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DJ can’t resist! He taps in, and the assembled crowd break into celebration! Im makes his par to secure a share of second, then makes way for the party! DJ’s wife Paulina Gretzky rushes on and plants a kiss on his lips. Then he gives the nearby Bubba Watson a hug, telling him: “I’ve always dreamed of having one of those. I’ve finally got one!”
Two putts for Abraham Ancer, who signs for a very disappointing 76. When it all comes down, he’ll take heart from a highly impressive week’s work. Im chips to four feet. DJ rolls his putt to kick-in distance. He momentarily considers marking it, so he can have the final shot, but he can’t wait, and …
Im nearly sends his approach into the bunker on the right. DJ clips his second pin high. He makes the walk he’s always dreamed of, up the 18th at Augusta National, a couple of putts away from a green jacket. No patrons to roar him home, of course, but there are enough players, family members, club officials and media types around the green to make some noise. Heart-warming trumps surreal. It’s a lovely scene.
Dylan Frittelli signs for a 72. This is his first top-ten finish at a major. He’s -11. Justin Thomas shoots 70; he never got going today, but this fourth-place finish is his best at Augusta and will give him succour next time. Meanwhile back on the tee, DJ and Im bash big, controlled drives down the 18th. Finish with a flourish, eh.
Cameron Smith nearly trundles his pitch from the front of 18 into the cup. It stops an inch short, but a huge smile of satisfaction spreads across his face anyway. He’s been quite magnificent, and entertaining with it. He taps in for par, and he’s signing for a historic 69. The first player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s at a Masters! A weird historical quirk, when you consider all that’s happened in the 83 previous editions, but there you have it! It would have earned him a green jacket most of the time – at -15, he breaks Rickie Fowler’s record for best score not to win – but despite the bittersweet nature of the achievement, it’s a pretty great week for the 27-year-old Aussie nonetheless. He’ll be back.
Smith has a stance in front of the bunker, though he doesn’t really take advantage of his good fortune. He lands his approach on the front of the green, and the ball topples off and back down the fairway. He’ll have a testing up and down if he wants to keep hold of a share of second, and become the first man to post all four rounds in the 60s at a Masters.
Pars for DJ and Im at 17. Ancer, who dropped out of it pretty much from the get-go, rolls in a nice par saver from 12 feet. Too little, too late. He’s -8.
DJ sends his second into the heart of the green. No need to take any chances. Up on 18, Smith whips his drive towards the bunker at the dogleg. It doesn’t drop in, but he might not have a great stance. He’ll be wishing he was a left-hander right now.
DJ and Im crash fine drives down the middle of 17. Further up the hole, Smith gives a 30-foot birdie effort a decent run across the green, but it always stays on the high side. He tidies up for par. If he takes no more than four strokes up the last, he’ll become the first player in the entire 84-year history of the Masters to post all four rounds in the 60s. And yet he won’t win. Still, a little bit of history would be a nice consolation prize.
A two-putt par for DJ on 16. He’s been in total control all week, with the exception of those two bogeys early in this round. Im meanwhile manages to dink his chip down the bank to six feet, of course he does, landing it gently on the fringe and letting the camber do the work. In goes the putt, and this fellow is the real deal.
-20: D Johnson (16)
-15: Smith (16), Im (16)
Par for McIlroy at the last. He signs for a very acceptable 69, to go along with a 66 and a 67 … and that miserable opening round of 75. If he can suss out this opening-round mental barrier, he’ll be dangerous again. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -11. A 70 meanwhile for Koepka, who ends the week at -10.
Smith finds the first cut down the left of 17 with his tee shot. DJ finds the green on 16. Im hoicks his effort right, though, and is left with an intricate chip from an elevated position, with little green to work with and everything sloping down to the water. God speed! Mind you, on the evidence of the last hole, anything’s possible with this guy.
Smith gives his birdie effort on 16 a good go, but there’s a huge right-to-left swing and it’s always staying high. He needed it to drop, because back on 15, DJ tidies up for his birdie, and becomes the first player in Masters history to reach -20. Im makes his birdie putt, which is no more than that preposterously brilliant chip deserves. He’s done nothing wrong today. It’s just that Johnson has broken through to another level.
-20: D Johnson (15)
-15: Smith (16), Im (15)
-13: Thomas (16)
-11; McIlroy (17), Frittelli (16)
One of the shots of the week, right here! Im is 40 yards down the bank. He lands his chip a few feet below the brow by the side of the green, letting his ball flop over it and roll to four feet. That’s absurdly good. This young man has got serious game. Not for the first time today – remember that flop on 5 – he fashions a sensational wedge that the master Phil Mickelson would be proud of. There might not have been too much drama today, but my word there’s been some sensational golf.
