Masters Results 2012: Rory McIlroy and the Biggest Disappointments of Day 3

Rory McIlroy wasn't ready to exorcise his Augusta demons on Day 3 of the 2012 Masters.

Through 12 holes, McIlroy was plus-six on the day, dragging him down to plus-two in the tournament—resulting in a nine-shot deficit behind the leaders.

He isn't the only high-profile player lurking around the bottom half of the leaderboard, either. Here are the three biggest disappointments from Day 3 of the Masters.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy had an excellent chance to charge up the leaderboard after a fantastic showing in the second round put him at minus-four for the tournament, only one shot behind the leaders.

Instead of making a charge, McIlroy retreated in embarrassing fashion, shooting plus-five on the day and putting him out of reach of the leaders.

It all started on the first hole. McIlroy hit the ball into the trees on the right, and it took him three more agonizing shots just to get the ball to the green.

By the time McIlroy made the turn, he had posted a 42 on the front nine, submarining any chance he had to win.

The best he can hope for tomorrow is that he can somehow shrug off this abysmal performance with a decent showing in his fourth round and a possible top-10 finish.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez

Jiménez seems to be in contention at least once a year for a major championship.

Things were looking good for him to challenge after two rounds at the Masters, and he finished the second round only two shots behind the leaders.

His third round wasn't the kind of performance that will help his chances this year, though.

Jiménez ended the day at plus-four, putting him 10 shots behind Peter Hanson. He struggled all day long, tallying six bogeys.

It looks like we'll have to wait another year for Jiménez to finally win a green jacket.

Fred Couples

"Boom Boom"—leader at the Masters after two rounds—had more than his fair share of trouble on Day 3.

His round started out badly, and by the time Couples was finished with the fifth hole, he was already at plus-four on the day. 

Couples managed to smooth out his game for a while in the middle of the round, making birdies in three out of five holes from the eighth hole to the 12th.

He then took another stumble on the way in, making bogeys on 15 and 16 before thankfully making par on the final two holes to finish at plus-three on the day—seven shots off the lead. 

Couples' dreams of winning again at Augusta will likely have to wait another year.

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