AUGUSTA – While it’s possible that college allegiances don’t carry much weight in the afterlife, and canine and insect possibly live in harmony and free of message board blather and Twitter, Saturday probably went over well with Bobby Jones.
Jones, Georgia Tech’s most famous golfing alum and presumably a hell of a mechanical engineer, co-founded Augusta National in 1933. But there was been little in the way of carryover in the Masters until another former Tech player, Larry Mize, won the Masters. That was 27 years ago.
Can Yellow Jacket and green jacket become at one again?
Matt Kuchar, who has had top 10 finishes in Augusta the last two years and briefly held a share of the lead in the final round in 2012, shot a third-round 68 Saturday to pull within a shot of the Masters’ lead at 4-under par, just one back of 2012 champion Bubba Watson and the surprising 20-year-old interloper, Jordan Spieth.
Augusta National was conceived by a Tech man. It’s now run by a Georgia man (Billy Payne) and the tournament was won by Watson, the former Bulldog, two years ago, when one of the world’s most famous golf clubs assume the sounds of a Saturday in Athens.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Kuchar said, laughing, when asked about the potential of a Dog and a Jacket going to head-to-head for a Masters title in the final round. “I’m all about the competition. I get along with Bubba. I get along with all those (Georgia) guys. Besides, I still get a lot of, ‘Go Jackets.’”
He has been in this position before. He finished third in 2012. He finished eighth last year, following up a third-round 69 with a Sunday 73 (including a bogey on No. 18). Closing the deal has become an issue for him of late. He had potential wins in his last two tournaments in San Antonio and Houston before coming to Augusta this week but fizzled down the stretch.
But on Saturday, he preferred to not talk about those endings or the last two at the Masters.
“This is a position all of us hope to be in when we show up on Monday or Tuesday,” he said. “You hope that your game is ready. You hope that you play good golf Thursday, Friday, Saturday and you’ve got a chance in one of the last groups on Sunday.”
When asked if he could draw anything from being near the top of leaderboard last year on Sunday, Kuchar said, “I’m happy the last couple of weeks I’ve been around with a chance to win. Last year, it’s a long time ago in the game of golf. The last two weeks are a lot fresher. I’ll take a lot more from the last two weeks than I will from a year ago.”
He began the day at par, well off the leaderboard and seven shots behind Watson. So this wasn’t quite in the forecast. But similar to the Saturday of a year ago, when Kuchar played his way to within four shots of the lead with a 69, he struck third-round magic again.
He birdied No. 2. He birdied No. 3. He birdied No. 9, then 13, 14, 15. He went from off the board to the top of it with a share of the lead. He hit every fairway. He excelled with his approach shots.
For most of the day, Kuchar even tamed Augusta’s torturous, glass-like greens.
“The greens are as fast as I ever remember seeing Masters greens — a bit on the frightening side,” he said.
Witness the relative horrors on No. 18. Kuchar’s second shot bounced on the green and rolled past the hole and down the hall into the gallery. Kuchar followed with a seemingly terrific putt back onto the green but the ball rolled past the hole … and rolled … and rolled …
“There’s just next to no grass on the 18th green, and I watched my putt just continue rolling out forever,” he said.
He was left with a putt of at least 35 feet for par. His aim was perfect but the speed of the roll again was too much. (“I felt like I wasn’t overly aggressive with that putt.”) The ball went over the top, hit the back rim of the hole and popped out. He tapped in for the bogey. Otherwise, he would be tied for the lead going into Sunday.
This is Kuchar’s eighth Masters. He also played here when he was in college. He came to learn one of the unique benefits of going to Georgia Tech: a club member annually invited the Jackets to play in one of the world’s most exclusive clubs. It’s like the Bobby Jones Hall pass.
When asked at last year’s Masters about his first trip to Augusta, Kuchar said, “As a college kid you never iron clothes or prepare the night before, but when you come to Augusta National you iron and lay everything out the night before. It’s one of those magical memories. I remember playing, and every hole seeming to go by so fast. Then all of a sudden, I was in the clubhouse having a cheeseburger.”
He’s hoping that familiarity will help him Sunday. He’s also hoping the ending will be different this time.
“It was a couple years ago, on the outskirts, and I eagled the 15th hole to momentarily tie for the lead,” he said. “Just a real thrill to be that close, that far along on a Sunday. It’s going to be one of those unique and special days.”
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