Westwood hasn't sniffed bogey and he's 12 under for the week with eight holes to play in his round. -- Brian Wacker
EAGLES FOR PERRY (5 p.m.): The loud roar that just came up rolling up the hills of Augusta National were for Kenny Perry, who just made his second eagle in the last three holes by jarring one from off the green at the par-5 15th. Perry also made eagle on the par-5 13th. The result? Last year's playoff loser just went from 1 over to 3 under for the week. -- Brian Wacker
FAMILIAR FACE (4:54 p.m.): It seems like old times. Or maybe all week. Jerry Kelly and Scott Verplank played every practice round together this week and they were joined by Steve Stricker. Verplank and Kelly were paired together in the third round. Stricker was playing in the group behind. -- Melanie Hauser
MAHAN ON THE MOVE (4:50 p.m.): This is just Hunter Mahan's fourth Masters -- he tied for 10th last year -- but he's making a pretty big move up the leaderboard right now.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open winner, is 4 under on his round with birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 8, 9, 12 and 13, compared to just two bogeys. Not surprisingly, Mahan has been great off the tee, hitting no less than 71 percent of his fairways this week. He's also putted well today, taking 19 putts through 13 holes.
Mahan is still five off the lead of Lee Westwood, who just made the turn in 3 under to get to 11 under for the week, but Mahan is tied for fourth. -- Brian Wacker
AS THE TIGER TURNS (4:40 p.m.): Tiger Woods just made the turn, playing his first nine holes in even par in what's been a totally up-and-down day.
Woods hit six of his nine greens in regulation, but he's made nothing with the putter, taking 15 putts over those nine holes. He's also been extremely wild with the driver, hitting just three fairways, which has caused him to let fly a couple of choice words. -- Brian Wacker
IN THE LEAD (4:33 p.m.): Lee Westwood just made his third birdie of the day after reaching the par-5 eighth in two. That gets Westwood -- who has tied for third in each of the last two majors -- to 11 under as he nears the turn.
For a moment, Westwood had a four-shot lead -- the largest of the tournament -- before Ian Poulter bounced back with a birdie on No. 8.
Phil Mickelson made the turn at 8 under the for week, but he has since given one back with a bogey on No. 7. K.J. Choi and Tiger Woods continue to tread water at 6 under. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY GOES LOW (4:20 p.m.): Jerry Kelly has posted the lowest score thus far in Saturday's third round, a 5-under 67 that moves him to 3 under for the tournament. The 67 also is Kelly's lowest round -- by two strokes -- in 25 career rounds at Augusta National.
He knows, though, that he'll need another personal best Sunday to make any noise.
"I would have to shoot even more than that tomorrow to even have a chance," Kelly said. "So I'm just happy with the way I'm playing. I'm not too worried about the tournament, how it pans out. I just want to keep playing really good golf. If I happen to shoot 12 -under here, great. Why not?
Kelly, who won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last year, hasn't had a top-10 finish in eight starts on the PGA TOUR this year. But he did tie for 12th at The Honda Classic and tie for 13th at the Transitions Championship.
His confidence certainly seems up.
"I'm just getting better," he said. "I'm not getting worse. I'm getting better. So that's about all. I feel like I'm two shots better than I used to be. Not like you're going to play two shots better everywhere, but if I make some putts, I'm going to be able to shoot some lower rounds than I ever have in all the different spots.
"So I'm excited. I told my wife last night, it's coming, one of these weeks something really good's going to happen." -- Mike McAllister
PHIL-ING IT UP (4:05 p.m.): As Phil Mickelson reaches the turn, no doubt he's looking forward to the back nine. He's bogey-free on the back nine through the first two rounds, with a cumulative 6 under. That includes 3 under at the par-5 13th, with an eagle on Thursday and a bogey on Friday.
The 13th, in fact, is easily Mickelson's most productive hole in his Masters career. He's 55 under at the 13th through 69 career rounds at Augusta National, with seven eagles and 43 birdies against just two bogeys. -- Mike McAllister
STAR WATCH (3:56 p.m.): Among those hanging out at the Masters on Saturday? Actor Mark Wahlberg was picking his way through the merchandise at Augusta National's pro shop. Former South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford was mingling. -- Melanie Hauser
THE HOLE STORY (3:41 p.m.): Everyone has teed off here in the third round and while there are some red numbers being made, the middle of the front nine is yielding many of them.
Only two birdies have been made at the par-4 fifth, the fifth-most difficult hole on the course. At the 180-yard par-3 sixth, there have been four birdies made, but there have been twice as many bogeys on what is playing as the most-difficult hole on the course.
