Moving Day really moved some, huh? If Sunday is half as wild, we’ll be in for a classic. Hope you’ll join us! Thanks for reading this blog.
-11: Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy
-10: Sam Burns
-9: Shane Lowry
-8: Jason Day, Justin Rose
-7: Scottie Scheffler, Haotong Li
-6: Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley, Patrick Reed
McIlroy signs for 73
McIlroy’s birdie putt never looks like getting there, but it’s a tap-in for a 73. His six-shot lead has evaporated, but he’ll be in the final pairing tomorrow with today’s star turn Cameron Young. Meanwhile par for Sam Burns, who will be happy with his 68, and will play in the penultimate match with Shane Lowry.
Rory could do with one last swashbuckle, and he gives it a good go. From the centre of 18, he sends his iron over the flag, landing it 25 feet past before screwing it back a notch. He’ll have a 20-foot look at birdie. Sam Burns, who like Justin Rose before him has gone round without making bogey, will try from 45 feet. The patrons give both players a big ovation as they make their way up the hill to the green.
Rory has hoicked his driver this way and that all day. But at 18, he sends it into prime position. Meanwhile up on the green, Justin Rose takes two careful putts for a valedictory par. A steady-eddie 69, and the three-time runner-up will have yet another chance to finally land that elusive Green Jacket. He’s -8.
McIlroy tickles the putt towards the hole … but doesn’t give it quite enough. It turns sadly to the right just before the cup. McIlroy doubles over in despair, as though performing touchy-toes in the 1870s exercise style. Bogey, which let’s be honest, was always most likely after that tee shot. Back to a tie for the lead at -11. Par meanwhile for Sam Burns, who has been the bizarro Rory today, in that his round has been almost totally drama- and fuss-free.
-11: Young (F), McIlroy (17)
-10: Burns (17)
-9: Lowry (F)
-8: Day (F), Rose (17)
McIlroy wastes no time in pulling wedge from his bag, and lobbing aggressively up the swale from the back of 17. His chip rolls ten feet past the flag, but it’s a relatively straight one coming back. Another big putt coming up.
Rory isn’t completely tucked behind the tree on 17. There’s a bit of space to punch past it, and another window further on. So he can take aim for the green. He clacks out, and catches it well. Perhaps too well, as it scampers up onto the green, then over the back. But he’d have taken this outcome when walking up to find the fate of his drive.
Shane Lowry shoots 68
Some day for Shane. Par at the last, and some crystal to come for his hole-in-one at 6. He’s become the first player to record two aces at the Masters! He’s -9 and nicely placed for Sunday.
Justin Rose has been quietly efficient today. His second into 17 only just holds onto the edge of the green on the right, with the flag miles away to the left. But he cradles the long putt up to kick-in distance. Par saved, and still not a blemish on his card today with one hole to go. He’s -8.
… and here it comes. Rory misses yet another fairway, yanking his drive at 17 into the tree line on the left. And his ball may have scampered right behind a trunk. That may well force a sideways chip out. More when we have it. Meanwhile up on 18, Shane Lowry finds the heart of the green and will have a look at birdie from 25 feet.
After all that drama, a simple par for Rory McIlroy at 16. Tee shot into the heart of the green, a slow uphill putt from 30 feet, a tap-in. He remains -12. Par as well for Sam Burns, who stays put at -10. After all the fireworks, it feels as though Moving Day is finally petering out, everyone on the property spent. But is there one twist left?
Rory reclaims top spot
Rory gives it a good run. It dies off to the left on its final turn, but that’s consecutive birdies. If all that faff in the trees on 13, with the patrons and the cameras and the cables and the metal posts, was vaguely reminiscent of Jordan Spieth in the Birkdale car park, then this par-birdie-birdie response is as well, an ersatz version of Spieth’s carpe-diem Open win. OK, maybe not quite so dramatic, or decisive, or quite as awe-inspiringly outrageous. But you get the gist, I hope.
-12: McIlroy (15)
-11: Young (F)
-10: Burns (15)
-9: Lowry (17)
-8: Day (F), Rose (16)
-7: Scheffler (F), Li (F), Reed (16)
On 15, McIlroy finds himself in a not-dissimilar position to the one he made a little bit of history with last year. He doesn’t have to work it so dramatically around the trees, right to left, but there’s a gentle draw in there. And he lands it in the middle of the green, from where he’ll have a look at eagle from 25 feet. He stomps down the fairway after it with perhaps the steeliest glint there’s ever been in his eye. He stared into the abyss around Amen Corner today, and nearly came a comedy cropper. But he’s dug deep so impressively: the par save at 13, the birdie at 14, and now this chance to reassert himself at the top of the standings. Big putt coming up.
