A quick look at the third round of the Masters:
Hole of the day
The par-5 eighth hole played as the third easiest hole of the day and it provided one of the most exciting moments of the day. Tony Finau came eight inches away from an albatross with his approach shot. He tapped in for eagle on his way to an 11-under par tournament through three rounds. In all the hole played to a 4.631 scoring average on Saturday with one eagle, 26 birdies, 34 pars and just four bogeys.
Trending up
Tiger Woods. The roars again echoed throughout Augusta National as the comeback of Woods continues to reach new heights. He has a significant win with last year’s Tour Championship. He’s now well within reach of a 15th major after his last came at the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods enters the final round at 11-under par, two strokes off the lead and in the final group.
Trending down
Phil Mickelson. The three-time champion was within striking distance to start the third round. However, he finished with a 2-under 70. Not a bad round. However with plenty of other golfers going low, he will be seven strokes off the leader Francesco Molinari at 13-under to start the final round.
Quote of the day
“Kuch to Phil after finishing their round: “Good job we didn’t have any side action – I would have waxed you.” – Luke Donald on Twitter. Phil Mickelson took a good-natured shot at Matt Kuchar regarding his recent issue with a caddie before Saturday’s round. Kuchar shot a 68 to stand 8-under while Mickelson shot 70 to stand at 6-under.
Break in tradition
Not only has the potential of bad weather on Sunday created an early start and finish, it is also causing a break in tradition. To help fans get off the course faster, the green jacket ceremony on the practice putting green has been cancelled. Defending champion Patrick Reed will, however, be in Butler Cabin to help the winner put his arms through the green jacket in the ceremony that will be televised by CBS.
Did you know?
This year’s Masters winner will receive $2,070,000 in prize money. The runner-up will receive $1,242,000.
The 50th place finisher will receive $28,980. The remaining 15 players who made the cut will receive cash prizes ranging downward from $28,290 depending on the scores.
For a full breakdown of prize money go to: https://www.ajc.com/sports/golf/masters-payouts-winner-gets-more-than-million/gLDtz7FAnwpUXFB364DnYM/
Weather report
Sunday’s final round of the Masters will be affected by weather as tournament officials moved up starting times. Leaders will start at 9:20 a.m. as the players will be grouped in threes and go off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees. Scattered showers are possible in the morning before an approaching cold front brings increasing chances for strong, potentially severe thunderstorms after 4 p.m. and continuing into the evening. Winds will increase ahead of the afternoon front with gusts expected to reach 20-30 mph later in the day. High of 82 degrees, low of 67 degrees.
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