This day was the day Tiger Woods made unwanted history. This was the day Scottie Scheffler showed, if only briefly, that he was fallible. It was a day when Ludwig Oberg gave us a glimpse into the exciting future of golf. It’s a shame that the Masters has to close after so many years.
Woods entered the record books on Friday by becoming the first player to successfully negotiate a Masters cut 24 times in a row. And just like that, the 48-year-old made a bold prediction about his bid for the Green Jackets. Perhaps we should know better than to fall under Woods’ spell by now. Nothing beats Father Time. His worst performance was at Augusta National, where he was battered in the first nine of 42 games. He didn’t get much better after that either. Woods signed with an 82, his worst finish in the Masters round with four rounds. Both of these 78s appeared in his 2022. Woods’ current pattern is definitely in decline overall. Woods looked mentally and physically exhausted as he took to the podium for post-round media duties.
“My warm-up session wasn’t very good, so I stuck with it all day today,” Woods said. “I just hit the ball in places I knew I shouldn’t hit it. And I missed a lot of putts. Putts that were easy to make. I missed a lot of them.
“I haven’t played or played much. I made a putt on the 5th, 3-putted right away on the 6th, missed a chip on the 7th, and I just went the wrong way. We had a chance to turn it around and we didn’t.”
Woods insisted there was no chance he would withdraw from the Masters before the fourth round. “The team will be ready,” he said. At some point, perhaps soon, he will have to ask if it’s worth all the trouble. Sunday marks the 100th Masters round. There is no joy in watching him fumble and stumble like this in the venue he once ruled.
While the heated battle was going on behind the scenes, he looked disappointed. Unfazed, Scheffler made an unexpected double bogey on the 10th hole, unexpectedly giving hope to the field. He took another shot at No. 11. At 5:30 p.m. local time, Oberg birdied the 13th hole and joined the Masters lead for the first time. It seemed surprising considering this was the Swede’s first major appearance. In the Scandinavian attack on Augusta, Nikolai Høgaard was tied with Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard. Heigo hit four devastating shots in a row from the 11th tee.
Oberg also stumbled. The 15th is your chance. Instead, the European rising star dropped his shot over the green. He had drilled similar holes before. Oberg remains firmly in contention for the Masters, but he needs a come-from-behind victory. He scored 70 and got minus 4 degrees.
Mr. Scheffler seemed upset by the whispers of his death. He made a 31-foot early putt on No. 13 to regain his share of the lead at 6 under. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa was next to him. Scheffler made a birdie on the 15th and narrowly escaped. Finally, another person made amends for the mistake on the 17th. After 54 holes, Scheffler’s -7 leads Morikawa’s -6. The world number one signed 71.
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Picking a champion from this melee would be a fool’s errand. Max Homa is 5 under.
Bryson DeChambeau, the star of the three-day tournament, panicked until he holed out from the 18th fairway for an 80-yard birdie. His tee shot was in the woods. DeChambeau finished with 3 under. Also keep an eye out for Xander Schauffele, who is one stroke behind.
Rory McIlroy will have to wait at least another year to complete a career Grand Slam. The damage to McIlroy came in the second round with a 77. While he felt good Saturday with a 71, McIlroy’s issues against Georgia appear to be much more technical than mental. In short, he’s not playing particularly well. This is the theme throughout 2024.
“All I can do is come here and do my best,” McIlroy said. “That’s what I do every time I show up. Some years are better than others. I just have to keep showing up and trying to do the right thing. Go out and do it in good shape. There were rumors abound that Taylor Swift would perform at Augusta on Saturday. In the end, there were no sightings of the pop icon, but the Masters provided a frustrating blank space on McIlroy’s stellar resume.
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Jon Rahm, like McIlroy, plays positionally. He is the 2023 champion with a 72 and is 5 over. Rahm paid tribute to his compatriot Jose María Olazabal, who qualified for the Masters for the first time in nearly 25 years after winning his second Masters. “He loves this game,” Olazabal’s Rahm said. “Otherwise, why is he still here, competing there and working so hard? It’s unbelievable at his age. Some of the great players don’t really have to fight. There are many people who continue to fight just because they love them.” You can’t help but be fascinated by this.