On the flip side is the 530-yard par-5 15th, the easiest hole on the course playing more than a half-stroke under par at the moment. Ten birdies have been made there, which is actually six less than the 575-yard par-5 second, the third-easiest hole on the course. -- Brian Wacker
RARE OPENING BIRDIE FOR TIGER (3:20 p.m.): The opening hole at Augusta National has not been very friendly to Tiger Woods, which makes his birdie at the 445-yard par-4 first in Saturday's third round even more intriguing.
Woods entered this week 14 over on his Masters career on the first hole since 1997, when he played -- and won -- the Masters for the first time as a pro.
Saturday's birdie was just the fourth for Woods at No. 1 in 55 professional rounds at Augusta National; he also posted birdies at that hole in 2008 (second round), 2005 (fourth round) and 1999 (first round). That's offset by 15 bogeys and a double-bogey, recorded a year ago in the third round.
Prior to Saturday, Woods had parred the first hole in each of the first two rounds this week.
Woods, by the way, has now birdied the third hole to move to 8 under, one shot off the lead. -- Mike McAllister
FAST-MOVING DAY (2:58 p.m.): The roars are emanating from the hills of Augusta National. Why? Phil Mickelson just made his second birdie of the day, on the par-4 third, to get to 8 under and a share of the lead, but only for a moment. That's because Lee Westwood birdied the first hole to move to 9 under.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is just one back after a birdie on his first hole. Anthony Kim also bounced back from his opening bogey with a birdie on the second hole. It looks like there is going to be a lot of movement on the leaderboard today. -- Brian Wacker
TRACKING TIGER (2:45 p.m.): There was a huge roar a moment ago -- so loud it could be heard from the media center, which is a permanent building to the right of the first fairway. What was it for? Tiger Woods, who just birdied the opening hole to get to 7 under. He's now within one of the lead. -- Brian Wacker
A.K. NOT O.K. (2:41 p.m.): Anthony Kim just bogeyed No. 1, missing a par-saving putt on the 445-yard first hole. That drops Kim to 5 under and into a tie for sixth.
Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson has an early birdie on his scorecard, getting him to 6 under and within two of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, both of whom are about to tee off. -- Brian Wacker
FAST START FOR FREDDY (2:34 p.m.): Friday, putting was Fred Couples' downfall. He took 33 putts and shot 75. Early in Round 3, he's back to making birdies. Couples one-putted each of the first two holes, making birdie on each, to get to 2 under on his round and 5 under for the week. Couples is now just three back of the lead. -- Brian Wacker
DOUBLE DIP (2:23 p.m.): Since 1934, only 10 players have won the week before winning a major. Anthony Kim, who is tied for third as he begins the third round, is trying to become the 11th.
Kim said Augusta National is his favorite course. It's easy to see why. He can hit it all over the ballpark off the tee and still contend -- much the same way he did in winning last week's Shell Houston Open, where he hit just 41 percent of his fairway. Kim shredded this place in the second round last year, shooting a 65. If he starts hitting the ball in the fairway, he might have a chance to do that again. -- Brian Wacker
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HEATH'S HOT START (2:12 p.m.): Heath Slocum is now within four of the lead -- after starting the day nine shots back -- thanks to a flawless start that was one stroke shy of tying the record for the lowest front nine here at Augusta National.
Slocum had five birdies, no bogeys and turned in 31 after hitting every green in regulation and taking just 13 putts. -- Brian Wacker
MOVING DAY (2 p.m.): The final groups are still about 30-45 minutes away from teeing off, but they're going to have company soon. Heath Slocum is 5 under through his first eight holes after birdies on Nos. 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8.
One of the better ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR, Slocum hasn't missed a green. He's also taken just 11 putts through his first eight holes.
This is just the second Masters for Slocum, who has three career wins on TOUR. His only other trip here was in 2008 when he tied for 33rd. Slocum has gone low before, though. Last year in Memphis, he shot a second-round 63. In 2003, he opened with a 61 at the Valero Texas Open.
Stay tuned, moving day could involve a lot of moving, even with difficult pin positions. -- Brian Wacker
THE OLD GUYS STORY (1:50 p.m.): Tom Watson and Fred Couples may have played themselves out of contention by shooting 74 and 75, respectively, in the second round. At 3 under entering the third round, five shots off the lead, they're not entirely out of it, though.
Of course, if Watson or Couples did go on to win, either one of them would become the oldest major championship winner in the history of golf. By a long way (see below). -- Brian Wacker
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IMPORTANCE OF STAYING CLOSE (1:28 p.m.): How important is it to hold at least a share of the third-round lead at the Masters? Consider this: The eventual champ has been either the leader or co-leader after 54 holes in nine of the last 11 Masters.
The only exceptions since 1999 were Mike Weir in 2003 (second place going into the final round) and Zach Johnson in 2007 (tied for fourth after 54 holes).
