Masters 2015 Leaderboard: Dissecting Results, Standings from Saturday's Action
Jordan Spieth remains in control of the 2015 Masters following the third round of action, but he's now being chased by some of golf's giants.
After a record-setting 36 holes at Augusta National, the 21-year-old phenom recorded a two-under 70 in Saturday's pristine conditions, giving the field a chance to make up ground. Veterans Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy answered the call.
With those players now residing from second through tied for fifth, the tournament's leaderboard is suddenly top heavy with golf's brightest stars and major winners. Needless to say, Spieth's nerves of steel will be tested Sunday when he glances at those names lurking behind him in the standings.
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Here's a look at how things stand heading into the final round of the 2015 Masters:
It wasn't as though Spieth played poorly Saturday. After all, it's extremely difficult to keep up the torrid pace he was on through 72 holes of a major. He did shine at times in Round 3—his 22-foot birdie putt at the par-three sixth was a sight to behold—but hiccups were rather prevalent throughout the day.
Spieth's play in holes around that brilliant birdie summed up his Saturday. He missed a short putt at the par-three fourth to record his first bogey of the day, and a poorly played bunker shot at the par-four seventh led to another bogey. On the back nine, his four birdies were marred by his bogey on the par-four 14th and a devastating double one at 17.
Par on the 18th hole sent Spieth into the clubhouse with a four-stroke lead heading into Sunday, and his score of 16-under par sets a new 54-hole record at the Masters. When asked during a press conference (via PGATour.com) about his scrambling par to finish out the day, Spieth simply said, "It was huge."
Rose was among a trio of golfers who posted the low round of the day with a 67. The Englishman started in ominous fashion, recording bogeys at the first and fifth holes, but he quickly regained his lost ground with birdies at seven and nine to make the turn at even par for the day.
On the back nine, Rose went on a tear. He recorded four consecutive birdies from the 13th through the 16th holes, and after managing to get par on 17, he went on to birdie 18 for a five-under 31. Interestingly enough, that birdie on the last hole moved him into solo second behind Spieth and put him into Sunday's final pairing instead of Mickelson.
Speaking of Mickelson, Lefty was on fire Saturday. After making par at the first, he went on to birdie the second, third and fourth holes and finished off the front nine with a brilliant approach to the par-four ninth that landed within two feet of the hole for a tap-in birdie.
Unfortunately, Mickelson's round was beset by a pair of bogeys on the back nine, but he did record three more birdies to finish out the day with a 67 and move to 11-under for the tournament. The three-time Masters winner is officially in striking distance heading into the final round.
Both McIlroy and Woods recorded stellar efforts Saturday, each finishing with a four-under 68 to move to six-under for the tournament. At 10 strokes off the pace, neither is in contention for a Masters title unless several players ahead of them undergo epic Sunday collapses.
For McIlroy, this means the career Grand Slam will have to wait for at least another year. Sure, he would have loved to offload the burden of finally winning a Masters in 2015, but all is not lost for the Northern Irishman. His previous best finish in the tournament was a tie for eighth in 2014, and he's in great shape to improve on that result this year.
Woods certainly answered the questions surrounding the state of his career. Before the Masters, many thought the former world No. 1 was finished and would never be competitive again. Well, he put that theory to rest, as he continues to look stronger with every round played. His showing at Augusta will give him plenty of confidence and momentum going forward. This could be the beginning of Woods' resurrection.
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