Justin Rose can’t make his birdie putt on 15, but he’d have taken this par when watching his ball bound off down that bank. Meanwhile a bogey at 18 for Haotong Li, who ends a day that promised more with a nevertheless impressive 69. He’s -7.
LIVE LONDON BUS ARRIVALS: Having waited all day for Rory McIlroy to find a fairway with his driver, he now finds two in a row. This one at 15. Meanwhile up the hole, Justin Rose lobs out from the bottom of the hill on the left, then wedges his third to 12 feet. There’s no point predicting anything today.
Now then! Rory McIlroy pulls his approach into the 14th green. But the ball still turns a little towards the cup, and from 20 feet he steers in a left-to-right slider for a most unlikely – and frankly, given what preceded it – unexpected birdie. This Moving Day, once just gently oscillating, is now spinning around at warp speed. It’s been wild.
-11: Young (F), McIlroy (14)
-10: Burns (14)
-9: Lowry (15)
-8: Day (8), Li (17), Rose (14)
-7: Scheffler (F), Reed (14)
Cameron Young shoots 65
Par for the leader at the last, and this is a brilliant day’s work from the current Players Champion. Par too for Jason Day and that’s a fine 68. These two inspiring each other to great heights. Incidentally, the last two winners of the Masters, Scottie and Rory, were the reigning Players champion at the time. Tiger did that particular double in 2001 as well.
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Shane Lowry salvages his par on 15. He gently wedges from the dropzone to five feet, and calmly rolls in the saver. That could prove so valuable down the line. He remains at -10. Meanwhile Justin Rose sends a wild hook into deep, deep trouble down the left of 15. The ball bounds down a huge bank, and he may not have an easy route back out. You don’t often see players going so far left there.
BREAKING NEWS: Rory McIlroy finds a fairway with his driver. He does it, he really does it, on 14. It’s tight down the left, mind you, but on the fairway is on the fairway.
-11: Young (17)
-10: McIlroy (13), Burns (13)
-9: Lowry (14)
-8: Day (17), Li (17), Rose (14)
-7: Scheffler (F), Reed (14)
-6: Cantlay (F), Henley (F), Clark (16)
OK, fair measure, the wheels haven’t clanked off just yet. Despite the zig-zagging down 13 along a clown-car route, Rory gathers himself, putting up from the swale to a couple of feet, from where he’s able to tap in for a face-saving par. But this is giving his playing partner Sam Burns renewed hope, and once again he watches McIlroy faffing around, and quietly makes birdie. He pulls up alongside him on the Leader Board at -10. Oh, and the pressure isn’t just telling on Rory … because Shane Lowry becomes the latest player to find the water at 15.
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Rory finally punches out from the pines, having moved the patrons a good 50 yards right. He’s shifted the big sack of camera equipment too, plus some cables. But when the ball flies out low, it clips one of the posts used to keep the patrons back, flies straight into the air, and lands softly. That’s probably robbed him of 50 yards … then his third flies in flat and sails through the back of the green. This is all a dreadful mess. He’s been off it all day, but this is veering dangerously towards wheels-off territory.
McIlroy is snookered by a large pine. He can’t really go to the left of it, so orders the patrons lining the hole down the right to nudge back. There’s a lot of them, and it’s going to take a while. There’s also some broadcasting equipment in a bag to shift. It’s not quite Spieth at Birkdale, but it’s something. Meanwhile on 17, Cameron Young leaves a long birdie putt eight feet short, but salvages his par with a staunch roll. He remains one clear at -11.
Justin Rose isn’t out of this yet. Not at all. His approach into 13 sails into the swale at the back. He putts back up and trundles 15 feet past … but slides in the right-to-left birdie effort, and walks off with renewed spring in his step. He’s -8. Meanwhile up on 14, birdie for Shane Lowry, who might soon be Ireland’s best bet the way Rory is capitulating. He’s -9.
“Aw, get lucky.” Another Rory drive, another Rory disaster. He carves his tee shot at 13 into the pines on the right. He might be tucked in behind a trunk. You have to wonder why he’s not put the big stick back in the bag and played some fairway finders to stem the bleeding. This is approaching the status of fiasco.
