Key events
Matt McCarty makes his 14th par of the day at 15. Shane Lowry stabs a very gettable birdie chance left of the cup, and spurns the chance to move to -8 and within two of his old pal Rory. Hey, while we’re on the subject of McCarty, here’s our old pal Sean Ingle: “Someone had a bet with Circa in Las Vegas to win $2m on Matt McCarty before the tournament. Heard it on a podcast the other day. They initially wanted a bet that would win them $8m. He was about 300-1 beforehand as well. PS It wasn’t me.”
A fine up-and-down from the back of 14 by Rory McIlroy. No patrons were hurt in the making of this par save. Meanwhile up on 18, par for Ludvig Åberg, though he nearly holed out from 180 yards with his second! It bounded eight feet past and he couldn’t make the putt coming back. Still, that’s a 69, and with three birdies in the last five holes, he’s kept himself in with a shout, joining Patrick Reed in the clubhouse lead at -6.
Bryson DeChambeau has a downhill lie in the bunker at the back of 13. And the green slopes down towards Rae’s Creek. No wonder he splashes out gingerly, only just reaching the fringe. Two putts later and that’s a par, a poor return after such a promising drive. He remains at -7, and Justin Rose stays at -6, a birdie putt kinking left on the last turn, much to his anger. “You are joking me.” He is fuming. It’s not been his day.
Rory McIlroy hoicks his tee shot at 14 into the woods down the left. He gets a lucky bounce that doesn’t kick his ball back out, but does put him into position to take a shy over the trees and into the green. He flies the green and lands among the patrons. That’s not the worst outcome, all told, providing nobody’s taken a sore one upside the head, obviously.
Bryson from the middle of 13, hitting 7-iron after that monster drive. The perfect position … from which he tugs into the bunker at the back-left of the green. That’s a careless mistake. Birdie for Shane Lowry at 14, reward for sending his approach from 136 yards to ten feet. He’s now in a share of third with DeChambeau. And up on 18, birdie for Patrick Reed, his third in the last six holes. He signs for a 69 and is the new clubhouse leader at -6.
Xander Schauffele, having birdied 13 and 15, pars his way in for a round of 70. At -4 overall, the Open and PGA champion is probably a bit too far back to harbour realistic hopes about tomorrow, though he does have a share of the clubhouse lead with Zach Johnson and Nicolas Echavarria.
In fact McIlroy does have a decent stance, and is able to chip crisply to five feet. A good birdie chance. He’s missed one or two of those today, though. Meanwhile behind him, back on the tee, Bryson batters an absurdly good 325-yard drive all the way around the right-to-left dogleg. He’s in the centre of the fairway … from where he’ll get a good view of Rory tidying up for his first birdie in eight holes. That should settle him after an extremely dodgy 90 minutes. Par for Conners.
-10: McIlroy (13)
-8: Conners (13)
-7: DeChambeau (12)
-6: Åberg (17), McCarty (13), Lowry (13), Rose (12)
-5: Reed (17), Day (16)
Bryson can’t save himself this time. His downhill putt on 12 is always sliding wide right, and he slips back to -7. Up on 13, Rory slings a 5-iron into the green from 241 yards. It comes out of the first cut a bit hot, and nearly topples into a bunker at the back. He’ll have an awkward stance, that’s right on the lip. Meanwhile his partner Corey Conners lays up, then sends his wedge down a bank to the left of the green. A tricky up and down for his par.
Bryson DeChambeau dunks his tee shot at 12 into the bunker at the front. He gets a wee bit too much on his splash out and is left with a 12-footer coming back for par. The sort of thing he’s been making almost as a matter of course today. Meanwhile the unheralded Matt McCarty, having started out with 12 consecutive pars, finally breaks the run with birdie at 13. He’s -6.
Scottie Scheffler’s second into 13 initially looks good, but disappears into sand at the back. He can’t get up and down, and this is all very energy-lite from the world number one. Ludvig Åberg makes his birdie on 16; Viktor Hovland makes one on 14 after sending his second pin high to ten feet. But it’s a bogey for Justin Rose on 11, the result of sending his drive behind a tree.
