AUGUSTA, Georgia: Tiger Woods’s hopes of a victorious go back from career-threatening accidents evaporated on Augusta Nationwide’s vegetables on Saturday whilst Scottie Scheffler seized a three-stroke Masters lead. Woods, 14 months got rid of from a automobile crash that left him with accidents so critical he feared he would possibly lose his proper leg, noticed his hopes of a shocking comeback for a 6th inexperienced jacket come undone along with his worst-ever Masters around, a six-over par 78.
The truth that the 46-year-old was once even in a position to tee it up – and make a twenty second consecutive Masters lower – was once astonishing. However at 9 off Scheffler’s result in get started the day, Woods knew he wanted one thing sensational to present himself a possibility come Sunday, and as a substitute he posted a around worse than the third-round 77 he shot in his 1996 debut as an beginner.
“It’s identical to I hit one thousand putts available in the market at the vegetables lately,” stated Woods, whose prior mastery of the unforgiving, undulating vegetables of Augusta helped him to 5 Masters titles. “I felt like I didn’t in reality hit it that dangerous, however I had 4 three-putts and a four-putt,” Woods stated. “I simply may just now not get a really feel.”
Woods’s seven-over par general of 223 put him 16 strokes in the back of Scheffler, who survived drama on the 18th to card a one-under par 71 for a nine-under general of 207. The 25-year-old Texan takes a three-shot lead over Australian Cameron Smith into the general around. On a chilly, windy day the place ratings soared, Smith carded the one around within the 60s with a four-under par 68 for 210.
Smith was once two strokes in entrance of third-place South Korean Im Sung-jae, who shot a one-under 71. However, as soon as once more, it was once Woods who drew the highlight. A 3-putt on the opening hollow proved a harbinger, a birdie at the second one – the place his shot out of a greenside bunker slightly neglected discovering the cup for eagle – proving just a quick respite.
From the green on the 5th, Woods left himself 65 toes, and he may just handiest watch in disbelief as his three-foot bogey effort rotated the cup and stayed up. Bogeys on the 9th and eleventh adopted earlier than he tired a 14-foot birdie on the twelfth and two-putted from 27 toes for birdie on the par-five thirteenth. The hundreds following Woods’s each and every transfer attempted to will him on, cheering and shouting encouragement at each and every hollow, however he closed his around with bogeys at 16 and 17 and any other double-bogey on the remaining.
Whilst Woods stated on Thursday that simply making thru his first aggressive around in 17 months was once a victory of types, he made it transparent he could be searching for higher issues on Sunday, like getting himself again to even par. Woods was once hardly ever the one one suffering within the chilly, blustery prerequisites, the place the scoring moderate was once 74.5 photographs and handiest seven gamers had been below par for the match after 54 holes. Eire’s 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry and 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel each carded one-over par 73s to proportion fourth position on two-under 214.
Scheffler shrub drama
Scheffler was once 10-under thru 17 holes when his tee shot at 18 clipped a tree department and ended up in dense undergrowth left of the green. It took a concerted seek to seek out his ball and after wading into the timber to peer the placement he took and unplayable lie, belted a shot as much as the golf green and restricted the wear and tear to a bogey. “We noticed the man who at all times unearths the balls roughly panicking. I believed, ‘Oh crap,’” Scheffler stated. “Simply getting it out of the bush and seeking to make my 5 was once key,” added Scheffler who stated his middle fee “went up after they couldn’t in finding the ball nevertheless it went backtrack after they discovered it.”
It was once a dramatic finish to a around that featured part a dozen birdies and 5 bogeys, Scheffler keeping up his air of methodical calm all through. “You hate bogeying the remaining hollow, however the way in which I bogeyed it, it needless to say felt like a par,” Scheffler stated. “Indisputably a just right end to the day.” Smith completed tied for 2nd in the back of Dustin Johnson in 2020, when he was the one participant to shoot 4 rounds within the 60s on the Masters. The Aussie stated enjoying inside of himself within the difficult prerequisites was once the important thing to his around.
“I didn’t attempt to spoil any drivers off the tee. I simply attempted to present myself alternatives,” stated Smith, who added the hardest a part of the day for him was once “holding my arms heat”. “It was once brutal. I feel off the tee with this west wind there’s now not many holes you get directly downwind or directly into the wind. You get numerous crosswinds and will get slightly tough into the vegetables and hitting other shapes and attempting to pass judgement on the wind as neatly.” – AFP