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While all that was happening, Jason Day was unable to get up and down from the sand on 16. Bogey, and a sorry end to his run of four birdies. He’s back to -8. And if you were still unsure whether or not this was Cameron Young’s day, he carves his tee shot at 17 into the trees down the right … and gets another huge bounce back into play! That’s not quite as outrageous as the stroke of luck he enjoyed on 13, but when you’re hot, you’re hot.
Cameron Young takes over at the top
Rory’s chip up from the back of 12 is weak. Only just up onto the green. He can’t make the 15-footer that remains … and in the meantime, Cameron Young, who carefully sent his tee shot at 16 to the right-hand portion of the green, well away from danger, steers in the 27-foot right-to-left swinger for birdie, and it’s all change at the top!
-11: Young (16)
-10: McIlroy (12)
-9: Burns (12)
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“Aw no!” Rory’s head is gone. He pulls his tee shot at 12 towards the azaleas on the left. He’s fortunate his ball lands just short of the flower bed, but that’s still going to be one heck of an up and down if he’s to save his par. Meanwhile over on 15, Li nearly salvages his par by dropping and wedging his fourth to 12 feet, but misreads the par putt and he’ll slip back to -8 again.
McIlroy's lead cut to one
The unique pressure of the Masters, right here! Haotong Li, from the centre of the 15th fairway, tops his iron into the water! Jason Day pulls his tee shot at 16 into the bunker on the left, with the pin away to the right. And Rory McIlroy takes the brave line from the dropzone at 11, over the water, screwing the ball to a halt six feet away, but blocks the bogey putt to the right. That’s his first double of the week, and all of a sudden, that six-shot lead is down to one. Meanwhile his playing partner Sam Burns, who has been quiet since his birdie-birdie start, makes his third birdie of the day at last. And now look. And now look.
-11: McIlroy (11)
-10: Young (15)
-9: Day (15), Li (14), Burns (11)
-8: Lowry (12)
-7: Scheffler (F), Rose (12)
A huge break for Rory on 11, whose drive towards nonsense pings back into the centre of the fairway. But he doesn’t take advantage, because from 200 yards, he yanks a dreadful approach towards the pond guarding the left of the green … and in! Then up on 15, Cameron Young tidies up for his bogey, some escape given his dip into the drink, while Jason Day, who only just got over the water himself, takes two putts from distance for his fourth birdie in a row! Look at this now! And it’s all about to change, with Rory forced to go back to the dropzone, from where he’ll not have too much green to play with.
-13: McIlroy (10)
-10: Young (15)
-9: Day (15), Li (14)
-8: Lowry (12), Burns (10)
Haotong Li bounces back in stylish fashion. Like Cameron Young before him, he sends a lovely second into 14, landing on the exact spot that brings the ball to the right and towards the hole. That’s a sure-fire birdie, and he’ll move back to -9.
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Rory flays his drive at 11 into the trees on the right. This is getting old. Meanwhile disaster for Cameron Young on 15. He hooks his drive towards the tree line down the left. He’s not able to sling his second around the branches like McIlroy did on Sunday last year, so just punches back out into the centre of the fairway … from where he only just wedges over the pond, the ball sticking on the bank and toppling back into the blue unknown! He wastes no time in dropping and trying again, and screws this one to four feet. That’s a strong response, and he’s given himself the chance of limiting the damage to bogey. But that was a clumsy error.
Finally, something positive for Rory McIlroy! He shoots an iron from 157 yards to six feet on 10, and tickles in the little right-to-left slider that remains. He’s into red figures for his round at long last … and a reminder that he was only one under for his round at this point yesterday, and look what happened after that. Another six-birdie blitz is probably too much to ask, but you can be sure the player himself has drawn the comparison. Meanwhile a bogey for his pal Shane Lowry after a visit to the trees down the left of 11.
-13: McIlroy (10)
-11: Young (14)
-8: Day (14), Li (13), Lowry (11), Burns (10)
-7: Scheffler (F), Rose (10)
Haotong Li takes his first backwards step of the day. He attempts to bite off too much angle with his approach into the par-three 13th, going aggressively for the pin, and plops his ball in Rae’s Creek. A bogey that slips him back to -8.
That three-birdie opening salvo of Patrick Reed seems a long time ago. He’s now back to where he started, having sent his approach at 10 into the bunker on the right, and only just escaping from a plugged lie. He’s -6 and perhaps those four weeks off are beginning to have an effect.
Cameron Young was four over after seven holes on Thursday. He’s about to get to within a shot of the leader. He bombs a drive down 14 then lands his wedge on a sixpence, using the tilt of the green to gather his ball to a couple of feet. Before he can tidy up, his playing partner Jason Day rattles in a 12-footer for his third consecutive birdie. And then in goes Young’s putt. He’s seven under for his round today! And we thought Scottie was on a heater.