-9: McIlroy (12)
-8: Conners (12), DeChambeau (11)
-6: Åberg (16), Day (15), Lowry (12), Rose (11)
-5: Reed (17), Hovland (14), McCarty (12)
-4: Z Johnson (F), Echavarria (F), Schauffele (17), Scheffler (13)
Åberg follows Reed in nearly acing 16. The pin’s in a position normally reserved for Sunday, so balls landing in the middle of the green are gathered down towards the water and the flag. His ball races four feet past, but he’ll still have a good look for birdie. Meanwhile back on the previous par-three, the 12th, Rory McIlroy sends his tee shot into Scheffler’s Swale. He putts his way out of trouble, to tap-in distance for par. Corey Conners makes par too, in more tense fashion, splashing out from the deep bunker at the front, then rolling in the ten-footer that remains.
Ludvig Åberg has been out of sight for most of the day since dropping early strokes at 1 and 4. But he’s launching a proper comeback bid here. Birdie at 8, and now back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15, and suddenly last year’s runner-up is involved again at -5. One more and he’ll be in very good nick ahead of tomorrow’s final round.
In other Hanging On news, here’s Rory McIlroy, who is currently suffering a round of two halves. His approach into 11 is held up by the wind, which is unfortunate; the dismal nature of his subsequent chip not so much. He carelessly leaves himself a six-footer for par, and in the context of the last few holes, it’s a biggie. To his credit, he teases it into the centre of the cup and remains one clear at -9. But everything was looking so easy for him earlier. Now it appears a dreadful struggle.
Jason Day chips in from the side of 14! The 2011 runner-up has been a little wayward over the past few holes but has somehow clung onto the edge of the race by his fingernails. And now here’s his reward. He’s back in it. Meanwhile on 16, the 2018 champion Patrick Reed is a couple of inches away from a hole-in one. He taps in for birdie and at -5 he’s far from out of this either.
Bryson DeChambeau is a street-fighting genius. He’s already made quite a few jaw-dropping up and downs today, and here’s another, a chip bumped into the face of the bank, the ball rolling out to kick-in distance. Par. But Scottie Scheffler can’t save his. It’s just not happening for the reigning champion. Meanwhile his playing partner Tyrrell Hatton, as previously predicted, brings the emotion, dropping his second stroke of the day after whistling his tee shot into the flowers, then flinging his ball into the drink once bogey is established. He’s -3, and that yipped tiddler on 17 yesterday has clearly punctured his mood and self-belief.
Bryson DeChambeau’s second into 10 hits the bank at the front and kicks off to the left. Scottie Land. He’s shortsided, so that’s not going to be much fun. Up on 12, Scheffler lobs up from the back of the green but leaves himself a tricky ten-footer for par.
For the second day running, Scottie Scheffler tugs his tee shot at 12 towards the azaleas back-left of the green. This time the ball doesn’t disappear into the darkness before popping back into the swale; it just drops into the swale. Hardly ideal, but then he chipped in from here yesterday, so watch out!
Zach Johnson is joined in the clubhouse lead by Nicolas Echavarria. A 69 for the 30-year-old Colombian on debut. Echavarria and Johnson end Moving Day at -4.
First up, there’s a big two-putt par save for Bryson DeChambeau on 9. He races his first one six feet past, but coming back, tickles in successfully where Rory McIlroy ahead of him had failed. He punches the air in triumph as he turns in 35. Meanwhile up in 10, Rory’s par effort is always missing on the right, and after such a fast start, this is now officially a proper wobble. And look how the leaderboard has concertinaed as a result!
-9: McIlroy (10)
-8: Conners (10), DeChambeau (9)
-7: Rose (9)
-6: Lowry (10)
-5: Day (13), Scheffler (11), McCarty (10)
From the centre of 10, 162 yards out, Corey Conners wedges to kick-in distance, one of the shots of the day. He’ll move to -8 and that’s a third birdie in a row for the Canadian, who is going about his business quietly and efficiently. Rory McIlroy by contrast takes one club too many, and faces a long putt back down the green. He sends his first one dribbling six feet past. Big par saver coming up?
Bryson DeChambeau splits the 9th fairway with another fine tee shot … only to leave his wedge 30 feet short of the flag. In fact he’s fortunate the ball didn’t screw back off the front, Greg Norman style. A long two-putt left for his par.