DJ lays up at 15, then wedges to six feet. He’s relentless. Smith isn’t giving up quite yet, firing his tee shot at 16 straight at the flag and leaving himself a 25-foot chance of birdie. And back on 15, Im nearly whistles his second into the pond at the back, a la Rory, but his ball, like Frank Costanza, stops short. He’ll have a hell of a chip coming back, up the hill between two trees, but it’s better than getting wet.
Smith makes his birdie! That’s a highly entertaining escape from a player who has made a few of them this week. He’s got the spirit of Seve. He’s great to watch. He moves to -15, four off DJ’s lead. Meanwhile eagle for Justin Thomas, who moves to -13. Too late for any realistic hope of a green jacket, but he’s on course for his best finish at Augusta National and this will stand him in good stead next April. And Jon Rahm goes eagle-birdie at 15 and 16, rising to -10 and salvaging something from a week that, until that topped fairway wood at 8 yesterday, promised more.
Ah, turns out Smith has flown the water, so wide did he go. But he’s got one hell of a shot in. It’s mighty impressive, then, that he gently swishes a wedge onto the green, leaving himself an uphill birdie attempt.
“Aw shit!” Smith responds gnomically to hooking his approach at 15 towards some watery bother on the left. Not sure where that ended up, but it won’t be good. Thomas however flashes a long iron from 226 yards to four feet. That’s outstanding, and it’s a shame for the spectacle that his final-day charge never materialised.
It helps, of course, that nobody has made a serious, sustained run at him. Par for Im, who hasn’t made too many mistakes, but at 22, on debut, has probably suffered from a lack of experience. That mistake from the middle of 7, for example. DJ teases in his birdie putt, and he moves five clear. He’s only the second man in Masters history to reach -19, after Jordan Spieth in 2015. If he manages to stay there, he’ll break the all-time scoring record of -18, jointly held by Spieth (2015) and Tiger (1997).
-19: D Johnson (14)
-14: Smith (14), Im (14)
This is becoming an exhibition. DJ splits the 14th with a 324-yard drive, then wedges from 126 yards to six feet. He’s been sensational all week, and when he momentarily threatened to wobble earlier this afternoon, regrouped mentally and put the pedal to the floor again. Unless he suffers a meltdown for the ages, he’s about to become a very deserving champion.
McIlroy manages to scramble a par with a quite exquisite chip from the drop zone. But he’s not in the greatest mood as he walks off, stick at -11 as he is. Frittelli moves up to -12 with a rake across 14, but there’s no birdie for Smith, who really needs one.
-18: D Johnson (13)
-14: Smith (14), Im (13)
-12: Frittelli (14)
-11: McIlroy (15), Thomas (14)
-10: Pan (F), Koepka (15)
Congratulations to Andy Ogletree, who is going to win the silver medal for low amateur. He got here by defeating John Augenstein in the final of last year’s US Amateur; he’ll pip the same man again today. Ogletree shot 72 today and ends the week at -2; Augenstein is still out there, but +2 with two holes to play. Ogletree will be in good company: recent past winners include Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama. Go a wee bit further back, and the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been awarded it. Not a bad week’s work.
DJ curls a lovely left-to-right swinger into the cup. Birdie. He’s responded so well to having his lead closed to one. It’s back to four. Im’s not going away yet, though, making a similar birdie putt to join Smith in second spot.
-18: D Johnson (13)
-14: Smith (13), Im (13)
-11: McIlroy (14), Frittelli (13), Thomas (13)
-10: Pan (17)
For different reasons – mud ball / pine straw – DJ and Im opt to lay up at 13. Both then screw wedges to ten feet. Up on 15, Rory sends a long iron over the water at the front. It’s hot. He screams at it to SIT! It doesn’t listen. Off it bounds into the pond behind. If we didn’t know it already, his race is run. That preposterous 75, made on Friday morning hours before he carded a sublime 66, was always too much to claw back. Full marks for keeping the pipe dream alive for so long.
CT Pan was in contention for a while on Friday. But yesterday’s 74 put paid to his hopes. He’s coming on strong late, though. Birdies at 13, 15, 16 and now 17 have hauled the Taiwanese into the top ten. He’s -10.
McIlroy stands over a four-foot birdie putt on 14 after two lovely strokes … and shoves it wide right. That’s any lingering hopes finally extinguished, you’d have thought. He remains at -11. Another birdie for Fleetwood, though, and he’s back to -8. Meanwhile Smith can’t make his birdie putt on 13, and he remains three off DJ’s lead at -14.