-12: McIlroy (9)
-11: Young (14)
-9: Li (12), Lowry (10)
-8: Day (14), Burns (9)
-7: Scheffler (F), Rose (9)
Cameron Young nearly drains a long uphill eagle putt on 13. But it’s a tap-in for birdie, and he becomes the first of the chasing pack to make it to double figures. Elsewhere, Shane Lowry bounces back from his bogey at 9 by firing a forensic approach at 10 to a couple of feet, and tidying up. He’s -9 again. And it’s back-to-back birdies for the 2011 runner-up Jason Day, at 12 and 13, and he’s not out of this yet at -7. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy, with nothing happening, pars 9 to turn in level-par 36. His 36-hole lead of six is down to two.
-12: McIlroy (9)
-10: Young (13)
-9: Li (12), Lowry (10)
-8: Burns (9)
-7: Scheffler (F), Day (13), Reed (9), Rose (9)
Scottie Scheffler makes an ominous statement on Sky Sports: “I’m not out of it, as of now.”
“Aw, how awesome is that?! That’s so nice!” Cameron Young responds to the trees throwing his drive, hooked miles left on 13, back over Rae’s Creek and into the fairway. That’s a big break, because for a brief moment, it looked as though his momentum was heading into the forest. And one whip-cracked iron later, he’s on the green at the par-five in two! Meanwhile Justin Rose pars 9 to hit the turn in a quiet but steady 34. Birdies at 3 and 8. Last year’s runner-up is -7.
Turns out Rory didn’t send his drive fully into the jungle. The line of patrons stopped that happening. But they’ve been moved back, and while he’s blocked out from the green by overhanging branches, he’s able to sling a big hook around them with an iron to reach the swale front-right of the putting surface. He wedges up from 22 yards to five feet past the flag. A little heavy handed, and when he prods with great uncertainty at the downhill birdie putt he’s left with, it’s just a par. He wanders off the green juggling with the ball, kidding on he doesn’t care too much. But he cares. Too much? Probably, but that’s part of his charm.
-12: McIlroy (8)
-9: Young (12), Li (11)
-8: Lowry (9), Burns (8)
Shane Lowry misses the 9th green to the right. He bundles his third up to three feet, only to miss the short par putt. A careless pull. Some unwelcome backward momentum as he hits the turn, which he nevertheless does in 33 shots. He’s -8.
Rory McIlroy sends his tee shot at 8 into the trees down the left. He’s now dead last in the driving accuracy stats: 91st of 91. He’s leading the Masters by three strokes! This is gloriously absurd.
Scottie Scheffler shoots 65
Scheffler yanks his tee shot into the bushes down the left of 18. With his backswing impeded, he’s forced to punch out. No matter, though! He wedges his third from the centre of the fairway, 101 yards out, over the flag, and spins it back to kick-in distance. In business mode, when he makes it to the green, he pulls the flag himself and taps in for a bogey-free 65. That’s the round of a two-time champion. A two-time champ who fancies making it a hat-trick. Even so, he’s left himself with work to do tomorrow. But he’s in the mix, and having started 12 shots back, that was all he could ask for. Simply brilliant from the world number one.
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Rory holes his par putt. He’s hanging on a little here, but two big scrambles in a row will give him succour. Especially as Li lets his birdie effort on 10 dribble off to the right. The lead could have been down to one; it remains at three.
-12: McIlroy (7)
-9: Young (11), Li (10), Lowry (8)
Haotong Li very nearly holes out from 185 yards on 10. He’s guiding his approaches with laser-like accuracy today. The ball slingshots around the rim and he’ll have a five-footer for birdie. That could put the cat among the pigeons, because back on 7, Rory McIlroy is forced to send a chaser up towards the green, under some hanging branches, and can only find the bunker front right. He whips out to six feet, but there are a couple of big putts coming up. Meanwhile birdie for Shane Lowry on 8, and the 2019 Open champ moves alongside Li at -9.
Cameron Young is launching a serious bid for this title. He flings a dart at the flag on 10, and that moves the Players champion to within three. Meanwhile McIlroy misses another fairway with the big stick, sending his drive into the patrons down the right. The woman whose feet the ball lands by seems delighted; the man who hit the ball less so. A look of concern spreads across his face. He’d be no doubt slightly buoyed by Scottie Scheffler’s misread of a short birdie putt on 17, but that’d be slim pickings for the leader, who has stalled today while several big names behind him are charging hard.
