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Follow live coverage of the fourth and final day of the 2024 Masters today
By Brendan Quinn, Hugh Kellenberger, Gabby Herzig and Lukas Weese
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Golf’s mad scientist ended his spherical with a bang, however aside from that, he didn’t do himself any favors at Augusta Nationwide on Saturday. Bryson DeChambeau — the co-leader with Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler headed into Shifting Day on the Masters — practically ejected himself from competition, posting a three-over 75 with one double bogey, 5 bogeys and 4 birdies on his card. He’s now in fifth place, 4 strokes again of Scheffler with 18 holes to play.
DeChambeau’s spherical featured a handful of replay-worthy moments — good and dangerous — however No. 18 topped all of them.
He stood on the 18th tee field, his Krank long-drive driver able to go, however one thing felt off. “This isn’t proper,” DeChambeau blurted out to his caddie, clearly distressed over the ball — a temper he appeared caught in all day. He stormed over to his bag and pulled out a fairway wooden, however maybe he ought to have stored his authentic alternative. DeChambeau’s tee shot sailed into the pine bushes on the correct, forcing him to punch out into the green, leaving a wedge into the inexperienced for his third. The 77-yard shot drew three yards, landed 5 toes proper of the pin, and dropped to the underside of the cup. The pure amphitheater round Augusta’s 18th inexperienced erupted. DeChambeau had salvaged his spherical in probably the most DeChambeau manner potential.
“On the 18th gap, I simply figured that was simpler than placing,” DeChambeau mentioned. “Jokingly, clearly.”
DeChambeau’s putter was the issue all day. He three-putted 4 instances, inflicting him to drop from 6-under to 2-under in six holes on the again 9. DeChambeau hit his lowest low on the par-5 fifteenth. The 2020 U.S. Open champion was blocked out by the bushes on the left-hand aspect of the green. He determined to go for the hero shot anyway, air-mailing a protracted iron into the grandstand proper of the inexperienced. It richhotted off the steel posts, leaving DeChambeau behind a TV stand. He obtained free aid as a result of restricted sight line, however subsequently chunked his wedge shot into the water. He walked away with a double bogey.
“I used to be lucky to get aid, after which in the end I simply dropped it in a fluffy little lie and thought it was arduous when it was not,” DeChambeau mentioned.
Our writers in Augusta give their ideas on the day’s occasions.
Leaderboard report
Shifting day at Augusta Nationwide supplied all the joy, setting the stage for an epic last spherical Sunday on the Masters.
Scheffler shot a third-round 71 to enter the clubhouse at 7-under-par. He’ll maintain the 54-hole lead alone as he seems to be to win his second inexperienced jacket.
Looming behind Scheffler is Collin Morikawa, who shot a 3-under 69. Morikawa is looking for his third main championship.
Homa sits at 5-under-par, two off the lead after a third-round 73. Homa is in search of his first main championship.
DeChambeau had a tough again 9 which included a double bogey on the par-5 fifteenth. However he dazzled on the 18th gap with a gap out from the green for birdie to enter Sunday 4 off the lead.
Ludvig Åberg shot a third-round 70. He’s three off the lead and is trying to turn into the primary since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters in his main championship debut.
Tiger Woods, who made his twenty fourth consecutive lower on the Masters, shot a 10-over 82 in his third spherical. It was the best spherical for Woods on the Masters in his profession.
Morikawa looking for his recreation
Morikawa didn’t come to Augusta Nationwide feeling like his recreation was able to win the Masters. “I needed to search,” mentioned Morikawa, who made swing tweaks on the vary and through follow classes, and went as far as to modify putters earlier than Friday’s second spherical.
However he’ll play Sunday afternoon within the last group, in solo second and one stroke behind Scheffler. Morikawa had a 3-under 69 on Saturday, the second-best spherical of the day. He birdied his first 3 holes to emerge from the pack to the entrance of the race, then stored himself in it through the wild couple of hours late Saturday afternoon the place the lead modified arms so many instances.
Morikawa has two main championships — the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship — however extended points along with his swing have damage his skill to win on the PGA Tour or contend in majors during the last 12 months. Whereas Morikawa just isn’t able to reveal what precisely he’s performed to fireplace 71, 70 and 69 rounds over the primary three days at this Masters, it’s clearly working for him.