Jason Day drops only his second shot of the week. He tugs his tee shot at 12 towards the azaleas back-left, and can’t get up and down from the swale. He slips to -5, alongside Scottie Scheffler, who is still battling against himself: at 10, a misjudged approach hits the bank and bounces back down, front and left. A heavy-handed chip trundles 20 feet past the flag … but in goes the putt coming back. Between them, the USA’s two biggest stars, Scheffler and Bryson, have made some scrambles today. It’s how you win majors.
McIlroy gets a bit too confident with his downhill birdie putt on 9. He raps it through the break and rolls four feet past. Oo-er. But he makes the one coming back. Given what happened on the previous hole, that’s some good damage limitation I guess. But the lead’s only two now, because while Bryson DeChambeau can’t make his eagle putt on 8, he taps in for birdie. Justin Rose picks up a stroke as well, and suddenly things are a lot tighter than they looked 15 minutes ago.
-10: McIlroy (9)
-8: DeChambeau (8)
-7: Conners (9), Rose (8)
-6: Day (11), Lowry (9)
-5: Hovland (10), Scheffler (10), McCarty (9)
Rory McIlroy made a meal of 8. By comparison, Bryson DeChambeau is making mincemeat of it. Two big blooters, and he’s pin high! He’ll have a look at eagle from the fringe, 15 feet away. McIlroy responds up on 9 by sand-wedging from 113 yards to six feet for a fine birdie chance of his own.
Hats off to Viktor Hovland, who needed two shots to extricate himself from the pines down the left of 10 … then gets up and down from 150 yards to limit the damage to bogey! A sensational 30-footer across the green and he’s -5. A bogey that won’t hurt too much. Not so the one dropped by Shane Lowry on 9, the result of a weak splash out of a deep bunker at the front of the green. He turns in 35 and he’s -6 overall.
Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose are both wayward with their tee shots at 7. Always out of position, they both end up dropping a shot. Very scrappy. But they don’t lose ground at the top, because Rory McIlroy’s chip back up from the swale at 8 is way short, and this time his putter doesn’t dig him out of bother. Bogey, his first dropped shot since the ludicrous double at 17 on Thursday. The second easiest hole on the course as well.
-10: McIlroy (8)
-7: Lowry (8), DeChambeau (7)
-6: Day (10), Hovland (9), Conners (8), Rose (7)
-5: Scheffler (9), McCarty (8)
-4: Z Johnson (F), Im (10), Hatton (9)
Rory McIlroy is up against the tall face of the fairway bunker at 8. He clips the top of it with his escape and is left with a long iron coming in. His third bounds off the back of the green and there’s another par scramble coming up. Trouble also for Victor Hovland, who sends his tee shot at 10 deep into the trees near the cabins down the left, and isn’t able to hack out with his first attempt. He just about manages it with his second. This could end up being costly.
Rory McIlroy isn’t the only player making outrageous par saves. Here’s Jason Day, lashing his tee shot at 10 deep into the trees down the right. He batters out from the pin straw, under hanging branches, into the bunker front right. That’s pretty much the best outcome possible, and he splashes out to four feet before making the putt. He remains at -6, and has still only dropped one stroke this week, on 18 yesterday. That bogey was a wee shame, too, because had he parred, he’d have become the first player since Ed Sneed in 1979 to go bogey-free for the opening two rounds.
Trouble In Paradise dept. Here’s Ewan Murray on a mud-ball controversy raging at Augusta.
OK, so Rory McIlroy has one foot in and one foot out of The Zone. He larrups a long drive up the par-five 8th, but it’s always leaking a little to the right and ends up in the big bunker. All is however not lost. Meanwhile up ahead, Viktor Hovland makes back-to-back birdies at 8 and 9 to turn in 34 strokes. He’s -6.
Well, here’s the end of Rory’s run of threes … but it’s a quite brilliant par save nonetheless. He was in all sorts of bother after that wild drive, but lobbed greenside. He was still faced with an awkward chip up and over a ridge running across the green … but knocked it to a couple of feet. Such a delicate wedge. In goes the par putt, and given the tee shot, that’ll feel as good as a birdie. He remains at -11.
Bryson replicates Rory’s antics on 6. A conservative tee shot into the heart of the green that leaves a 40-footer. A putt raced eight feet past the flag. Big par putt coming up. In it goes. He’s hanging on all right. Justin Rose meanwhile celebrates a par saver of similar distance. They’re -8 and -7 respectively. Meanwhile on 8, Scottie Scheffler’s (relative) woes continue as he leaves his wedge into the generous par-five a good 25 feet short. The birdie putt never looks like dropping, and the defending champ looks strangely short of energy. He remains -5.