-12: McIlroy (6)
-9: Young (10), Li (9)
-8: Lowry (7), Burns (6)
-7: Scheffler (17), Reed (7)
-6: Cantlay (F), Henley (F), Clark (8), Rose (7)
Well, this is a quite sublime up and down by Rory McIlroy. He’s at the bottom of the bank to the left of the 6th, near a walkway for the patrons. He pings his chip into the face of the slope, getting his ball to dink up and roll softly to three feet. He tidies up to remain at -12. All good, though for the moment, Rory and Tommy Fleetwood (7) are the only players in the current top 20 positions not under par for their round today.
So much for Scottie Scheffler losing momentum! He fires his tee shot at 16 to ten feet, and in goes the putt. The birdie nudges the world number one further up the Leader Board, and with Rory having just yanked his tee shot into an extremely unpromising position down a large swale to the left of the par-three 6th, it’s perfectly possible that Scheffler could be within four shots in a few minutes. He started the day 12 adrift of McIlroy!
-12: McIlroy (5)
-9: Li (8)
-8: Young (9), Lowry (7), Burns (5)
-7: Scheffler (16), Reed (6)
-6: Cantlay (F), Henley (F), Clark (7), Rose (6)
Haotong Li eats into Rory’s lead with eagle on 8! He creams a fairway wood from 240 yards into the heart of the green, a gentle fade that rolls up to 18 inches. In goes the putt, and the two-time Open nearly man is five under for his round already! He’s -9. Meanwhile Russell Henley, who tied for fourth here in 2023, finishes with birdies at 15, 16 and 18 for a blemish-free 66. He joins Patrick Cantlay in the clubhouse lead at -6.
You’ll have noticed Patrick Reed slipping back down the Leader Board. Bogey at 5, and he’s not made a par today yet. He’s -7. Meanwhile for the third day running, Scottie Scheffler fails to birdie either 13 or 15. He finds the bunker back-left of the former, then bounds his approach through the green at the latter. Just pars, and the world number one is two over on these holes so far this week. Very strange. All of which has stalled his momentum rather. He remains -6. Better news in the following group, as Collin Morikawa holes out from 94 yards, one hop, spin and in. The eagle takes the two-time major winner up to -3.
Let’s get back down to earth, where Lowry’s compatriot Rory McIlroy does extremely well to get up and down from the bunker where he’s shortsided himself at 4. Cameron Young meanwhile makes his fourth birdie of the day, at the par-five 8th. And Patrick Cantlay birdies 18 to sign for his second bogey-free round in a row: 66 to follow yesterday’s 67. Curse that opening day’s 77, which, sure enough, contained five bogeys and no birdies. Strange old game, huh. Cantlay is the new clubhouse leader at -6.
-12: McIlroy (4)
-8: Young (8), Lowry (6), Burns (4)
-7: Li (7), Reed (5)
-6: Cantlay (F), Scheffler (15), Clark (6), Rose (5)
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… meanwhile over on the nearby 16th green, Harris English, lining up a putt, theatrically waves his arms up and down, light-heartedly demanding the gallery at the 6th stop screaming. Quiet! Quiet! A huge smile playing across his face. A lovely moment of wit and warmth. Lowry joins Leland Gibson and Billy Joe Patton (1954), Charles Coody (1972), Chris DiMarco (2004), Jamie Donaldson (2013) and Corey Conners (2021) in acing the 6th. He’s already got one at the Masters, holing out on 16 in 2016. The glee on Lowry’s face: it never gets old!
Shane Lowry aces 6!
Lowry with a 7-iron at the 190-yard par-three 6th. A graceful whip. Straight at the flag. One big bounce. Two little skips. Then a serene roll straight into the cup! Lowry spins round, punches the air, and hugs his playing partner and pal Tommy Fleetwood as the gallery goes wild! That’s only the seventh hole-in-one at 6 in Masters history!
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… and now that lead is back to four strokes. Patrick Reed dumps his tee shot at the par-three 4th into the bunker guarding the front right, and fails to get up and down. Bogey; he’s -8. Though I’ll hold off on updating the Leader Board for just a minute, because in the final match that follows, Rory clips the back-edge of the bunker on the left and might not have a whole lot of green to work with coming out. Moving Day is beginning to Viciously Oscillate.
McIlroy’s eagle effort on 3, a left-to-right curler from 20 feet, stops one inch short. But that’s a birdie to stem the bleeding. The lead, which stood at six shots just over half an hour ago, but was reduced to two barely ten minutes back, is now three again. Moving Day, ladies and gentlemen!