Tiger finishes with a fourth birdie in a row. Five birdies in the last six. Some response to that once-in-a-lifetime whirlwind of nonsense on the par-three 12th. A septuple bogey! But what a way to bounce back! If you wonder why people who have caught the bug think golf is the most wonderful sport of all, the vicissitudes of Tiger’s back nine should spell it out. They should also illustrate why Tiger’s the greatest of all time. The defending champion bows out in credit at -1, salvaging his pride in style. He’ll be back next year.
DJ cracks his tee shot down the middle of 13. His ball has picked up another clump of mud, though. Im’s will be a lot cleaner … but only on account of it being on the lovely clean pine straw. He’s sent that deep into the woods. DJ’s advantage lengthens.
Im nails his par putt. He gently punches the air. He remains four shy of DJ’s lead, but there’s still time. But someone needs to make a move if this isn’t to turn into a procession. Smith wedges into 13, albeit not particularly closely.
Smith does the sensible thing and lays up. Back on 12, Im splashes out from the bunker to seven feet. That’ll be a must-make putt in the circumstances. DJ’s birdie effort from 25 feet slides by the left of the cup, but that’s a par and another difficult hole out of the road.
Smith sends his drive into the first cut to the right of 13. He may opt to lay up from there. He may also figure that there’s little option but to roll the dice, with DJ three ahead and holes running out. Meanwhile his compatriot Marc Leishman is the new clubhouse leader at -8, with a lovely final round of 68. Two eagles for the 37-year-old Aussie today, at 2 and 13. Hope there’s plenty of room on the Leishman mantlepiece for all that crystal.
The 12th has put paid to so many Masters bids. DJ doesn’t hang about, and clips his tee shot into the heart of the green. Disaster avoided, a huge hurdle cleared. Im takes a lot longer to ponder his tactics. He hits his shot a little fat, and his ball dunks in the bunker. Meanwhile Tiger birdies 17. Since that absurd 10 at the 12th, he’s gone birdie-par-birdie-birdie-birdie. There’ll never be another Tiger, you know.
The penultimate group played 12 nicely. Pars for Smith and Frittelli, a birdie for Justin Thomas, who has been uncharacteristically quiet. So here’s where we are as the final group prepare for their tee shots at the killer 12th.
-17: D Johnson (11)
-14: Smith (12)
-13: Im (11)
-11: McIlroy (13), Frittelli (12), Thomas (12)
-9: Koepka (13)
Im leaves his lengthy birdie putt on 11 short. Par will suffice for now, though someone will have to make a move soon if they want to unnerve Johnson, who chips up carefully from the Mize Arena and strokes a six-footer in for par. Meanwhile a 73 today for Bryson DeChambeau, the pre-tournament favourite ending the week at -2. He theatrically clocks himself on the head with the shaft of his putter. He’ll have a good think about it, and he’ll be back.
A final round of 71 for the 1985 and 1993 champion Bernhard Langer. He ends the week at -3. That opening round of 68 was something else. He’s 63 years old! Yet another reason why golf is the greatest sport. Meanwhile on 13, an eagle opportunity slides by for Rory McIlroy. He’ll tap in for birdie and move to -11, but it’s not enough.
You want more on Tiger’s Weiskopfesque meltdown at Morning Bell? We have it.
Related: Defending Masters champion Tiger Woods scores 10 at Augusta’s 12th hole
The very early clubhouse leaders: Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose. They both card 70s and post a target of -5. On 11, DJ’s second leaks off to the right and he’s in the Swale o’Mize. Im however goes aggressively for the kingpin. He only just holds the green at the back, but is rewarded for his bravery with an uphill look at birdie.
Frittelli rolls his long birdie putt to kick-in distance. That’s a fine par given the big slice from the tee. He remains at -11. Smith can’t chip up close, though, and he’s left with a 12-footer for his par. He doesn’t give it enough on the high side, and it’s always skating off to the left. The bogey means DJ, standing at the top of the hill, waiting to hit his first shot at Amen Corner, now has a three-stroke lead.
-17: D Johnson (10)
-14: Smith (11)
-13: Im (10)
-11: Frittelli (11)
-10: McIlroy (12), Thomas (11)
Frittelli gets a chunk of Tiger’s luck! He’s presented with a route to the green, and he doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. On he goes. Smith, however, from the centre of the fairway, sends his second towards the Mize Depression on the right. Some work to do if he wants to get up and down. Once he moves on, DJ whip-cracks his drive down the track.
Tiger at 16. He ran up ten on the last par three. A septuple bogey! Tiger Woods! So here he very nearly slam-dunks an ace. A couple of feet away. He’ll make birdie. Golf is strange and so very lovely.
DJ’s birdie putt across 10 has a massive right-to-left break, and he’s happy enough to nestle it close. Par, and the first banana skin on the back nine has been given the big bodyswerve. Im takes two careful putts for par as well. No such luck for Ancer, though; his short par putt dribbles by on the high side, and it’s his fourth bogey of the round. It’s just not his day. He’s -8.
