It’s been an odd week at Augusta National and The Masters.
The usual roars and cheers have been replaced by gasps and murmurs. Last year we watched as Jordan Spieth went deep, real deep and tied Tiger Woods’s record winning score of 18 under par. This year he is only three under and the top four players stand a combined seven under par going into the final round. This has been one very difficult week at Augusta. Firm, very firm and very fast greens along with gusting winds have stifled the roars that accompany the birdies and eagles we have come to love at Augusta. Maybe Sunday’s final round will be different as a host of players vie for their shot at Masters history.
Third round leader Jordan Spieth sits at -3, a long way from last year at this point. But he’s still in the lead and he’ll be looking to be the fourth player to win back to back Masters and the first since Tiger in 2001-2002.
But Spieth made his quest for more history a bit more difficult as he squandered his four stroke lead but maybe that will make today’s final round more exciting, after all he did let a bunch of players back in the tournament as he stumbled home.
Newcomer Smylie Kaufman is one shot back and in the final pairing in his first Masters and only his second major. He’s playing with the number two player in the world who has shown a penchant for winning majors. It will be the story of the year if Kaufman out duels Spieth.
As Tom Watson departed on Friday we all recalled his near miss at the ’09 Open Championship when he was 59. Well, his fellow Champions Tour player Bernhard Langer will be doing his best to set his own record for oldest player to win a major. He’s already won here twice and even though he’s hitting 3-woods into greens when players like Jason Day (who he was paired with on Saturday and beat 70-71) was hitting 7-irons he still knows how to score at Augusta. If he gives Spieth a run it won’t be a surprise.
Hideki Matusayma may not know English but he sure knows Augusta National. The number one Japanese player on tour already has a win in Phoenix this year and plays a big time game. He may make his own bit of history as the first Japanese player to win at Augusta.
Jason Day hasn’t been able to find the same golf game that gave him two wins in his last two starts. But he’s only three shots off Spieth’s lead. That’s one good hole for Day and a poor one for Spieth. He won the last major and he wants to stay number one.
Dustin Johnson is at even par and three back. He leads the Masters in driving distance but hasn’t capitalized on that as he has carded only one eagle. Johnson may be the most athletic player in the game and he wins regularly on the PGA Tour. But he seems to succumb to major championship pressure just as regularly. He has had numerous majors in his hands and has fumbled them away.
Many American golf fans won’t recognize Englishman Danny Willett but he has a win on the European Tour this year and is number twelve in the world. Translation: he can play golf. He’s three back of Spieth and would be the first Englishman since Sir Nick Faldo to don the green jacket.
Consider that Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker, Rory McIlroy, Justin rose, Angel Cabrera and J.B. Holmes are all within six shots of the lead. That’s a formidable group and if Augusta is setup as difficult as it has been the last two days it could be anyone’s tournament.
But it all starts with Jordan Spieth. He doesn’t have a nice cushion as he did last year but if he manages his game like we know he can it will be his tournament to lose.
Actually it is quite amazing that Spieth is still leading. He is beating the best in the world on a very testing course and he does not have his A game. He has been driving it wildly, missing the short grass and his short game is nowhere near his best.
If he steps on the first tee tomorrow and brings that A game with him we’ll be talking about all the history he made today.
It’s all up to Jordan.
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