-12: McIlroy (3)
-9: Reed (3)
-8: Burns (3)
-7: Young (7), Li (6)
-6: Scheffler (13), Clark (5), Lowry (4), Rose (3)
Patrick Cantlay is another player who will be cursing his cold start on Thursday. An opening round of 77 put him behind the eight-ball from the get-go, but he carded a blemish-free 67 yesterday, and he’s not dropped a stroke today either. He’s birdied 2, 8, 12, 13 and now 16 to rise all the way up to -5 overall. Winning is probably beyond him, simply due to the amount of traffic ahead of him on the Leader Board, but improving on his best finish of tied-ninth in 2019 – when he briefly led on Sunday after eagle at 15 - is a live prospect now.
… so Rory being Rory, he responds to those two errant drives by clattering his tee shot at the 350-yard par-four 3rd up onto the green. He’ll have a look at eagle from 22 feet.
McIlroy's lead cut to two in short order
The craziest stat of the week? Rory McIlroy, six shots clear of the field after 36 holes, coming in 90th of 91 for driving accuracy! The big stick’s not behaving any better today, and having missed the fairway on 1, he finds the trees down the right of 2. He carves his second towards the patrons to the left of the green, and doesn’t get his chip in close. He’s left with two putts for par from 37 feet. He does well to cosy the first one close enough to tap in for the saver. But that’s a shaky 5-5 start. Not quite was wild as the 6-5 he started with on Sunday last year, but still. His partner Sam Burns meanwhile makes another birdie, while Patrick Reed makes it three in a row at 3. Rory at the Masters, eh?
-11: McIlroy (2)
-9: Reed (3)
-8: Burns (2)
-7: Li (5)
-6: Scheffler (13), Young (6), Clark (4), Lowry (4), Rose (3)
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A third birdie in four holes for Haotong Li. The 30-year-old Chinese star was paired in the final round at the Open with Scottie Scheffler last year; what odds a repeat of that last-day pairing tomorrow? He’s -7. Meanwhile the aforementioned Brian Harman birdied 17 on his way home to a 67. The 2023 Open champ is the new clubhouse leader at -1.
You will have worked out from that updated Leader Board that Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood both made eagle at 2. No birdie on that hole in the following match from Justin Rose … but Patrick Reed made one, and he’s closing in Rory McIlroy, who lest we forget he bested in the final pairing in 2018. It’s not taken long for six to become three!
-11: McIlroy (1)
-8: Reed (2)
-7: Burns (1)
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Wyndham Clark takes a shy at the 3rd green from the tee. His ball bounds up onto the putting surface, rolls towards the cup and … dies to the left, four feet short. So, so, so close to a hole-in-one albatross! The 2023 US Open champion tidies up for eagle – only the 20th on this hole in Masters history - and he takes up his place in the chasing pack … which is given further encouragement by Rory, whose wedge into 1 from 90 yards topples over the back. The champion leaves a putt up from the fringe short, and that’s an opening bogey for the leader. Sam Burns makes birdie, and just like that, a six-shot lead has been reduced to four!
-11: McIlroy (1)
-7: Reed (1), Burns (1)
-6: Scheffler (12), Young (5), Li (4), Clark (3), Lowry (2), Fleetwood (2)
Scottie Scheffler isn’t the only big name looming in Rory’s rear-view mirror. The local lad Patrick Reed has some record around Augusta National. That win in 2018, of course, but also four subsequent top-ten finishes, the latest coming just last year, when he holed out from the 17th fairway for eagle and a third-place finish. He’s continued that form into this week seamlessly, with a pair of 69s, and now he cracks his approach at Tea Olive from 165 yards to five feet. In goes the birdie putt, he moves to -7, and McIlroy’s lead is cut to just (!) five in the blink of an eye.
Rory McIlroy begins his third round
Rory on the tee. A few “Oh wow!”s as he batters his opening shot over the bunkers on the right of the fairway. His ball ends up in the second cut, but he should have a route to the green. He’s going round in this final pairing with Sam Burns, who splits the fairway. McIlroy goes into this round with the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history: his mark of six bests the five set by Harry Cooper (1936), Herman Keiser (1946), Jack Nicklaus (1975), Raymond Floyd (1976), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Scottie Scheffler (2022). All but Cooper went on to win.