A huge stroke of fortune for Tommy Fleetwood on 12. Chipping from the straw at the back, he gives it a bit too much. If it doesn’t hit the flag, it’s surely wet. But it does hit the flag, and drops in for birdie! In a split second, disaster turns into birdie, and though (or perhaps because) he’s well out of it, he permits himself a carefree laugh. He’s -7. McIlroy meanwhile gets up and down magnificently from the bunker, swishing his ball onto the fringe and rolling it to six feet before stroking home confidently. He stays at -10.
Smith creams his drive down the middle of 11. Frittelli’s effort flies into the woods on the right. Tiger got lucky from there twice last year, an avenue to the green opening out in front of him; the 30-year-old South African will be hoping for a similar break today. Back on 10, DJ whips out 5-iron and sends a gentle draw pin high. “That came out just like I wanted it to,” he tells his caddy. One of the hardest tests on the entire golf course passed with flying colours. The actions of a champion. Im fires a very decent second straight at the flag. On the green, but a little short. He continues to impress, trading blows with the world number one on the biggest stage of all.
Smith makes his par putt on 10. That’s a brilliant sandy save from a very difficult position. Par saves as valuable as birdies on the back nine on Sunday. Up on 12, Rory backs away from his tee shot with the wind swirling, before whipping his ball into the bunker at the back. There are worse misses, as a certain five-time winner can tell you.
Welcome to the start of the 84th Masters Tournament. Yes, the final group has reached the 10th tee. DJ sends a 3-wood down the left of the fairway. It’s a fine shot, though it looks as though there’s a big dod of mud on his ball. That might cause him a little angst. Im splits the fairway. Up on the green, Smith blasts out of the sand and sends his ball eight feet below the hole. That’s pretty much as good as he could have hoped for, and he’ll have an uphill putt to save his par. Rory meanwhile chips up nicely from the Mize Zone and knocks in his short par effort. He remains at -10.
Ancer reaches the turn in 39. At -9, he’s out of it. He doesn’t bother hiding his disappointment. The pain of coming so close. His dream died when he missed that birdie tiddler on 2. Im tidies up for par to turn in 35; he’s three off DJ’s lead, the big man two-putting calmly for his par. He turns in 35. Meanwhile on 10, Smith sends his second into the bunker on the right. With the green sloping the other way, that’s not the side to be missing on, as Rory recently found out.
-17: D Johnson (9)
-15: Smith (9)
-13: Im (9)
-11: Frittelli (9)
-10: McIlroy (10), Thomas (9)
Im is off the right of the green at 9. He desperately needs to get up and down here with DJ on the dancefloor in two. A lovely check and run should save his par. Over on 11, McIlroy’s approach leaks off to Mize Country. What he’d pay for a repeat of the 1987 champion’s Greg-bothering antics now.
Smith swishes a 3-wood down 10. Long way to go, but if he pars his way home, he’ll sign for a 69. That would be significant because, having shot 67-68-69 already, he’d become the first player in the entire history of the Masters to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. Nobody’s ever done it; that seems kind of strange, no? But there it is.
Cameron Smith tides up at 9 for his birdie. He turns in 33, and remains on Dustin Johnson’s shoulder. Frittelli drains a much longer putt for a birdie, too, and though he’s turning in 36, is still clinging on.
-17: D Johnson (8)
-15: Smith (9)
-13: Im (8)
-11: Frittelli (9)
-10: McIlroy (10), Thomas (9)
Im’s third into the par-five 8th isn’t all that. He leaves himself a 15-footer for birdie. But he makes it! That’s a great street-fighting putt, because DJ lags up from distance and makes his birdie without too much fuss. The young Korean debutant is hanging on. Meanwhile McIlroy bumps his third down off the bank at the back of 10. It’s a delicate flick, yet he can’t stop the ball rolling 30 feet past the hole, leading to a costly bogey. And on 13, Tiger follows up his septuple-bogey ten with a birdie. Of course he does. This is golf!
One of the shots of the week by Cam Smith! From the pine straw to the right of 9, he whips an iron off the shoulder of the bunker to the left of the green. The ball gathers round, then back down the slope, serenely stopping a couple of feet from the flag. That might be the shot of the week, actually. He loves a Seve-style scramble, this lad. He’s great to watch. He’d make a great Masters champion, you know.
While that little piece of history was unfolding, Dustin Johnson’s position became a little more secure. Smith sent a weak chip into 8, and with it the chance of birdie was gone. DJ, following in the final group, found the dancefloor in two blows. He’s in prime position to make at least a birdie that would extend his lead to three. Smith then drove into the pines down the right of 9, while Rory hoicked his approach at 10 long and up a bank on the right. It’s looking rosy for DJ right now. Then again, he’s still got to play the 12th.
