Tiger’s quest for sixth Masters title takes hit
Even-par 72 leaves him 11 strokes back heading to Sunday’s final round
Augusta, Ga.
Tiger Woods got off to a brilliant start at the Masters.
The defending champion couldn’t keep it going.
That pursuit of a sixth green jacket will likely have to wait.
Woods made a birdie on his 10th hole of the opening round to reach 4-under par. He played the next 44 holes in just 1 under, leaving him 11 shots off the lead heading to the final round.
After 19 months as the Masters champ, Woods will apparently be putting the green jacket on another player Sunday.
“I was focused on trying to get myself in contention going into tomorrow,” Woods said. “We’ll see how emotional it’ll be after tomorrow’s round.”
Woods needed a big move in the third round but was stuck in neutral. He didn’t make a birdie until the 12th hole, and that was after he took a pair of bogeys. He wound up with an even-par 72 to remain 5 under.
He is one shy of Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters titles.
Making the cut
Jordan Spieth and Rafael Cabrera Bello both had a chance to knock a bunch of people out of the weekend, including each other.
Cabrera Bello finished out the second round on No. 9, while Spieth completed his round about the same time on the adjacent 18th hole.
If either had made a birdie, the other would’ve missed the cut along with nine others.
Spieth never had a chance at a birdie after hitting his drive into a tree. In fact, he needed to make a testy 15-foot putt just to save par and maintain his chances of making the cut.
He then went over to watch Cabrera Bello, whose second shot missed the green to the left. He could’ve made birdie with a chip-in, but settled for a short par putt that meant the Spaniard, Spieth and those other nine players all got to play the final two rounds.
The cut line was even-par 144, the lowest ever at the Masters.
Missing the weekend
Matt Kuchar and Tyrell Hatton failed to make the cut in all three majors this year.
It was a particularly disheartening performance for Hatton, who had risen to No. 9 in the world rankings.
Kuchar has been one of the most consistent players at the Masters. He made the cut in 10 straight appearances, finishing in the top 10 four times.
Lefty’s misery
Phil Mickelson struggled to a 7-over 79 in the third round, matching the worst score of his Masters career.
He made bogeys on five of the first seven holes. A triple-bogey 8 at the 15th finished any hopes.