A golfer’s worst enemy is the wind. But rain has never been intimate, either. She soaked the course of the Masters and the spirits during this start of the third round which was disputed under the umbrellas. Fortunately, there are limits to everything. Encased in hiking gear, chilled to the point that Tiger Woods played with a beanie on his cap, braked as the conditions lengthened the holes, the players defied these Scottish conditions before the joke stopped, at 3:15 p.m. local time, seen the ponds flooding the greens and even some fairways. It will possibly be necessary to play 29 holes on Sunday to put on the green jacket, if the weather permits and it is announced to be radiant. A marathon. It is an understatement to say that the physical dimension will be decisive.
At this little save-the-can game, Brooks Koepka had a great time. He not only consolidated his score, he improved it (-13) by planting a birdie at 2 on the first Par 5 of the course. Six holes (the 7 not finished), no bogey, no fright. Jon Rahm’s morning close to two shots did not really disturb him. The direct duel, of which the amateur Sam Bennett remained a little distant and spectator (two entry bogeys, -6 in total), has for the time being turned in favor of the head of the gondola of the LIV.
“You have rain to deal with and it’s freezing cold. It doesn’t make things any easier.”
“It’s obviously super difficult, commented the leader. The ball is going nowhere, you have to play putts very often under pressure. You have rain to deal with and it’s freezing cold. That doesn’t make things any easier. The green of 7 was soaked. I thought I had made a good exit from the bunker but the ball froze because of the water. No doubt that I would not have had this shot to play if the stoppage had been pronounced earlier but I am perfectly in agreement with what was decided. And for the 29 holes to be played tomorrow (Sunday), no worries, I’ll be ready. It is the Masters”.
Jon Rahm, he had mastered the already rainy conditions of the morning (-10), even if he had conceded two bogeys at the end (16 and 18): “Given the conditions, playing 1 under par on those last nine holes was really good. It’s difficult to play underwater but when you feel good, you end up finding it fun”. The Spaniard laughed less in the afternoon, with even harder waterspouts, to start his third round. He launched well (birdie at 2) and then he flinched (bogeys at 4 and 5): “The elements are the elements, we have to deal with them. I don’t even want to discuss the timing of the shutdown. They wanted us to play as much as possible, that’s normal. But a hole 500 meters underwater is really long. There’s a lot of golf left, I’m playing well, I’m still confident.”
Patrick Cantlay (-3 in 13 holes) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (-3 in 11 holes) felt like fish in water. Here they are replaced (-5), on the lookout, alongside Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, stopped at 8, in silence or almost as the crowd seemed chilled and extinguished. Starting from 10 and yet not very lively with his putting, Scottie Scheffler (-2 for the day, 12 holes played) did not say his last word (-3) while Phil Mickelson, 4th temporary before two bogeys (holes 7 and 8), confirmed that he found some youthful impulses (-4, 8th).
Hard to say the same of Tiger Woods. Limping a lot, almost making it hard to see as he can no longer hide his suffering, the five-time winner of Augusta carried his cross in the rain (+6 in 7 holes). He now brings up the rear (+9) with crazy dignity. It’s hard to imagine him playing six-and-a-half hours this Sunday without flashing to the emergency strip at some point. As a champion, he probably imagines finishing. It remains to be hoped that he will be able to return to Augusta. Undeniably, he deserves another outing than the one he seems promised this time. In catimini.
