The Masters: Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker Hold Steady

If you had predicted that Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker would be paired together in the final group on Sunday at The Masters, you should probably go out and purchase yourself a lottery ticket.

Immelman has one PGA Tour victory back in 2006 at the Cailis Western Open. His best finish in 2008 was a tie for seventeenth at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Snedeker also has one PGA tour victory at the 2007 Wyndham Championship.

It is rare, to say the least, to find a final pairing in the final round at The Masters with a combined two wins on the PGA Tour.

But, Immelman and Snedeker, who were also paired together in the final group on Saturday, did not back down for a second to the likes of Woods and Mickelson who were trying desperately to climb the leaderboard.

Woods attempted to make a run on the back nine with three birdies at ten, thirteen and seventeen.

Woods also appeared to have gained momentum by miraculously saving par on the eighteenth for a second consecutive day from deep inside the Georgia pines that line the right side of the fairway.

After Woods finished his round within three strokes of the lead it appeared that the pressure was beginning to mount on the backs of a few of the leaders.

Snedeker bogeyed the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth.

Paul Casey, who is in fourth place and four strokes behind Immelman, bogeyed eleven, fifteen and seventeen.

The pressure could have been mounting on Snedeker and Casey, or it could have just been Augusta National showing it’s teeth, as it has done to just about everyone at some point or another this week.

Snedeker followed his three-hole streak of bogeys by birdying three out of the last five holes. He now sits just two strokes behind Immelman.

Casey also managed to keep his composure by birdying thirteen and sixteen on his way to an impressive round of 69.

Steve Flesh held off the pressure and intimidation that inevitably arises with Woods making a move up the leaderboard.

Flesh birdied sixteen and eighteen on his way to a third round score of 69 which landed him alone in third place.

Trevor Immelman held steady all afternoon. Immelman, a 28 year old South African, made one bogey on four and birdied thirteen, fourteen and eighteen on his way to a 69 and the sole lead of tournament.

Though the young and relatively inexperienced players that currently top the leaderboard at Augusta did not succumb to the pressure this afternoon, a final round, and more predominantly the back-nine of the final round, at The Masters carries with it a whole other level of pressure.

Heading into Sunday at Augusta, it is Immelman’s, Snedeker’s, Flesh’s and Casey’s tournament to win.

Woods has never won a major when trailing heading into the final round and he will have an Everest-sized mountain of strokes to pick up to catch Immelman and Snedeker.

The forecast for tomorrow is a high of 60 degrees with 20-25 mile per hour winds, which could provide for an interesting finish.

But, if the composure shown by Immelman and Snedeker today is anything to go by; these two young men should have some exciting battle tomorrow afternoon to determine which of them will put on their first green jacket.