Tour News
4 Things We Learned from Day 3 at the Masters
Another day has gone by at Augusta. Here is what we learned from an at-times bombastic Saturday.
The Four Biggest Names In Golf All Should Be In Contention
Even before this tournament, Jordan Spieth would’ve been among this select quartet, and that certainly hasn’t changed after these magnificent 54 holes that see him four clear of the field.
But the trio of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy produced a great deal of drama on Saturday and held together well over the three days.
Mickelson captured eight birdies in the third round, none more goose-bump worthy than this brilliant roll on the 16th green:
That stroke of genius was actually preceded by this rollicking approach into a par-5.
Missed ya FIGJAM! https://t.co/511FHcvmXc
— Trevor Reaske (@TrevorReaske) April 11, 2015
It added up to a 67 and an 11-under total.
Woods manufactured some inspiring moments of his own (more on that shortly) in a third-day 68 that left him at 6-under. McIlroy matched the 68 and 6-under score. All three shot 32 on the front nine.
Mickelson still has a shot being five back of Spieth’s 16-under total. But without the 21-year-old’s otherworldly performance, the lead would be -12, and Woods and McIlroy would still be lurking just six back and four players ahead of them.
Honestly then, Spieth’s performance has turned a star effort from golf’s top group into a bit of an average showing, which is pretty remarkable.
Woods and McIlroy are paired for Sunday, something that would be more fun if they were actually in contention.
Wild Tiger is still the best Tiger
Woods doesn’t make life easy for himself on the golf course sometimes, and that only adds to the sheer excitement behind his every win.
The 39-year-old displayed that power of his to its finest on the 13th hole on Saturday.
This is how he drove it on the gettable par-5:
A 176-yard whopper there, and Woods was certainly fortuitous to not be taking a penalty stroke. He punched out, though, to 175 yards and hit a bold approach past a back hole location that portended trouble for any player who trundled over the green.
From there, Woods had a slippery, heavy left-to-right downhill putt for an unfathomable birdie, and he did this:
That birdie put Woods at 7-under and fans and media alike went into a frenzy over that awful drive that somehow netted a four.
It goes to show that Woods escaping trouble never gets old. And whatever happens the rest of the way at this Masters, he won’t just saunter off quietly into his old age.
Sleeper Names in Line for some high finishes
There are plenty of big dogs near (and in) the lead, but five among the top 11 could be classified as pretty big sleepers coming into this event.
Starting from the bottom at T10, Paul Casey is potentially within grasp of another high Masters finish. It’s hard to call the former No. 3 player in the world a sleeper, and becomes doubly difficult when Casey emerged as a common sleeper pick this week, but he did fall off the map a bit as his career has seen its downs in recent years and he’s only shown some measure of resurgence since 2014.
At 6-under and T5, Kevin Streelman, he of 2015 Masters Par-3 Contest victory fame along with, you know, those seven straight birdies to win at the Travelers last year, could post his first major championship top-10 on Sunday.
The spirited Kevin Na also finds himself 6-under and T5, and laid-back Charley Hoffman is 10-under and in solo fourth. Na has little history of showing up in majors (mainly just last year’s U.S. Open), and this is Hoffman’s second career Masters.
Pretty much nobody acknowledged their existence coming into this week…except here (full disclosure, I also expected Spieth to falter this week and not contend, so egg me for that if you must).
Finally, there’s Justin Rose. OK, the Englishman is a really big name, but he was barely on the radar heading into this week after a dismal start to the season that included three missed cuts and zero top-25s in six starts. And damn him forever for his triple bogey to end last week’s Shell Houston Open and shoo away the one person that may have believed in him.
Nonetheless another little picked player with a chance for a high finish (or win).
Spieth does make mistakes…and hasn’t quite closed the door
To preface: This 54-hole performance from Spieth has no doubt been one for the ages so far, and he is clearly still in an extremely favorable position to win this year’s Masters.
But…this thing is not over.
The 21-year-old was basically flawless over the first two days, just one bogey on the card total, yet leaked some oil on the opening nine in round three. Spieth bogeyed two of his first seven holes, and his lead was down to four at times in that stretch including after the 11th hole.
He missed a short par effort on 14, but sandwiched it between four birdies and it seemed like Spieth had weathered the storm from behind, which included Woods, McIlroy and Mickelson (especially) making big noise. His lead actually grew to seven.
Then he made a sloppy and uncharacteristic double bogey on 17 and only a miraculous save on 18 kept his lead from dropping to three heading into the final day.
Honestly, this isn’t at all surprising. Spieth played spectacularly over the first two days and is a superstar talent, but he wasn’t going to be perfect forever. Aside from that double bogey, he mostly managed his mistakes very well and doesn’t appear ready to collapse on Sunday.
Yet, McIlroy seemed just as unflappable with a four-shot lead and 18 holes remaining at Augusta four years ago. I’m not expecting Spieth to shoot 80 tomorrow, nor am I expecting him to do anything but capture that Green Jacket.
The loss remains possible, though, and a close finish at Augusta, while unlikely, isn’t out of the question.
*h/t to Adam Sarson for compiling all of the best Masters GIFs and Videos on his website.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.
As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.
Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.
General Albums
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #2
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Alex Fitzpatrick – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Austin Cook – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Alejandro Tosti – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- MJ Daffue – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Nate Lashley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Kevin Streelman – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rasmus Hojgaard – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Tom Whitney – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- SangMoon Bae – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Daniel Berger – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rory McIlroy – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Russ Cochrane – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Aldrich Potgieter – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Steve Stricker WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Drew Brees WITB (Legendary New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Thriston Lawrence WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
Pullout Albums
- MJ Daffue’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Cameron putters – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Swag covers ( a few custom for Nick Hardy) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Custom Bettinardi covers for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Patrick Cantlay spotted testing a Scotty Cameron blade putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludvig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Sam Burns – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Stephen Jaeger – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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Golfer Steve
Apr 24, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Phil looked great
RG
Apr 12, 2015 at 4:52 pm
Thanks for telling me what I saw. Without being told what I had seen I would not have known what I was looking at.
Kevin Casey
Apr 12, 2015 at 10:11 pm
You’re welcome! 🙂
Norm
Apr 12, 2015 at 11:55 am
That was the most girly, childish, “please watch what I do” fist pump ever from a very under-developed human being in Eldrick. Just exemplifies his need for attention. Such a child. He’s still pretending to be normal.
Patricknorm
Apr 12, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Feel better now Norm? No hate in those statements.
other paul
Apr 12, 2015 at 10:23 am
Ahhhhh! Dammit Tiger!. I love what he yells at himself. “Tiger! You idiot!”
8thehardway
Apr 12, 2015 at 4:52 am
I need Spieth to finish first but instead of padding his lead he opened the door for Phil and, especially, Justin who ended his round looking like Spieth did on Th and Friday. I see an epic collapse coming.
slider
Apr 11, 2015 at 10:46 pm
tiger with some unique words after his tee shot gotta love the grit
Progolfer
Apr 11, 2015 at 9:53 pm
What an awesome day at the Masters today! I think it’s going to take 18 under to win it, and I don’t think it’s going to be Spieth. We shall wait and see!