The 5 takeaways from the third round of the Masters
For the seventh consecutive round, Jordan Spieth has the solo lead at the Masters. However, what was a four-stroke lead heading to the 17th tee on Saturday dropped to just a one-shot edge heading into Sunday’s final round.
Spieth is at 3-under 213, and he’ll be paired in the final group with PGA Tour rookie Smylie Kaufman, whose 3-under 69 was the round of the day.
Before the Sunday race for the green jacket, however, we look at the 5 takeaways from the third round:
1. Jordan Spieth is definitely feeling the pressure — When Spieth made par on the 16th hole to secure a four-shot lead with two holes to play, he must have seen where that put him on the leaderboard. He knew he had a chance to practically put away a second green jacket. Instead, he blasted consecutive drives way right, forcing him to find a way to get the ball back in play, leading to a bogey-double bogey finish that evaporated almost his entire lead. Spieth’s short game — the 3-putt on 18 aside — is the glue holding together his game.
2. Don’t overlook Bernhard Langer — The two-time Masters winner (1985, ’93) charged into contention on the second nine on Saturday, making three consecutive birdies from Nos. 13-15 for the second time this week. The 58-year-old has nothing to lose and everything to gain on Sunday. Were he to win, he’d become the oldest major champion in golf history by 10 years. He’d become the oldest Masters champion by 12 years over Jack Nicklaus, who locked up his sixth and final green jacket here 30 years ago.
3. Dustin Johnson might just win a major on Sunday — DJ has been so close to a major breakthrough a handful of times, and he has almost always gone down in spectacular fashion. That’s why hardly anyone paid him a lick of attention on Saturday. Now, he’s three back heading into the final round. Remember, Johnson had three eagles in a round here last year. He can bring this course to its knees in favorable conditions.
4. Rory McIlroy and the 10th hole do not get along — Once again, Rory McIlroy got himself into trouble with a pulled drive on the 10th hole. It wasn’t a triple bogey from a place on the property few people knew existed, but it was a bogey. A hole later, another pulled drive set up an attempted recovery which wound up in the water hazard guarding the green. Despite that horrible run, McIlroy is 2 over par and not entirely out of it.
5. A lot of players still have a chance to win — Although the last two days have been particularly brutal at Augusta National, the wind will relent on Sunday. The Masters tournament committee will set up the course for birdies and eagles, maybe even to make up for the dulled roars of the second and third rounds. That means players can make big moves quickly. Any player as far back as 2 over has a chance to slip on a green jacket on Sunday. That means 12 players are still in it.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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