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… and now Young chips in from the back of the par-three 4th! That’s a huge bonus, and reward for a 25-yard wedge that bumps up the slope before travelling along a huge left-to-right swing and dropping. Meanwhile the Scottie charge continues apace. He sends a gentle draw into the 11th from 191 yards, setting up an eight-footer for birdie. He’s just missed one from similar range, so this could either kick-start another low-scoring blitz, or sour his mood severely. Ah, it’s the latter! In it goes, into the centre of the cup. And with back-to-back birdies for Haotong Li, it’s safe to announce that the cream is rising.
-12: McIlroy
-6: Scheffler (11), Young (4), Li (3), Burns, Reed
-5: Matsuyama (8), Lowry (1), Fleetwood (1), Rose
Cameron Young lashes his tee shot all the way up onto the hi-rise green at the short par-four 3rd. He’s rewarded with birdie. The new Players champion will be utterly cursing his sorry opening salvo on Thursday: without those bogeys at 1, 5, 6 and 7, he’d be just three off the lead now. Just the one bogey since that cold start, incidentally, 32 holes and ten birdies later. A major champion in waiting, surely.
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Scheffler (10), Young (3), Li (2), Lowry (1), Fleetwood (1), Rose
Scottie Scheffler sends a lovely approach into the 10th. From 151 yards, he uses the bank guarding the bunker on the right of the green to bring his ball around to eight feet. A huge birdie chance, but he uncharacteristically lets it dribble apologetically on the low side. Just a par, although given 10 has only given up five birdies today, that “just” is doing a lot of work.
Tyrrell Hatton found every single green in regulation yesterday as he made his 66. Only Jim Furyk and Kevin Na have managed to achieve that in the last 30 years. So what happens at the very first hole today? Well, he lands his second onto the front portion of the green … but the spin takes him back off it. So that’s snapped that sequence. But he wedges up elegantly to six feet, and tidies up for his par. He’s -4.
Scheffler out in 31
Scottie Scheffler is on the charge! A no-fuss birdie at the par-five 8th. Then from 160 yards on 9, he lands his approach 15 feet front-left of the pin and uses the camber of the green to gather his ball towards the hole. The ball rolls serenely towards the cup, and looks like dropping. Indeed it does, a little bit, taking a quick peek inside as it slingshots round the back, left, down, right, up again and out! So close to holing out for eagle! The ball stops four feet away. Birdie, and the world number one has traversed the front nine in 31 of your golf shots. This Masters ain’t over yet!
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Scheffler (9), Matsuyama (5), Gotterup (3), Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood
Updated
Chris Gotterup, who came third at last year’s Open, a week after winning the Scottish, looks the real deal. The 26-year-old from Oklahoma already has two wins on Tour this season, in Hawaii and Phoenix, and is looking good to make another big statement of intent on his Masters debut. Eagle at 2, after cracking his second from 227 yards to eight feet, and he’s -5 overall. He’s alongside Hideki Matsuyama, who has just carded his third consecutive birdie at 5, and you can be sure Rory McIlroy has clocked that the chasing pack haven’t given up hope yet. Plenty of movement beneath him on the Leader Board now.
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Matsuyama (5), Gotterup (2), Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood
-4: Scheffler (8), Knapp (4), Homa (3), Young (1), Clark, Hatton, Li, Reitan
-3: Fitzpatrick (6), Griffin (3), Day (1)
Updated
Max Homa led at this stage two years ago, ending the week in third spot after falling away over the weekend with a pair of 73s. Undaunted, he came back last year, and tied for 12th. The 35-year-old Californian has fallen in love with Augusta National late in life, and he’s going well again this week. Birdies at 1 and 2 have whisked him up the standings to -4.
While we’re waiting for the leading players to take to the course, we’ve got time to indulge in a wee spot of Masters nostalgia. This episode of This Golfing Life, a wonderful new golf podcast hosted by the award-winning journalist and author Dan Davies, dives deep into the career of the 1980 and 1983 champion, the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and comes much recommended. (Fans of Paddington and Maurice Flitcroft may enjoy this episode too.) Get on it!
Back-to-back birdies for the 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama at 3 and 4. Meanwhile Matt Fitzpatrick pours in a downhill left-to-right 30-footer on 4. It’s the 2022 US Open champion’s second birdie of the day, and he moves to -3 … where he’s joined by Scottie Scheffler, who after a string of pars, adds to his eagle on 2 with birdie at 7. Scheffler’s drive at 7 toyed with the pines down the left, but from 130 yards, he wedges to seven feet and tidies up to regain that upward momentum. And there’s the inviting par-five 8th coming up.