The position you'd really like to avoid after 54 holes is anything outside the top five. In the 73-year history of the Masters, just five winners have rallied on Sunday after being outside the top five starting the final round.
From a stroke standpoint, Jack Burke Jr. owns the biggest comeback, rallying from eight shots behind after 54 holes to win the 1956 Masters. No player in the last 13 Masters has won after being more than two strokes behind entering the final round. -- Mike McAllister
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FAMILIAR PAIRINGS (1:10 p.m.): For the third consecutive day, Tiger Woods and K.J. Choi will be paired together at the Masters. Having matched Woods' score at 6 under, Choi obviously hasn't felt much pressure in playing in front of the largest galleries at Augusta National.
But another American-Korean pairing has become an even more familiar sight recently.
For the fifth consecutive round, Phil Mickelson and Y.E. Yang will be in the same group. The two were together in the final two rounds of the Shell Houston Open last week. Then in the first two rounds this week, they were in the same threesome with Australia's Robert Allenby.
Mickelson would have been paired with Woods today had he managed a birdie on the 18th hole in Friday's second round. Instead, he had to settle for par, leaving him at 6 under. Yang goes into the third round at 5 under.
"I'm getting use to it," Yang said of playing with Mickelson. "He definitely has a positive vibe, and so I get that vibe and I play a bit more comfortable with him."
Mickelson certainly is excited about the chance of slipping into a third Green Jacket this weekend.
"To only be two back, to be in third place going into the weekend -- there's nothing like being in contention on the weekend at Augusta National," Mickelson said. "There's no better feeling in the game. There's nothing you dream of more.
"I'm within two shots. I'm playing very well, and I feel like I'm right on the edge. I've rolled the ball as well as I have in a long time." -- Mike McAllister
TIGER NEAR THE TOP (12:56 p.m.): The last time Tiger Woods was tied for third heading into the third round of the Masters was in 2005. He won. So he has that going for him. Woods, though, has also won nearly six of his season-openers (see below for more). -- Brian Wacker
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YANG SEEKS TWO IN ROW (12:38 p.m.): Korean star Y.E. Yang begins Saturday's third round three shots off the lead, excellent position to make some noise this weekend. Should Yang managed to claim the Green Jacket on Sunday, it would put him in rare company.
Since the PGA Championship became the last major of the year in 1954, just two players have won the PGA Championship and the Masters -- the season's first major -- in consecutive major starts: Tiger Woods (2000 PGA, 2001 Masters on his way to the Tiger Slam) and Phil Mickelson (2005 PGA, 2006 Masters).
Before 1954, the PGA Championship was held before the British Open, which explains why Sam Snead (1951 PGA, 1952 Masters) is not on the list.
And in 1971, the PGA Championship was the season's first major, held in February at PGA National Golf Club. Jack Nicklaus went wire-to-wire to win the event, then followed it two months later with a tie for second at the Masters. The next year, Nicklaus won at Augusta.
Despite coming in as the most recent major winner, Yang -- playing in just his third Masters -- has flown under the radar in the first two days. But he looks to make his presence felt today.
"I've still got two rounds of golf left," Yang said. "I'm still in the top 10. I'm only three strokes behind the leader, so I can't be too worried about that.
"Overall, I think that the (first) two rounds have been fairly good with my analysis ... and the strategy that I set to this point has paid off."
Yang also expects his fellow countryman K.J. Choi to also make an impact. Choi will play with Tiger Woods in the penultimate group Saturday, with both players at 6 under, two strokes off the pace.
"He's played on this course in this tournament for eight consecutive years now," Yang said, "so he knows this place much better than I do. So I think that it's about time that K.J. performs in this and hopefully he can sustain it the next two rounds. Hopefully it will be the same for me." -- Mike McAllister
THIRD ROUND UNDER WAY (12:30 p.m.): The leaders won't go off for a couple of hours, but the early groups are out on what is a spectacular day of weather -- temperatures creeping toward the low 70s and sun shining. Whether it's a spectacular day of scoring could be another story.
The opening round saw 31 players under par with some of the easiest pin positions Augusta National has ever had. Scoring was down Friday and should be again here in Round 3 with much tougher pins before what could be another red-number day on Sunday.
As for the leads, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, it took Poulter 11 rounds here before he was able to record a sub-par score. His last two (back-to-back 68s) matched his career low at Augusta. That gives Poulter below-par scores in six of his last 10 rounds here.
Oddly, Poulter has never held a lead after any round on the PGA TOUR in stroke play (106 starts). His best position after the second round on TOUR is second at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship. His best position in a major after the second round was a tie for third at the 2008 Masters, where he eventually finished in a tie for 25th. -- Brian Wacker
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