Fight for final ticket to Augusta still tight
HUMBLE, Texas — Ian Poulter has played in the Masters a dozen times, never missing the cut. Beau Hossler has never played a competitive round at Augusta National Golf Club.
Both are in position to become the last man in the field for the year’s first major, and neither wanted to think about it.
The 42-year-old Poulter surged into a share of the lead at the Houston Open with a 7-under 65 in Saturday’s third round, and Hossler, a 23-year-old PGA Tour rookie, matched him at 14-under 202 after he holed a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th to shoot a 69.
Like all PGA Tour events that offer full FedEx Cup points, winning the title here comes with an invitation to the Masters. What sets the Houston Open apart is the fact that the Masters is this week, giving the Texas tournament last-chance status.
“No, not thinking about it, not talking about it,” Poulter said. “I’m going to go out and have some fun tomorrow. There’s a lot of ifs and buts. I’ll have no emotion at all. I’m in a no-lose situation. … I’ll go do my job.”
Four players were two shots behind Hossler and Poulter: Australia’s Greg Chalmers (65), Ireland’s Paul Dunne (69), Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (67) and Kevin Tway (69) of the United States and Paul Dunne of Ireland (69).
None of them has a spot in Augusta yet, either, and that’s also the case for Baylor School graduates Keith Mitchell and Luke List. Both were within four shots of the lead, but they have plenty of company.
Mitchell fired eight birdies on his way to a 67 that included three bogeys, with two of them during the final three holes, and was tied for seventh with five others at 11 under. List was part of a four-way tie for 13th at 10 under after a 70 that included a see-saw back nine, where he had three birdies (of five total in the round) and three bogeys, including on the 17th and 18th holes.
Hossler has popped up on a major leaderboard before — he briefly led the 2012 U.S. Open while still in high school — and he said getting to the Masters would be “as good as it gets.” But he said contemplating that opportunity would only lead to “trouble” today.
Poulter shot a 64 on Friday after opening with a 73 that had him packing his bags in anticipation of a missed cut. It was the first time since his most recent victory in 2012 that he had consecutive rounds of 65 or better on the PGA Tour.
Asked if his rounds ranked among the best back-to-back showings in his 23 years of touring professionally, Poulter said, “From a putting standpoint, yes, absolutely.”
It was a simple fix for the English veteran renowned for making crucial putts on winning Ryder Cup teams. He opened his shoulders slightly, allowing him to see the lines better, and he has played his last 40 holes in 16 under and bogey-free.
“Hopefully I’ve found the key,” Poulter said. “I need to write it down, and when it’s not there I need to read it.”
Poulter nearly made it into the Masters last week with a run to the quarterfinals at the Dell Technologies Match Play, which improved his World Golf Ranking to 51st — missing the cutoff for an invitation by one spot. Making matters worse, he had been told by media members that his quarterfinals appearance would guarantee him enough ranking points. But just before he began his quarterfinal match, officials informed him he would need to make the semis.
The news knocked Poulter off his game and he lost badly, 8 and 6, to Kevin Kisner.
“Some people were getting in my head space, which is never good,” Poulter said. “Yeah, maybe I was a bit angry on Thursday. Maybe I was kind of forcing, trying to force my way into (the Masters). That didn’t work, so I had to re-think it. I kind of had to flow the cobwebs out, reset and go again.”
Rickie Fowler birdied three of the first four holes to move into the lead before he faltered with a double bogey on the sixth hole and a triple bogey — including a threeputt from inside 7 feet — on the par-5 13th. He shot a 73 and was five shots back.
Jordan Spieth, whose putter appeared to be heating up after a season-long slump, had four three-putts in the first eight holes — including two misses from inside four feet — and shot a 71. He trailed by four shots.
Matt Kuchar (69) and Henrik Stenson (69) were at 11 under and among the dozen players within three shots of the lead.
Ninety players teed off Saturday, the most in almost three years on the PGA Tour, after Bobby Gates’ final-hole bogey Friday allowed an additional 20 players to make the cut. Seventy-five remain after Saturday’s secondary cut, including Phil Mickelson, who had a double bogey and a triple bogey in his round of 72.