Saturday, April 9, 2022

The Masters: Third Round

Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith have been red-hot in 2022.  Scheffler has won the Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the WGC Match Play.  Smith has won the Tournament of Champions and the Players Championship.  So it makes sense that tomorrow's final round will probably come down to the two of them.

1.  S. Scheffler-9 (69+67+71=207)

2.  C. Smith (AUS):  -6 (68+74+68=210)

3.  S. Im (KOR):  -4 (67+71+71=212)

T4.  S. Lowry (IRL):  -2 (73+68+73=214)
T4.  C. Schwartzel (RSA):  -2 (72+69+73=214)

T6.  J. Thomas-1 (76+67+72=215)
T6.  C. Conners (CAN):  -1 (70+73+72=215)

8.  D. Willett (ENG):  Even (69+74+73=216)

T9.  T. Fleetwood (ENG):  + 1 (75+72+70=217)
T9.  J. Kokrak+ 1 (70+76+71=217)
T9.  R. McIlroy (NIR):  + 1 (73+73+71=217)
T9.  C. Morikawa+ 1 (73+70+74=217)
T9.  D. Johnson+ 1 (69+73+75=217)


49 comments:

  1. Here are the moneyline odds for tomorrow:

    Scheffler: -185 (you have to bet $185 to win another $100)
    Smith: +280 (if you bet $100 you can win another $280)
    Im: +1700

    Everyone else has much longer odds.

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  2. Scheffler and Smith will of course be the last group of the day tomorrow. They will tee off at 1:40 PM Central time.

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  3. So helpful. Thank you.

    I found yesterday to be the least-enjoyable round of the Masters I could remember.

    I am rooting for Scheffler today.

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  4. Scheffler's opening drive on the first hole goes off into the woods on the left. His second shot runs through the green, and he will have a difficult up and down to save par.

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  5. Scheffler's chip on 1 rolls to within a foot of the hole. A great shot. But Smith rolls in a birdie to move to 7-under par.

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  6. 1. Scheffler: -9 (55 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -7 (55)
    3. Im (KOR): -4 (55)

    And that's it. No one else is within six shots of the lead.

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  7. Tiger, looking absolutely exhausted -- and who can blame him -- pars the last hole for another 78. He shoots 71+74+78+78=301, and finishes at 13 over par. It's still an amazing performance given what all he's been through.

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  8. On the par-5 second hole, Sheffler whangs his second shot into a greenside bunker. He'll have to come all the way across the green with his third to have a chance at birdie. Now Smith steps up. His second shot lands on the green, but doesn't catch the downhill slope. He'll have a really long putt for eagle.

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  9. Scheffler's chip rolls well past the hole, and his birdie putt coming back just misses. Smith knocks in another birdie putt and moves to within one stroke of the lead.

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  10. 1. Scheffler: -9 (56 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -8 (56)
    3. Im (KOR): -4 (57)

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  11. It's not looking like Scheffler's day. On the short par-4 third hole, his drive goes far off into the woods on the left.

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  12. Smith and Scheffler both come up short on the third hole, and their balls are right next to each other in a valley below the green.

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  13. Scheffler goes first. He chips the ball up the valley, it rolls onto the green, bangs into the flag, and DROPS INTO THE HOLE FOR A BIRDIE! Maybe it's his day after all.

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  14. Now it's Smith's turn. He has the exact same shot as Scheffler. Instead of hitting Scheffler's low chip shot, he pitches the ball onto the green, and it runs about 15 feet past the hole.

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  15. Smith misses the par putt coming back, and Scheffler has suddenly regained his three-shot lead:

    1. Scheffler: -10 (57 holes)
    2. Smith: -7 (57)

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  16. Im bogeys the fourth hole to fall back to 3-under, and we're down to a two man race for the title.

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  17. But Scheffler is still pulling everything to the left, and he misses the green on the par-3 fourth.

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  18. Smith's tee shot on 4 is right on line, but comes up short and lands in a greenside bunker. Once again, both contenders will have to try to get up and down.

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  19. Smith cannot get up and down; his par putt misses by an inch. He's gone birdie-birdie-bogey-bogey. Scheffler hits a brilliant chip to within two feet and taps in for par. And now he's got a four-shot lead:

    1. Scheffler: -10 (58 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -6 (58)

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  20. Scheffler and Smith both par the fifth, both par the sixth, and both loft great wedge shots close to the hole on seven. Smith holes his birdie putt. Scheffler matches him, and keeps his four-shot lead.

    1. Scheffler: -11 (61 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -7 (61)

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  21. Both Scheffler and Smith par the 8th.

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  22. Natstown beats the Mets 4-2 for its first win of the year. The rebuilding Nats are 1-3 to start the season.

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  23. I realized that by using my Paramount Plus account, I can watch the Masters on KFVS-TV. So that's where I'm watching now.

