Key events
“Fore please! Now driving, Rory McIlroy!” His tee shot dunks into the bunker down the right of the fairway. We don’t get a view of it, but it sounded like it plugged. Bryson DeChambeau up next, and he hoicks his drive into the pines down the left. Will either player have a shot into the green? Both with nerves a-jangling all right. And with that, destiny is set in motion.
Min Woo Lee holes out from the bunker at the back of 18, just like Rory McIlroy did three years ago when shooting a final-day 64. Then his playing partner Justin Thomas bundles a chip up from the bank to the left of the green, and that disappears for birdie as well. They finish +6 and +2 respectively, and in a good humour. They could sell those two shots for a big chunk of change later on.
Corey Conners will believe he can nip between Rory and Bryson as they trade blows, and steal away with the Green Jacket. Why not? He’s already got three top-ten finishes here on his resumé, and has the steady fairways-and-greens game that works real nice around Augusta National. He whacks his opening drive down the middle. Meanwhile up on the green, it’s an opening birdie for last year’s runner-up Ludvig Åberg, who moves to -7, and won’t consider himself out of this just yet.
Opening pars for Scottie Scheffler and Shane Lowry. They remain at -5. Im Sung-jae is no longer alongside them, having been unable to get up and down from the bunker guarding the front-right of the par-three 4th. The 2020 runner-up slips back to -4.
Nothing went right for Justin Rose yesterday. His flat stick was stone cold, he shot 75, he spent a fair proportion of the round grumbling away at his perceived bad luck. But he’s in a much chipper mood this afternoon. Sending your approach on 1 from 162 yards to eight feet, then rolling in the birdie putt tends to help with stuff like that. A little fist pump, then a giggle with his caddie, and he moves to -6. Again, like Collin Morikawa, he’s almost certainly too far behind to have a chance of winning, unless both Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau do a Ken Venturi. (Jack Burke Jr came from eight back on Sunday in 1956 to win, but he needed the then-amateur Venturi to collapse to 80 to pip him by a stroke.) Still, let’s rule nothing out yet.
Quite a few experts tipped the in-form Collin Morikawa this week. It’s not quite happened for the 2020 PGA and 2021 Open champion, but he’s not been far off, coming into the final day having posted two level-par rounds of 72 sandwiching a 69. He’s surely too far off the pace to threaten today, unless the wheels come off all three of the leading trio, but he’s just followed up birdie at 2 by stroking a 25-footer across 3 for another. Im Sung-jae meanwhile birdies 2, and these lads are the first pair to make inroads near the top of the leader board.
-12: McIlroy
-10: DeChambeau
-8: Conners
-6: Reed, Åberg
-5: Morikawa (3), Im (3), Day, Scheffler, Lowry, Rose
Hideki Matsuyama can’t get up and down from the bunker at the front of 18, and finishes his week with his first bogey of the day. Such a shame but that’s a 66 for the former champ, a full 13-shot improvement on yesterday’s fiasco. He ends his Tournament at -2, and is the early clubhouse leader. “Matsuyama’s combo has a real Fenerbahçe vibe to it with that canary and navy,” observes Grant Tennille. I was thinking Boca Juniors, but we can go with Fener. He’s at least refrained from making a lunge for playing partner Akshay Bhatia’s nose, you’ll be pleased to hear.
The first match is back in the clubhouse. Lone wolf Brian Campbell sends his second over the flag to 14 feet, then hits his putt 13 feet and 11 inches. Shame, one more turn and he’d have finished the week at level par. But that’s a final round of 68 that’ll earn the world number 113 a few extra pounds and points.
It’s Rory McIlroy’s turn to chat to the Tiffany Network, and he’s asked how he whiled away the hours this morning. “Fortunately Sunday mornings are good for sport … I watched Carlos Alcaraz play tennis in Monte Carlo … a little bit of soccer … a little bit of F1 … just tried to keep myself distracted with other sports … but once you get to the golf course things kind of settle down and you get into your routine … you get going and do what’s familiar, which is comforting … just trying to go through my strategy for today … turn up with the same attitude I’ve had the last three days … I’m certainly not expecting to get off to that start again [the six consecutive threes at the start of yesterday’s round] … just hitting the first fairway, the first green, then go from there … I can only control the moment that’s right in front of me … that starts on the first tee shot … if I can do a good job controlling those moments thereafter I’ll be in a good spot.”
Bryson DeChambeau, who spent a loooong time on the range yesterday evening, is asked by CBS Sports what he was up to. “Getting my face alignment a little more consistent … that’s what you gotta do to get your golf ball around here … hopefully it pays off today … I’m just excited … I’m excited for the opportunity … I’m gonna have a lot of fun today … it’s going to be a great battle.”
Also going along very nicely today: Brian Campbell. The low amateur at the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay, the 32-year-old Californian is making his Masters debut this week, reward for winning his first PGA Tour event a couple of months ago at the Mexico Open. He’s going round with a marker, Augusta National member and Jeff Knox de nos jours Michael McDermott, a player who has also made his mark in the amateur game, beating future pro JB Holmes at the 2003 US Amateur. Anyway, Campbell’s made seven birdies through 17 holes, three bogeys taking off some of the shine. But not all of it. Par up the last and he’ll be signing for a valedictory 68. He’s +1 for the Tournament.
… and to illustrate, here’s Hideki Matsuyama. The 2021 champion was very much in the hunt going into Moving Day, starting his round a mere five strokes behind the 36-hole leader Justin Rose. But the 33-year-old Japanese fell out of contention in grim style, shooting a birdie-free, seven-over 79. Today however he’s back to his blistering best, with birdies at 3, 6, 8, 9, 14 and now 15. No dropped shots yet, and he’s hauled his way back up the standings to -2. It’s not quite up there with Nick Dunlap’s 90-71, but it’s quite the turnaround nonetheless, and a fine example of the possibilities out there today.
The weather gods are smiling on Augusta National today. It’s sunny, as warm as it’s been all week, and there’s not too much in the way of wind. A light swirl here or there may cause some indecision and a little local difficulty, but nothing that should cause too much concern. There’s a score out there. Go get it.
Preamble
There really is no need for the hard sell. Not when this is on offer. Not when it could finally happen. You know. It.
Group 27, 2.30pm, Rory McIlroy 204, Bryson DeChambeau 206
Corey Conners may also have something to say about that, as might a few assorted others, but let’s not waste precious energy on idle speculation. Because we’re going to need every drop of the stuff when things get real. Because they will, they certainly will. Here are the tee times. This blog will get going at 6pm BST. Emotion guaranteed. Drama for sure. Tears of one variety or another certain. It’s on!
-12: McIlroy
-10: DeChambeau
-8: Conners
-6: Reed, Åberg
-5: Day, Scheffler, Lowry, Rose
-4: Z Johnson, Echavarria, Schauffele, Im
-3: Homa, Morikawa, Hovland
Leave a Reply