Tiger has a second go from the sand. It’s his eighth shot. He understandably hits this one much more softly. The ball only just reaches the fringe. Two putts later, and five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods runs up double figures at the iconic par-three 12th. Small mercies: it’s still three shots better than the total Tom Weiskopf ran up in 1980. Click below for that particular horror story!
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Tiger, his first tee shot at 12 toppling back into the creek, makes the same mistake from the drop zone. Then he sends his third ball into the bunker at the back. Hitting six out of the sand, awkwardly crouching on the trap’s steep slope, he blasts one out and straight into the water! Augusta National can do this to the greatest of them all. As defending champion, this is doubly embarrassing: shades of Sergio at 15 in 2018, when he found water five times en route to a 13.
Par for McIlroy at 9, and he’s turning in 33. That’s a very impressive front nine, especially when you consider his slow start. Back on the par-five 8th, Smith is greenside in two. Meanwhile on 12 … no, this needs an entry of its own …
Im splashes gracefully out of the bunker at the back. His ball barely hits the fringe between bunker and green, yet there’s to be no stopping it, and his ball rolls off the front. DJ is also hitting out of sand, but uphill, and is able to confidently swish it to three feet. That’s lovely. Im chips up crisply to six inches, but that’s another shot gone after an unforced error from the centre of the fairway. He slips to -12. DJ remains at -16.
The nerves are kicking in. DJ’s drive at 7 finds the second cut on the right. He can only send his second shot scampering into the bunker at the front of the green. Im, meanwhile, is in prime position in the centre of the fairway … then sends his wedge into the bunker at the back. That’s not the place to find yourself. Meanwhile on 12, the defending champion Tiger hits the bank and topples back into the briny. At -3, he was already well out of it, yet look! Imagine the pressure when the leaders come round. A long way to go, folks … and a lot of stories yet to be told.
The 2015 champion Jordan Spieth has been struggling for a while now. No win at all since his victory at Birkdale in 2017. But he made his name at Augusta, and what better place to launch a revival? Four birdies in a row, 12 through 15, and while it’s far too late for this year’s Tournament, here’s hoping a good final round will stand him in good stead going forward. Masters Sunday isn’t the same without him in the mix. He’s -3.
From the trees at 7, Smith had powered an iron through a small gap and onto the front of the green. He’s somehow manufactured an uphill 15-foot birdie chance! And in goes the putt, which he celebrates with a toothy grin. He’s earned that, and the gap is reduced to two.
-16: D Johnson (6)
-14: Smith (7)
-13: Im (6)
-11: McIlroy (8), Frittelli (7)
Im chips up nicely to four feet. DJ makes his bounce-back birdie putt. That’s a wonderful response to the poor bogey on 5. And it spooks Im, who makes his first mistake in a long while, letting his par putt slip by the right of the cup. Bogey, and suddenly it all turns around. The one-shot gap becomes three again! Meanwhile Ancer misses another short putt, and at -9 his race is almost certainly run. McIlroy meanwhile cradles his long eagle putt at 8 to kick-in distance, and this is what the leader board looks lik… ah hold on a minute …
Im’s tee shot at the par-three 6th topples over the back. DJ responds by clacking a wonder shot to ten feet. Back to you, Sung-jae! Meanwhile on 7, Smith hoicks his tee shot dramatically right, while on 8 McIlroy finds the heart of the par-five in two big lashes, pin high, and he’ll have a look at eagle from 40 feet. Some big moments coming right up!
DJ can’t make his par saver. He prods at his putt with great uncertainty and it breaks right. That’s another shot gone. Two bogeys for DJ in the first 57 holes of this tournament; two in the last two. Im tidies up, and that’s a real matchplay-style body blow for Johnson. He looked in the box seat to extend his lead; instead, thanks to Im’s sensational lob, the gap’s been closed!
-15: D Johnson (5)
-14: Im (5)
-13: Smith (6)
-10: McIlroy (7), Frittelli (6), Ancer (5)
Oh my, Im whips a nerveless lob out of the thick stuff, over the bunker, and onto the green, landing softly four feet from the pin. Phil Mickelson would have been proud to call that his shot. Whatever happens to Im today, this guy is a proper talent and sure to bother many a major-championship leader board in the future.
Is DJ getting nervous or not? It’s hard to tell. Genuinely perplexing. He’s making some bad mistakes … but he’s pulling some rabbits out of the hat too. Hitting three into the 5th, with the pin at the back and real trouble over the green, he wedges a gloriously brave effort to seven feet. Wow. If he salvages par here, it could settle him down for good … especially as Im has pulled his second to the left, in Smith Country. He’ll be doing well to get up and down from here.
