Saturday the clouds of controversy parted and revealed a bouquet of alternative endings to the Masters champions’ tale. In the day’s first group, paired with an Augusta National member, Bubba Watson might as well been playing in a club scramble. Phil Mickelson couldn’t have gotten wetter at a water park, drowning his ball on all three holes of Amen Corner. They play on, content in the knowledge that no one can take their green jackets from them.
Bubba golf is entertaining in a mere 3 hours, 20 minutes
With his chances of defending his Masters championship dwindling somewhere just north of impossible, Bubba went back to being Bubba.
The 2012 champion Bubba Watson barely sneaked in under the cut line Friday and played Saturday with a scoring marker as the first competitor of the third round. Birdieing his first three holes of the day, Watson briefly entertained his dreams of shooting his way back into the contention. But a double bogey on 11 for the second consecutive day soon laid waste to those thoughts.
Watson managed to get around the Augusta National layout in a respectable 70 strokes. But at 2 over for the tournament, there remained too much ground to make up Sunday.
“All in all it was a good day,” said Watson, who is playing in his fifth Masters and first as defending champion. “I got to shoot under par and move up the leaderboard a little bit. I had to shoot real low today to have a chance and I didn’t. (Sunday) I’m just going to come out and just enjoy the walk as my last day as defending champ and try to shoot a decent number.”
Watson had gotten back to even par with a birdie on No. 10 and was 4 under for the round with Amen Corner and lots of scoring opportunity in front of him. But for the second day in a row the left-hander’s approach faded to the left and landed in the mounds at the bottom of the hill. From there his ball careened into slow-moving waters of Rae’s Creek.
“I had some great pars there in the middle and then had that one bad swing that got the momentum going the other way,” Watson said. “It’s just like any other sport, when you get the momentum going to other way it just seems like everything starts going against you.”
Watson did ask for a rules official to help him with his drop on 11. But he said that had nothing to do with Tiger Woods’ overnight travails. Watson said he never makes his own rulings.
“Personally, I don’t know the rule book, so I always call in a rules official,” he said. “That’s just me. … Even though the ball drop was there, I called him over just to make sure everything went right.”
Watson said he hit a club he didn’t feel good about on 13 and made bogey, missed fairways by a foot at 14 and 17 that kept him from hitting the ball close and bogeyed 18 for the second day in a row.
“Bad swings at the wrong time,” he said. “Those were wedges in my hand. So when you miss here just by a foot or so it makes it tough to get close.”
The best thing about the day, he said, was being the first player of the day to tee off. Playing with Augusta National club champion Jeff Knox, they played in three hours and 20 minutes. On Friday his round took 5 1/2 hours.
“Who doesn’t like that?” Watson said with a laugh. “The best part about it is Knox is a University of Georgia alum. I met him about 10, 12 years ago. So it was fun hanging out with him and just enjoying the day.”
Bulldog marker gets reacquainted with Bulldog champion
Jeff Knox said playing with defending champ Bubba Watson during the third round may have been the highlight of his 10 rounds as a marker during the Masters.
Knox, a member of Augusta National who holds the course record off the member’s tees (61), estimated that he shot a 78 that included three birdies. He usually is called to play in the Masters when there is an odd number of golfers in the field. Watson shot 2 under and is 2 over for the tournament.
“What an incredible experience for me to be there, especially with a guy like Bubba who is really passionate about his championship here,” Knox, 50, said. “He’s a great ambassador for the Masters tournament. I was tickled to death to play with him.”
Knox, a 1984 graduate of Georgia, said he and Watson, a former standout at Georgia, talked about Bulldogs sports during the round.
Knox knew Watson because he co-hosted the Georgia team at the course when Watson was enrolled.
Knox actually outdrove Watson, one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, on No. 7 “because he hit a 4-iron off the tee. That was the only one.”
Christmas in April for Masters aficionados
Hats and golf shirts seem to be the most popular items being purchased at Augusta National’s gift shops during this week’s Masters.
“It’s almost like Christmas in April here,” Virginia Beach resident Ron Lefton said, his clear gift bag resting between his feet.
It was Lefton’s second trip to the gift shop in as many days. He estimated he spent $600 on pictures, shirts, ball-markers, golf balls and hats for himself, wife and friends.
Among the different items, Augusta National offered different cases for iPhones featuring images of the famous golf course. Those were also popular items.
The most expensive item appeared to be a set of $880 gold cuff links with the Masters symbol.
Augusta National declined to share any financial information related to souvenir sales.
GOING LOW
Tim Clark of South Africa just missed tying a Masters front-nine scoring mark, shooting 31 with five birdies in his third round. The best front nines in Masters history:
Golfer; Score; Round; Year
Phil Mickelson; 30; 4th; 2009
K.J. Choi; 30; 2nd; 2004
Greg Norman; 30; 4th; 1988
Johnny Miller; 30; 3rd; 1975
Words with … Phil Mickelson
Q: Was there one thing that led to you playing, in your words, terrible?
A: I don't know what's going on, but I've been struggling with my ball striking. The putter actually feels good even though I missed a bunch. It doesn't feel good. The ball striking, I just don't know where it's going to go. But again, I'm having fun here, but it's disappointing. This is the one event I look forward to more than anything, and it's just kind of heartbreaking to play the way I've been playing. Disappointed in myself.
Q: Specifically on 11 and 12, how frustrating were those two holes?
A: Yeah, I'm 4 over for the tournament, so it's not like I'm right in the thick of it and had a heartbreaking shot that went in the water and cost me the tournament. I just hit a couple of terrible shots. But that's kind of the way it is out here. What I love about Augusta National is when you play well you can score really well, like Nick Watney did the back nine, shot a bunch under par (4 under), and if you play the way I did you shoot quite a few over. That really gives the players who are playing well a chance to separate themselves and identifies the best player.
Q: Looking ahead there’s a possibility that you could be paired with Guan, the 14-year-old, tomorrow. What do you think of him?
A: Yeah, that would be cool. I saw him earlier here last week as we were getting ready for the tournament. What a classy person he is. He's got a great game. I hope that happens. That would be cool. I wish we were a lot lower score, but hopefully we'll have a chance to do it.
Q: How disappointed are you, it doesn’t seem to be showing?
A: Yeah, I am disappointed. If I look back on it, it's been my iron play that's been very poor, poor iron shots in the water, poor distance control, missing it in the wrong spots, that wedge yesterday on 9. … I just have not hit my irons the way I've been hitting them the last few years.
NOT IN FULL SONG
Phil Mickelson, who doesn’t crave playing on the weekend when not in contention, made back-to-back double bogeys on Nos. 11-12 and hit into the water on both 12 and 13 and matched his worst single-round score in 81 rounds of Masters:
Year; Score; Round
2013; 77; third
2007; 77; fourth
2007; 76; first
2000; 76; third
1997; 76; first
About the Author
