AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Perhaps the highest perk for the 60 gamers who survived probably the most wind-blown, grueling days on the Masters was getting a weekend at Augusta National much more agreeable.
Flags have been flapping, not crackling, when the third spherical started Saturday. It was shaping as much as be a day extra fitted to scoring and surviving.
“This weekend is going to be nice. Hopefully there will be some opportunities to make a run,” stated Phil Mickelson, a three-time champion enjoying in his thirty first Masters. He closed with a 65 final 12 months to complete runner-up. Lefty is aware of about alternatives.
Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa shared the lead at 6-under 138 going into the third spherical. They have been two photographs away from Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark, who has purpose to imagine he may be the primary participant since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters on his first try.
The weekend additionally consists of Tiger Woods, which is all the time the case at Augusta National when Woods is wholesome sufficient to play. He set a report Friday for making the reduce for the twenty fourth consecutive time, courting to his first 12 months as a professional.
Woods shot 72 on a day when the common rating was 75.09, the very best for the second spherical within the Masters since 2007, when it was windy and frigid. Only eight gamers broke par, the identical variety of gamers who shot 80 or greater.
“I’m here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament,” Woods stated.
Saturday is usually generally known as transferring day, and Woods and everybody else have numerous transferring in entrance of them. Woods was seven photographs behind, however he had 21 gamers in entrance of him.
Fourteen gamers began the third spherical below par, 4 of them with expertise successful a significant — Scheffler and DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Smith.
One factor was pretty sure when play started — the walk amongst azaleas and dogwoods was certain to extra fulfilling that enjoying in 40 mph gusts that blew bunker sand into gamers’ faces and onto the greens and scattered magnolia leaves everywhere in the course.
“We got the sand shower to end our day. So it was kind of the golf course saying, ‘Get the hell out of here,’” Homa stated on the finish of his spherical on Friday.
On Saturday, it felt extra like, “Welcome back.”
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