DJ takes his medicine and whips out of the big trap at 5. Meanwhile up on the green Frittelli drops a shot too, his first bogey of the day after a string of pars. He’s -10. Over on 7, Koepka takes the flagstick out and bundles home a chip from the front for his first birdie of the day; he’s -9. McIlroy tries to repeat the trick but it’s never going in. Par will suffice; he remains at -10.
Red flag! Red flag! Dustin’s tightening up! He lashes his drive at 5 into one of the fairway bunkers on the left. They’re extremely deep, and he’s unlikely to make the green from there. Meanwhile up the hole, Smith whips into the heart of the green, but he can’t save his par from 20 feet and drops back to -13.
Ancer’s par putt sails by the left of the cup, and he’s not taken his A-game to the party today. He slips to -10, six off the lead. Meanwhile a pause in play up by the 5th green as Smith negotiates a free drop with an official. We’ll be back after this message from our sponsor.
Im’s birdie putt on 4 stops one turn short. Par. He looks calm and in control, giving his caddy an insouciant shake of the head and a trace of a knowing smile. He’ll be even happier to see Dustin’s par putt lipping out, the big man never giving it enough on the right. He slips back to -16, his lead just two again.
-16: D Johnson (4)
-14: Smith (4), Im (4)
DJ’s putt from off the front of 4 takes a huge leap, and there goes all the pace. Suddenly he’s left with a 12-footer for his par. Ancer’s splash out from sand is adequate, nothing more, and he’ll have a ten-footer to save par. Meanwhile up on 5, Smith tugs his approach wide left. It stops just short of the bushes, but he’ll have a tricky chip over a bunker from the second cut.
McIlroy rolls a 20-footer into the cup at 6. The four-time major winner remains on the periphery, hoping for a Dustin Johnson collapse. It could happen to anyone, as Rory himself is painfully aware. He’s -10.
Im sends a gentle fade into the heart of the par-three 4th. That’s a lovely shot, and he’ll have an outside chance of birdie from 20 feet or so. Worth reiterating that this is the 22-year-old Korean’s Masters debut! He’s so impressive. DJ whip-cracks his 4-iron straight at the flag, but leaves it just short of the green. Par shouldn’t be a problem from there. Ancer also takes 4-iron, and dunks it into the bunker front right. He’s struggling; that missed birdie putt on 2 might be gnawing away at him.
Ancer pulls a really poor second to the right of 3. It costs him a shot. He drops back to -11, not so long after missing the tiddler that would have moved him to -13. Im makes his birdie. But how about this from Dustin Johnson! He curls in a 15-foot left-to-right swinger from the back of 3, and it’s a birdie that’ll surely settle those jitters. What a response to a worrying few minutes.
-17: D Johnson (3)
-14: Smith (4), Im (3)
-11: Frittelli (4), Ancer (3)
-10: Munoz (4)
-9: Matsuyama (6), McIlroy (5)
DJ did absolutely nothing wrong yesterday. He’s already made one big mistake with a timid chip on 2; now he’s a bit heavy handed chipping into 3. He looks a little agitated. He wouldn’t be human if Pebble Beach 2010 wasn’t playing on his mind. It didn’t help that Im had clipped his second to four feet. This could get very interesting very soon … and we’re still six holes away from the tournament proper actually starting! Ah, the turn on Sunday.
Cameron Smith looks in the mood. He swishes his second to the short par-four 3rd to three feet, and tidies up for his second consecutive birdie. Suddenly the lead is only two. Smith’s round yesterday was extraordinary; 12 pars in a row, then three birdies, and finally three sensational par scrambles. He’s already got a top-five finish here (2008) plus a top-five spot in the US Open (2015, his major debut). Could this be the 27-year-old Queenslander’s time to make the big step up?
-16: D Johnson (2)
-14: Smith (3)
-13: Im (2)
That chip by Johnson was appalling. It wasn’t even close to making the green. The bunker has two portions, and he didn’t make it over the first. But he regroups well and splashes out to kick-in distance. Par, though that’s giving a shot away to his rivals. Ancer nearly chips in from the sand, while Im’s effort from the back of the green shaves the hole too. Im makes his birdie putt, though Ancer yips his. That’s not the first short one the Mexican debutant has missed this week; he gave up a great chance for birdie on 11 yesterday too.
-16: D Johnson (2)
-13: Smith (2), Im (2)
-12: Ancer (2)
-11: Frittelli (2)
-9: McIlroy (4), Munoz (3), Rahm (3), Thomas (2)
Birdie for McIlroy at 3. Rahm bounces back with birdie at 2, then watches in agony as a fine birdie putt on 3 shaves the left of the cup. Both are -9. And DJ makes a basic mistake on 2, trying to be too cute with his chip over the sand and dumping it straight in. That’ll get the nerves jangling.