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  24. Rory McIlroy is playing one of the great last rounds of all time. He started at 1 over par. He went out in 32 with birdies on the 1st, 3d, 7th, and 8th. Then he birdied the 10th. And now he's eagled the 13th. So he is 7-under par for the round and 6-under for the tournament.

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  25. 1. Scheffler: -11 (62 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -7 (62)
    3. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (67)

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  26. Jim Nantz tells us that Scottie Scheffler went to the same high school as Matthew Stafford -- Highland Park High School near Dallas.

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  27. Both Scheffler and Smith par the 9th. Scheffler goes out in 34; Smith goes out in 35.

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  28. 1. Scheffler: -11 (63 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -7 (63)
    3. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (68)

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  29. Scheffler and Smith both bogey the 10th hole.

    1. Scheffler: -10 (64 holes)
    T2. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (68)
    T2. Smith (AUS): -6 (64)

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  30. McIlroy's drive misses the fairway on 15, and he is forced to settle for a par.

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  31. Smith rolls in a long putt on the difficult 11th hole for a birdie, and moves to 7-under par. Now Scheffler faces a testing five-footer for par. He makes it, and preserves a three-shot lead.

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  32. 1. Scheffler: -10 (65 holes)
    2. Smith (AUS): -7 (65)
    3. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (69)

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  33. And so we come to the tricky 12th hole, where you can lose the tournament by going into Rae's Creek. Smith goes first, and promptly drops it straight into the water. Scheffler goes next. He whacks the ball over the creek, but misses the green to the left.

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  34. I would love to know why so many people go into that creek on the last day. Spieth lost the tournament there in 2016, and it seems like the creek gets someone almost every year.

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  35. Smith takes a penalty shot and then pitches his third shot over the green. Scheffler's chip shot rolls to within ten feet of the hole. Meanwhile, McIlroy is in a bunker near the 17th green. After his eagle on 13, almost every one of his drives have missed their fairway.

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  36. Scheffler holes his par putt on 12 to remain at 10-under. That was a huge putt. Smith's fourth shot rolled about eight feet past the hole. He misses the putt for double bogey and takes a triple bogey 6.

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  37. 1. Scheffler: -10 (66 holes)
    2. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (70)
    3. Smith (AUS): -4 (66)

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  38. McIlroy gets up and down to save par on 17.

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  39. On the 18th hole, McIlroy holes out on an amazing shot from a greenside bunker. He goes out in 32, comes home in 32, and shoots an 8-under par 64: one of the best Sunday rounds ever seen at Augusta. He finishes the tournament with 73+73+71+64=281, 7-under par.

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  40. Smith pars the par-5 13th hole, and Scheffler misses a relatively short birdie putt to stay at 10-under.

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  41. Morikawa, playing with McIlroy, also holes out from the bunker on 18 to finish a great round of 67. That's uncanny. Morikawa and McIlroy are the two happiest people on the course right now.

    1. Scheffler: -10 (67 holes)
    2. McIlroy (NIR): -7 (72)
    T3. Morikawa: -4 (72)
    T3. Smith (AUS): -4 (67)

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  42. So here's what it comes down to: Scheffler has to play the last five holes on the course in no worse than two over par. If he does that, he'll win the Masters.

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  43. Scheffler birdies the 14th hole, and moves to 11-under par. Smith takes a bogey and falls back to 3-under.

    1. Scheffler: -11 (68 holes)
    2. McIlroy (NIR): -7 (72)

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  44. Scheffler birdies the 15th to move to 12-under. He has a five-shot lead with three holes to play.

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  45. Smith birdies 15 and 16 to move to 5-under. So far today, Smith has six birdies, four bogeys, and a triple bogey. Scheffler has four birdies and one bogey.

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  46. Scheffler is going to win the Masters. He's on the 18th green, and still 12 under par. He has a long birdie putt, which rolls a few feet past the hole. Smith pars out for a 73 that leaves him in third place at 5-under. Scheffler misses the par putt. Then misses a short bogey putt. And then -- after a big ovation from the crowd to encourage him -- he makes the double bogey putt and finishes a round of 71. He finishes at 10-under par and wins the Masters by three shots.

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  47. When we started the HP, one big question was whether the Americans could find championship golfers to replace Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. They haven't found anyone at that level, but they've had a number of great young champions. Here is a list of U.S. golfers who have won their first major since 2015:

    Brooks Koepka: 4 (2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens, 2018 and 2019 PGA's)
    Jordan Spieth: 3 (2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open, 2017 British Open)
    Dustin Johnson: 2 (2016 U.S. Open, 2020 Masters)
    Collin Morikawa: 2 (2020 PGA, 2021 British Open)
    Patrick Reed: 1 (2018 Masters)
    Gary Woodland: 1 (2019 U.S. Open)
    Bryson DeChambeau: 1 (2020 U.S. Open)
    Scottie Scheffler: 1 (2022 Masters)

    Of course, Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters, and Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA.

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