Only three birdies had been made on the 18th hole when Scottie Scheffler arrived at his ball perfectly placed in the middle of the fairway. He had 145 meters to the flag. The Number One against the coconut. The hardest hole of the day. Average of 4.467 strokes. Accumulated partial of +28.
Scheffler needed a birdie to take the Masters lead alone and did what he does best. He hit an iron shot, straight to the flag and left himself a two and a half meter putt to make three. Inside. Leader. The best, at the front. The rest, in single file, perfectly staggered. Collin Morikawa one stroke behind, Max Homa two behind, Ludvig Aberg three behind and Bryson DeChambeau four behind.
Don’t think that taking the first place was easy for the Texan. Quite the contrary. It got very complicated for him. Again because of his fragility with the putt. His kryptonite. It is true that he made a long birdie putt on the 3rd, but then he missed very good options on the 4th (for par), 5th, 8th and 9th. In that stretch he could have dealt a blow to the tournament. He could perfectly have been -12, opening a gap in front of the rest.
To top it off, the course punished him for so much gift with a double bogey on the 10th, the first of his career on this hole, again after missing a very short bogey putt, and another bogey on the 11th, another of Augusta’s monsters. He went from playing to go -12 to seeing himself -4. Eight stroke advantage.
Luckily for Scheffler, and this is one of his great virtues, if not the main one, he does not allow himself to have those thoughts. The milkmaid’s tales are not for him. He simply rolls up his sleeves and goes back to aiming at flags. That’s how the turning point of the day came. Another great shot on the 13th and, now yes, a big eagle putt holed. Another birdie on the 15th, taking advantage of the par 5s, as the Augusta script demands, and again leader. Everyone in line.
But of course, Scottie wouldn’t be Scottie without leaving gifts from time to time. On the 17th, the hardest green today at Augusta, the most terrifying, the second hardest hole of the day, he made a bogey, another very short putt missed. His seventh bogey on this hole in his career. His nemesis.
Once again he lost the lead, but his masterpiece on the 18th was still to come. A day of ups and downs. A faithful reflection of what has been a spectacular third day of the Masters, with six different leaders: Scheffler, Morikawa, Homa, DeChambeau, Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Morikawa, one behind, has hit the shot of the day. He was the man who had to come from behind. With clean iron and very solid with short putts, the double Major winner (PGA and Open), has handed in a card of 69 strokes, the only one under 70 this Saturday along with the 68 of Luke List. He has got into the star match on Sunday and has shown that he must be taken into account.
Homa, two behind, has performed a feat. He has stayed in the fight without signing a single birdie on the day. Impressive. Round of 73 strokes with a bogey and 17 pars. The tightrope walker of Augusta. Surely, the one who is playing with more intelligence, with the best defined strategy. Certainly, the one making the fewest mistakes. Four bogeys all week.
Aberg, three behind, is the luxury guest at the party. First Major and Sunday with chances of victory. The star child. So far, he has passed the first moving day of his Major career with an outstanding 70. In the modern era, only Ben Curtis and Keegan Bradley managed to win the first Major they played. That’s the challenge ahead for the Swede.
DeChambeau, four behind, was more erratic than the first two days. He got into trouble and, above all, the putter didn’t get him out of trouble, didn’t help him. Really, after making a +2 in the last two par 5s, he was practically out of the tournament. However, a heroic shot on the 18th, which will always be remembered if he takes the victory, holing for birdie from the fairway, when it smelled more like a bogey or double bogey, has brought him back into the fight for the title.
Nicolai Hojgaard, five behind, has been the last patient of the altitude sickness of the Majors, a condition that sooner or later almost everyone ends up going through. He took the lead of the Masters after holing a gigantic putt on the 10th and from there he linked five consecutive bogeys to drop to sixth place tied with Xander Schauffele and Cam Davis.
Logic indicates that among these eight players the Masters champion should be this Sunday. It is difficult for someone to surprise coming from further back, although there are, waiting for the epic round, golfers like Cameron Smith, Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Young or Ben An, all with -1.
It may seem very childish, but really the Masters is in the same place it was on Wednesday. If Scheffler putts half normal tomorrow, there is no chance he will take home his second green jacket.