Here we go! Birdie for Cameron Smith at 2. He grabs second spot for himself. Behind him, the leader DJ sends his tee shot into the first cut down the right, and he’s left with a mud ball. He can only whip his second down the track and leaves himself a chip over the bunker guarding the pin on the right. Ancer meanwhile finds that bunker with his second, while Im swings one in, hoping to find the Oosthuizen route to the pin, but falling off the back of the green instead.
-16: D Johnson (1)
-13: Smith (2)
-12: Im (1), Ancer (1)
-11: Frittelli (2)
The 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel (-6) birdies 13 and eagles 15, and he’s the hottest property out there during these early stages. (Split tees, remember.) Bryson DeChambeau (-5_ eagled 13 and is currently two under for his round through 16. But those two apart, nobody is better than one under for their round right now … and nobody is making a move towards DJ from the chasing pack. In fact, Justin Thomas goes the other way with a costly six at 2. He’s -9.
All of Cameron Champ’s good work is undone in a flash. He pulls his tee shot at the par-three 4th into the sand on the left, and requires two attempts to get out. Three putts from eight feet later, and it’s a calamitous triple-bogey six. He’s back to -6. Meanwhile a thinned chip into 3 costs Tommy Fleetwood a shot; he slips to -8.
The final grouping of the 84th Masters Tournament is out. Dustin Johnson drives into the fairway bunker on the right, but flashes his second into the heart of the green and makes off with par. Abraham Ancer creams a gorgeous iron to 12 feet from 150 yards, but can’t make the putt. Im Sung-jae is short in two, but chips up crisply to a couple of feet and it’s pars all round. DJ remains at -16, Ancer and Im at -12.
Cameron Champ has flown out of the blocks. It’s three birdies in the first three holes, and this is a very impressive debut performance by the young Californian. He’s -9. Meanwhile the penultimate grouping has been and done with Tea Olive. Pars all round for Cameron Smith, Dylan Frittelli and Justin Thomas. Masters Sunday is beginning to happen, folks. It’s on!
-16: D Johnson
-12: Smith (1), Im, Ancer
-11: Frittelli (1)
-10: Thomas (1)
-9: Champ (3), Fleetwood (2), Munoz (1), Reed (1)
-8: Matsuyama (3), Cantlay (3), McIlroy (2), Koepka (2), Rahm (1)
McIlroy sends his second at 2 into the bunker front right. That’s an incredibly poor miss, and there follows an incredibly poor sand shot. It stays in the trap. He gets out with his second attempt, and will tap in for par, but that’s not really enough. He remains at -8, as does Koepka, whose fate was sealed the minute his drive went right. Birdie for Fleetwood, though, as he finds the front of the green in two and swings a big eagle attempt to kick-in distance from 80 feet. He’s -9.
Opening bogey for Jon Rahm. It increasingly looks like his race came to an embarrassing end yesterday on 8 when, momentarily overwhelmed by the spirit of the fantastic Maurice Flitcroft, he topped a fairway wood, then twanged his ball off a tree and into a bush. He’s yet to recover his previous poise. He’s -8.
The bunker Koepka’s found himself in is deep as hell. He’s forced to take his medicine and wedge out. He traipses off down the hill to ponder his third. A slight slump in those wide shoulders as he contemplates a slower start than he’d have been dreaming of last night. Hands on hips once he gets there. He is quietly fuming. But up on the green, birdie for Hideki Matsuyama! The 28-year-old from Japan has two top-ten finishes plus an amateur silver medal here, and is surely going to win a major one day. He’s got a birdie blitz in his locker, so if his putter gets at all warm, this could get interesting.
McIlroy blooters his drive at 2 down the left-hand side of the fairway. Perfectly placed to attack the pin. Fleetwood follows him down there. Koepka loses his tee shot to the right, though, and finds the fairway bunker. He’s only birdied this hole once this week, and that’s gifting shots to the rest of the field on statistically the easiest hole this week. He may be plugged, too, so he’s up against it once more.
Another birdie for Champ, at the par-five 2nd. He’s the first to disrupt the top of the leader board.
-16: D Johnson
-12: Im, Ancer, Smith
-11: Frittelli
-10: Thomas
-9: Munoz, Reed, Rahm
-8: Champ (2), Matsuyama (1), McIlroy (1), Koepka (1), Fleetwood (1)
Problem is, McIlroy’s putter isn’t the most reliable tool in his bag. He pushes his birdie putt right of the cup, and has to settle for par. A shake of the head. Pars salvaged from off the front by both Koepka and Fleetwood. A fast start is essential. OK, let’s reset: the next couple of holes will most likely define their rounds. Minimum birdie at 2 is non-negotiable.