Perhaps Rory McIlroy is still in The Zone after all. From 137 yards, he opens the face of his club skywards and gives it everything to get up and over the trees. His ball lands near the green to the left, which is some result from where he was, albeit one that leaves a very testing up and down, from a swale, across a viciously tilting green. If he chips in from here to keep that run of threes going, they may as well award him the Green Jacket now.
More on Rory, while we can, because he’s deep in the trees down the right of 7, and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious way out, never mind to the green. “So, six holes, six threes,” observes Matt Emerson. “If he keeps this up he’s shooting 54.”
Perhaps Rory’s finally sailing out of The Zone. Because he’s followed up that comparatively shaky par on 6 by carving his drive at 7 towards the 17th tee box! Some fun upcoming here. So while his argument is still relevant, here’s Adam Hirst: “This isn’t the Rory of recent times. It is the Rory of 2012. Despite being at the top of the tree, and even winning two majors, he never quite reached those levels again, when he can run away from a very good field. He hasn’t done that for more than a decade.”
Scottie Scheffler gets a flyer from the second cut down the left of 7. His ball sails over the green and dunks into the bunker behind. He’s splashing out downhill, so does pretty well to get his ball to stop eight feet past. But he can’t make the one coming back. A bogey that felt like it was coming. Meanwhile it’s a second successive up-and-down from sand for Bryson DeChambeau, this time at 5. He’s unlucky because the pin stopped that dropping straight in. He remains three off the lead.
-11: McIlroy (6)
-8: DeChambeau (5)
-7: Lowry (6), Rose (5)
-6: Day (8), Im (8)
-5: Hovland (8), Scheffler (7), McCarty (6), Conners (6)
Rory’s record: a 3-3-3-3-3-3 start!
Yep, it’s a card of 3-3-3-3-3-3 for Rory McIlroy. This one’s made in a different style, as he races his first long putt at 6 ten feet past … but rolls the one coming back straight into the middle of the cup. Nerveless. In doing so, he becomes the first player in Masters history to begin a round with six consecutive threes.
BREAKING NEWS: Rory McIlroy is not perfect. He finds the heart of the green at the par-three 6th, but he’s nowhere near the flag. The careful play. He’s got something to lose now. Even so, two putts from 48 feet and it’ll be a card of 3-3-3-3-3-3.
!
Rory McIlroy rattles home his right-to-left slider on 5 for another birdie, and this is quite absurd, he’s opened with 3-3-3-3-3! He’s already five under for his round. Back on 4, Justin Rose carelessly three-putts to drop out of a share for second; that’s his third bogey in ten holes. His playing partner Bryson DeChambeau meanwhile splashes out elegantly from the sand to kick-in distance, and that’s a fine sandy par. And up on 6, Shane Lowry’s reward for one of the tee shots of the day, to three feet, is birdie. What price an all-Ireland final pairing tomorrow?
-11: McIlroy (5)
-8: DeChambeau (4)
-7: Lowry (6), Rose (4)
-6: Day (9), Im (7), Scheffler (6), Conners (5)
Bryson DeChambeau dunks his tee shot at 4 into the bunker guarding the front-right of the par-three green. The pin’s back-left. Up on the supposedly treacherous 5th, Rory McIlroy lands his 342-yard drive safely to the right of the dangerous fairway bunkers, then clips his approach from 173 yards to 18 feet. He’ll have an outside look at birdie, and two putts for a par you’d take all day long. And on 6, from the bottom of the swale at the back, Soft-Hands Scottie bumps his chip into the bank, his ball bouncing gently up onto the green before rolling out serenely to a couple of feet. What a par save that is. Bogey looked most likely. Once again, Scheffler is flat-out refusing to go away despite not being quite in control of his game.
Bryson DeChambeau is up and out of his putt very quickly. It’s always breaking wide left. A careless bogey on a hole that’s given up 18 birdies today and is averaging 3.7 strokes. Meanwhile on the par-three 6th, Scottie Scheffler airmails his iron over the green. He’s down the bottom of a swale with very little green to work with up top. That’ll test his soft hands.
-10: McIlroy (4)
-8: Rose (3), DeChambeau (3)
-6: Day (7), Im (7), Scheffler (5), Lowry (5), Conners (4)