Day three at The Masters and the field is reduced to fifty after the cut mark fell at one over. Overnight rain has left the course damp, reducing the run on drives and making the greens slightly slower.
The main question is whether Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell or Angel Cabrera will run away from the field or falter and bring in the top names on moving day.
Miguel Angel Jimenez has started well but is in a spot of bother on the thirteenth hole. Dressed in an orange shirt, against the green and purple background of Augusta, he is perched, close to his ball horizontally halfway up a slope grudgingly receiving advice from an official.
Sean O’Hair and Ian Poulter both finish with 68’s taking them to tenth position as the leaders approach Amen Corner. Kenny Perry, whose 8-iron appears to have magical qualities, has only made two bogeys in 46 holes this week as he attempts to become the oldest player to win a major. However, he bogey’s eleven and twelve but a majestic approach to thirteen sets him up for birdie to repair some of the damage.
Angel Cabrera Through Amen Corner
Angel Cabrera, known as ‘El Pato’ – ‘The Duck’, comes through Amen Corner even, very solid. Jim Furyk bursts towards the leaders with three birdies in a row between 13 and 15 to get to within two.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are four marquee names that finish on four under. Will it be too far back to challenge tomorrow? Up until the eleventh hole none of the top three have made bogey today.
Shingo Katayama is quietly going about his business picking up the odd shot and finishes on six under. Anthony Kim has another mixed day but shoots even to join the heavyweights on four under.
Angel Cabrera shows remarkably delicate hands for a duck as he caresses the ball out of sand on nine to within 6 inches of the hole. The golf course has a lot of intricacies as Harrington found out on the second, with a quadruple bogey. He fought back very well to post a seventy three and finish at one under. In his post round interview he was philosophical, saying: “It happens. You have to put up with it. I still had 34 holes left in the tournament after.”
Sergio Garcia Attempts Birdie
It is Sergio Garcia’s turn to look foolish on 16 as he attempts birdie but hits it too soft and it wanders back down the hill following him to his feet, like an obedient dog, amid hoots of laughter from the galleries. Jim Furyk becomes the fifth player to finish on 68, today’s best score.
Campbell pars seven holes in succession from eight to fourteen but comes apart on sixteen as he scuffs a bunker shot, hardly advancing the ball and then two putts for double bogey. He nails a super slow putt on the seventeenth after bending it round the Eisenhower tree to get back to ten under and finish just one shot of the leaders, Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera, who will make up the final pairing tomorrow.
The scoring has been easier than earlier in the week, averaging 72.8, down from 73.7 on Friday and 75.5 on Thursday. For those on four under it will need to come down tomorrow for them to challenge. The final day should be a classic but expect Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera to fight it out for the title. Seventeen out of the last eighteen winners have come from the final pairing.
See Also:
The US Masters 2009 - Day Four