Rory watches his playing partners Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood fail to send their approaches over the false front at 1. He’s not minded to make the same mistake, and clips his wedge from 100 yards to eight feet. This next putt will most likely define his round. These three need to shoot absurdly low, and hope DJ goes into a 78rpm flat spin, if they’re to pull on a green jacket in the Butler Cabin later today.
The big-hitting Californian Cameron Champ already has a top-ten finish at this year’s PGA on his resume. He shot a best-of-week 64 at Harding Park, proving his major moxie, and he’s started well today, with birdie at Tea Olive. He’s -7. Meanwhile here comes Rory! Let’s see if he can tear out of the blocks and launch an absurd birdie salvo to give the leaders pause. He crashes his drive down the middle of 1 and might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. This could be fun. Or profoundly depressing, but you know how golf is. That emotional knife-edge is the whole point.
That opening triple bogey has really messed with Matt Wallace’s mind. He makes an awful mess of the short par-three 3rd. His approach topples back off the bank at the front. He then sends a chip over the green. The one coming back is heavy handed. Two putts later, it’s a double. A nightmare start, five over after three holes, and he clatters down to +1 for the tournament. This sort of thing can happen to anyone. It happened to Dustin Johnson at the 2010 US Open, for one. Nothing is certain. This is why we love and hate golf, and ourselves, in equal measure.
Tiger’s out and about, and this close to replicating Leishman’s eagle chip-in on 2. But his ball hits the flagstick and twangs out. His birdie moves him to -6. This is such a good pin position on 2, though. The camber of the green gathers the ball towards the hole from almost all directions – best illustrated by Oosthuizen’s albatross in 2012 – so we could enjoy some fun and games here today.
There are plenty who would cough big for what Marc Leishman’s just done, too. The 37-year-old Aussie hits an average long iron into the par-five 2nd, the ball toppling just off the back of the green. But that’s OK! From the best part of 100 feet, he trundles in a chip for eagle. That catapults him up to -6, and a share of 15th place. The very top aside, this is a packed leader board, so expect plenty of movement as players attempt to turn an average week into a highly lucrative one. An under-the-radar Sunday activity known as Kucharing.
Another birdie for Lee Westwood, this time at 2. He’s -5, and there are plenty of players in contention who would pay the European veteran cash money for this fast start.
Just in case that early fog delay has you fidgetin’ and a-fussin’ … the weather shouldn’t be a problem at Augusta National today. Cloudy, maybe, though hopefully the sun will start poking through.
Early days, of course, but there’s only one birdie to report so far. Naturally, it was made while Wallace was running up his triple, and by a fellow English player to boot. Lee Westwood very nearly screwed the ball back into the cup for eagle from 150 yards; as it was, he tapped in to move to -4 instead.
DJ’s four-shot lead looks pretty daunting, huh? Well here’s an illustration of how quickly things can unravel at Augusta National on Sunday at the Masters. On the opening hole, Tea Olive, Matt Wallace pulled his approach into the swale to the left of the green. His weak chip up u-turned into the bunker. His escape was overcooked, 35 feet past the flag. Three putts, the greens already like lightning, and that’s a triple-bogey seven to open. Nothing is certain. The 30-year-old Englishman tumbles to -1.
A chance to have a look at some of the final-round pin positions. A few traditional favourites there. You don’t have to stare at that chart for too long to start reminiscing over Louis Oosthuizen’s albatross on 2, Tiger’s trickle-down putt on 9, Freddie Couples on the bank at 12, Sergio’s eagle at 15, Nicklaus hoisting his putter at 17, or Sandy Lyle’s jig on 18. The buzz of Masters Sunday, right here!
The final round hole locations. #themasters pic.twitter.com/NltFmWAAbO
We go out as we came in. Rain delayed the start of the first round on Thursday by three hours; morning mist has pushed back this morning’s tee times by ten minutes.
Dustin Johnson goes into the final round of the 2020 Masters with a four-shot lead over Im Sung-jae, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith. He should have this in the bag, really. He should. But it’s never quite as simple as that, is it. Ken Venturi had a four-stroke lead going into the 1956 Masters, but ended up losing by a single shot to Jack Burke. Rory McIlroy went into Sunday four clear in 2011 and finished in a tie for 15th. And then there was Greg Norman in 1996. Oh Greg.
DJ has shipped a big 54-hole lead at a major before, of course. He went into the final round of the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach three clear of Graeme McDowell, but dropped six shots in the first four holes in a blizzard of duffed chips and hoicks O/B. He’s been prone to the odd meltdown.
Related: The Masters 1996: Faldo triumphs as Norman blows six-shot lead – as it happened
