This was a day when Tiger Woods created unwanted history. This was a day when Scottie Scheffler showed off his fallibility – only briefly. It was a day when Ludvig Åberg offered the latest insight into the exciting future of golf. It is a pity that these Masters, who have been one for centuries, had to come to this conclusion.
Woods entered the record books on Friday after becoming the first player to successfully negotiate 24 consecutive Masters cuts. As expected, the 48-year-old player made tough predictions for the Green Jacket. We should probably know better than to get caught up in the Woods spell by now. Father Time is not defeated by anyone. A patchy first nine of 42 was his worst at Augusta National. There wasn’t much improvement after that. Woods shot an 82, his poorest Masters round. Both of these 78s arrived in 2022; Woods’ current trend is undoubtedly towards an overall decline. When he stepped onto the podium for post-round media duties (which he did entirely at his own expense), Woods looked emotionally and physically drained.
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“I didn’t have a very good warm-up session and I kept going all day today,” Woods said. “I hit the ball everywhere I knew I shouldn’t. And I missed a lot of shots. Easy, doable hits. I missed many of them.
“I didn’t compete or play much. I made a putt on the 5th, immediately hit a three on the 6th and chipped in on the 7th. I took it in the wrong direction and when I had the opportunity to turn it around, I didn’t.
Woods insisted there was no chance of the Masters being withdrawn before the fourth round. “My team will prepare me,” he said. At some point, probably soon, he’ll have to ask whether it’s worth all the trouble. He will celebrate his 100th Masters tour on Sunday. There’s no pleasure in watching him stumble like this in an area he once dominated.
He cut a disconsolate figure as the tournament raged in the background. The unflappable Scheffler Scheffler gave the field hope with a surprising double bogey in the 10th round. He went on to drop another shot in the 11th. Åberg joined the Masters leadership for the first time with birdie on the 13th at 17.30 local time. It seemed surprising to think that this was the Swede’s first major appearance. A Scandinavian attack on Augusta had previously seen Nicolai Højgaard tie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard. Højgaard agonizingly pitched four consecutive strikeouts in the 11th inning.
Åberg would also stumble. 15 provide opportunity. Instead, Europe’s rising star crossed the area and dropped his shot. He had made a hole in the same manner before. Åberg remain firmly in the Masters hunt but will have to win from behind. The 70 points left him at minus-four.
Scheffler appeared upset that rumors about his death were being whispered. He made an early putt from 31 ft in the 13th round to retake the lead with -6 points. Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa was now on his side. Scheffler showed his difference by making birdie on the 15th. The last one was atonement for a mistake on the 17th. After 54 holes, Scheffler’s minus-seven is ahead of Morikawa’s minus-six. The world number 1 signed 71.
Relating to: Jason Day demands garish sweaters be removed by Augusta officials
Picking the champion from this melee would be a fool’s errand. Max Homa under five.
Bryson DeChambeau, a key hero all three days, was in panic mode before leaving the 18th fairway and 80 yards for a birdie. He found the t-shirt in the wooded area. DeChambeau closed at three. Watch out for Xander Schauffele, who is one shot behind.
Rory McIlroy will have to wait at least one more year to complete his career grand slam. The damage to McIlroy was done in the second round of 77. He was in better form in Saturday’s 71, but this time the problems in Georgia appear to be more technical than psychological for McIlroy. In short, he doesn’t play very well. This has been a theme throughout 2024.
“All I can do is come here and do the best I can,” McIlroy said. “I do this every time I come in. Some years are better than others. I just have to keep showing up and try to do the right thing. I want to go out and end on a positive note.” There were intense rumors that Taylor Swift would perform at Augusta on Saturday. The pop icon wasn’t seen in the end, but the Masters provides a frustrating Blank Space on McIlroy’s famous CV.
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Like McIlroy, Jon Rahm plays to gain ground. The 2023 champion took fifth place after a score of 72. Rahm began paying tribute to compatriot José María Olazábal, who made the cut nearly 25 years after the second of his Masters victories. “He loves this game,” Rahm said of Olazábal. “Why else would he still be trying to compete here and working there? At his age, this is incredible. There are a lot of great players who keep fighting even though they don’t really need to, just because they love it so much.” It’s impossible not to admire this, of course.