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood
-4: Matsuyama (4), Clark, Hatton, Li, Reitan, Day, Young
-3: Scheffler (7), Fitzpatrick (4), Griffin (2), Homa (1), Gotterup (1)
Brian Harman hasn’t been in great form of late. Even so, he was mentioned in dispatches before the Tournament began as a dark horse, with the fiery conditions negating his length disadvantage, and his short game so sweet. However, form trumped hipster punditry as he opened with a dismal 79. However the 2023 Open champion bounced back spectacularly with a 69 yesterday, and he’s in even better nick this afternoon, with birdies at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 14. Just the one dropped shot at 7, and he’s level par overall.
Updated
Alex Noren was out in the first group this morning. The veteran Swede has absolutely no history at Augusta National to speak of – a tie for 62nd in 2019 is his best return – but he’s looking to amend that record this year. A round of 69 today to follow yesterday’s 71; how he’ll be ruing his opening 77. But as things stand he’s in the top 40 at +1 overall and very much trending in the right direction. Ladies and gentlemen, your very early clubhouse leader.
In terms of importance and sheer breathtaking drama, Rory McIlroy’s run of six birdies in the last seven holes last night is unlikely to be matched this week. If it is, we’re in for an era-defining treat. But the course does seem to be offering opportunities. The 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley reached the turn a wee bit earlier with four consecutive birdies, 6 through 9; he’s level par for the Tournament. And now Rasmus Højgaard has matched that feat with birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 16. The run’s unlikely to continue, as he’s just whistled his tee shot at 17 into the trees down the right, although that’s what Rory did yesterday and look what ended up happening there. Anyway, Højgaard is +3 overall for now.
There have only been three aces in Masters history at the famous short par-three 12th Golden Bell. Claude Harmon (1948 champion and father of Butch) in 1947; the amateur William Hyndman in 1959; and two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange in 1988. Three in 89 years … then nearly two in two days. Yesterday afternoon, the 18-year-old amateur Mason Howell landed his tee shot a couple of inches away from the hole; today the 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel smacked his wedge flush onto the base of the flagstick, a couple of feet up, and away. So close, but yet so far. Howell’s ball stopped near enough to tap in for birdie; Schwartzel’s nearly twanged back off the green but at least he saved his par.
The world number one Scottie Scheffler, twice a winner here, started the day 12 shots off the lead. But he’s only six off second spot, and you can be darn sure he won’t have given up the ghost just yet. To this end, he creams a high fade into the 2nd green from 265 yards to six feet, and makes no mistake with the eagle putt. That’s his second eagle at Pink Dogwood of the week, and it whisks him up the standings to -2. He followed up the first on day one with birdie at 3, but he can’t repeat that today, missing a relatively straight seven-footer on the next green. But there’s an early reminder for Rory that there’s plenty of trouble lurking in the pack should he slip up.
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood
-4: Clark, Hatton, Li, Reitan, Day, Young
-3: Gotterup, Koepka, Griffin
-2: Gerard (4), Scheffler (4), Homa, Knapp, Schauffele, Matsuyama
Updated
Welcome, patrons, to another sunny day in Augusta, Georgia. Temperatures are expected to make the mid-80s this afternoon, and the wind shouldn’t get up too much. So expect the course to get harder and faster as the day progresses … though the early signs suggest the greens might have been treated to a sprinkle of water overnight or early this morning, because they’ve been fairly receptive and agreeable so far. That seems a fairly logical thing to do if you’re hoping to keep this Tournament competitive: more birdies, more chance of someone taking a run at Rory McIlroy and making a game of this tomorrow. Then again, that also gives Rory the chance to attack the pins, and look what happened with relatively agreeable greens yesterday afternoon. Who’d run a professional golf tournament?
Preamble
It’s Moving Day! Here’s what the top of the leaderboard looked like after 36 holes …
-12: McIlroy
-6: Burns, Reed
-5: Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood
-4: Clark, Hatton, Li, Reitan, Day, Young
-3: Gotterup, Koepka, Griffin
-2: Homa, Knapp, Schauffele, Matsuyama
-1: Brennan, Taylor, Fitzpatrick, Morikawa
E: Campbell, Åberg, Scheffler, English, Gerard, D Johnson, Henley, Cantlay
… here are some big names who have missed the cut …
Danny Willett, JJ Spaun, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, Nicolai Højgaard, Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre, Cameron Smith, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Angel Cabrera and perhaps most shockingly of all Bryson DeChambeau …
… and today’s tee times can be found here. We’ll get going at 6pm BST. It’s on!
