Masters Tournament 2016: Mobile Updates for Saturday Leaderboard Scores
It’s safe to say that we have the Georgia elements to thank for saving our weekend. Just when you thought you were about to witness Jordan Spieth running away from the field and turning one of the most eagerly anticipated Masters tournaments into a one-horse race, Augusta National hit back.
Spieth carded a remarkable six-under par 66 on Thursday and found himself at eight under early on Friday, but blustery conditions twisted the defending champion’s arm and forced him to settle for a round of 74, putting him back at four under for the championship.
Under-par scores were proving very hard to come by, but one man who did manage to move into red figures was Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman shot 71 on Friday to surge up the leaderboard into second at three under and set up the patrons’ dream final two-ball on Saturday: Spieth vs. McIlroy.
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Follow the leaderboard below for updates from Augusta National on Day 3:
Day 3 Players to Watch
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy
Despite the wind threatening to derail Spieth’s hopes of donning the green jacket for second consecutive year, he remains at the top of the leaderboard for the sixth round running and is still looking strong.
Birdies on holes 1 and 3 on Friday took Spieth temporarily into a five-shot lead at the top of the Masters tree on eight under par, and you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d kick on and hit double figures from there.
However, just two holes later saw the start of his undoing, as he four-putted the fifth green to card an ugly double bogey. And as Golf Channel’s Justin Ray noted, it was the first time the American had ever taken four with the flat stick at Augusta:
Spieth's putter has often come to his rescue, but it wasn't firing on all cylinders on Friday thanks to the wind.
A birdie on the eighth steadied the ship, but bogeys followed on 9, 10, 16 and 17 to peg the defending champion back. Here’s a look at some of Spieth’s highlights courtesy of the Masters’ official Twitter account:
But before you think Spieth is finished, a two-over par round on Friday was certainly nothing to sneeze at.
On several occasions, the wind changed direction and caught out the 22-year-old with his ball in mid-flight, while the greens were playing harder than ever. And as one of the later starters of the day, Spieth had to endure the very worst of the conditions.
Unfortunately, it could be the same story on Saturday for both Spieth and playing partner McIlroy, as BBC Weather is reporting more high winds in the afternoon in Georgia.
Still, that wasn’t enough to stop McIlroy from posting one of the low rounds of the day, as European Tour revealed he was one of just four players to go below 72:
Having grown up on the links in Northern Ireland, the 26-year-old has fine-tuned his game in the breeze, with his ability to shape shots and drill the ball low coming good on Friday’s back nine.
McIlroy sat at level par for the tournament on the 13th tee, but he birdied that hole before going on to chalk up more birdies on 15 and 16—the latter in spectacular fashion, per PGA Tour:
That put the Northern Irishman at three under for the tournament, and he admitted to Sky Sports after his round that he’s excited to get going again:
"I'm very excited, it's my best position going into the weekend at Augusta for a long time and hopefully I can go out there tomorrow and battle again. I think the conditions are going to be very similar again so hopefully I can play another good round of golf and give myself a great chance on Sunday.
"
Either of these players will do well to pull away from the pack, though, as Ray revealed that it’s rather congested at the top:
Indeed, we’ve seen Masters champions emerge from seemingly unwinnable positions in the past, and 2016 could well serve up another dose of surprise.
Outside Chance: Danny Willett
Englishman Danny Willett has rather gone under the radar in this year’s Masters, but he’s very much in contention for his first major title at Augusta
A two-under 70 was followed by a two-over 74 on Friday to leave him on level par for the tournament and four shots back of Spieth, but it’s his ball striking that’s really caught the eye.
Tee to green, Willett was almost flawless on Thursday, and even in Friday’s wind, he produced the goods.
Winning at Augusta can all come down to limiting mistakes, and the 28-year-old played some very smart golf on the hardest holes on Day 2.
Willett’s short game has often been criticised, but he found the formula for success on the most demanding course of them all. If he continues to play intelligent, patient golf, he’ll be right up there in the final hour.
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