“Scottie is the No. 1 participant on this planet for a motive, and what he’s performed over the previous few years is unimaginable,” Morikawa mentioned. “However on the finish of the day, it doesn’t scare me. I nonetheless know that at my greatest and at what I really consider I can do. I noticed a little bit glimpse of that early on right this moment. And simply didn’t hit the photographs I wanted to. Didn’t actually make the putts on the again 9, or else I might be even with him or 1-up.”
Morikawa started 2024 working with a TaylorMade TP Soto blade-style putter however deserted it for a Logon Olson prototype mannequin for 2 occasions final month. When he arrived in Augusta he was utilizing a mallet-style putter that was similar to what Scheffler has been utilizing. However Morikawa mentioned he spent the primary spherical utterly uncomfortable with it, and fortunately had a backup. He gained 1.07 strokes on the sphere placing in Spherical 3, and a pair of.98 through the second spherical. He misplaced 0.39 strokes placing within the first spherical. — Hugh Kellenberger, golf managing editor
Woods by no means finds rhythm
Woods’ face mentioned all of it coming off the course. He exited Augusta by the standard tunnel of patrons clapping and cheering, some extending fists. Woods was stone confronted the entire manner, barely blinking.
The ten-over 82 is a brand new record-high rating in his main championship skilled profession — the worst of all 307 main rounds he’s performed during the last 27 years.
Woods mentioned afterward he started Saturday with a poor warmup session and by no means discovered rhythm all through the spherical.
“Simply hitting the ball in all of the locations that I do know I shouldn’t hit it,” Woods mentioned. “And I missed numerous putts. Simple, makable putts. I missed numerous them.”
The outcomes: Woods discovered solely 4 fairways within the third spherical, hit eight greens in regulation and tallied 34 putts.
Following Friday’s triumph of creating his report twenty fourth straight Masters lower as knowledgeable, Saturday made you surprise if it was value it. Woods limped extra noticeably all through Saturday, the results of Friday’s demanding 23-hole day stemming from opening spherical delays on Thursday.
Beginning his third spherical at 1-over par for the event and tied for twenty seventh on the leaderboard, Woods opened by striping the primary fairway. A bit of over an hour later, he arrived at No. 6 nonetheless at even par. Then all of it went flawed, shortly. A bogey-double bogey-double bogey-bogey stretch wrapped up a front-nine 42. On the again, he struggled with 5 bogeys buffered by just one bogey.
On 9, Woods completed a one-handed observe by in apparent ache, as his ball tumbled into the correct pine straw. His subsequent swing seemed simply as insufferable, as he once more completed with one hand on the membership.
Woods admitted to being warn out by Friday’s haul, however mentioned he plans to proceed Sunday. That very nicely might depend on his post-round bodily remedy session. Woods has withdrawn from two of his final three main event appearances because of bodily limitations.
“Will probably be a protracted night time and a protracted warmup session, however we’ll be prepared,” Woods mentioned. — Brendan Quinn, golf senior author
Masters asks Day to take away sweater vest
Yearly on the Masters it looks like one participant steals the present not for his or her play, however for his or her style. Trying again to 2022 and 2023, Viktor Hovland’s peculiar pink and inexperienced polo and Tony Finau’s vertical-striped Nike high come to thoughts.
This 12 months it was Jason Day and his Malbon Golf graphic sweater vest, which featured the phrases “No. 313 Malbon Golf Championship” stitched in giant black and crimson letters on its entrance aspect. The sleeveless layer triggered a stir on social media and in the end grew to become so newsworthy that the inexperienced jackets determined to do one thing about it.
Day confirmed after his Saturday spherical at Augusta that the membership did certainly ask him to take away the vest, substantiating a rumor that had been swirling on the property.
“Yeah, they requested me to take it off — the vest off — yesterday,” Day mentioned. “Yeah, the busy one. Respectfully, you do this as a result of it’s all in regards to the event right here, and I perceive that. I respect the event. That’s what we’re right here to do is attempt to play and win the inexperienced jacket.”
Day’s attire has been making waves since he signed on with the streetwear-inspired golf way of life model in alternative of his expired Nike contract. The Australian has principally created buzz for his loose-fitting bottoms. He sported parachute pants at a windy Augusta Nationwide on Thursday, prompting one reporter to ask if the pant legs have an effect on his “stability.”
“I don’t assume so,” Day mentioned. “Tiger had baggier stuff on within the early 2000s. He did fairly good. I believe it’s wonderful.” — Gabby Herzig, golf employees author
Required studying
(Picture: Maddie Meyer / Getty Photographs)
