NOISEMAKERS
Reed, McIlroy set to duel in final round at Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The only thunder that rolled was on the ground, not in the sky, a series of ear-splitting roars for Patrick Reed and his two eagles, Rory McIlroy and his final birdie — and everyone else who tried desperately to keep up with them in the third round of the Masters.
“The roars … it’s hard not to know what’s going on,” McIlroy said.
By the end of a wet and wild Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club, Reed helped bring the year’s first major championship into focus.
The 27-year-old with five career PGA Tour victories seized control with a pair of eagles on the back nine, two big pars and a 5-under-par 67 that gave him a three-shot lead over McIlroy as he goes for his first major title in the city where he led undermanned Augusta State to two NCAA titles.
His primary challenger is McIlroy, who shot a third-round 65 and will be in the final group at the Masters for the first time in seven years.
Seeing these two battle won’t be new for golf fans, but the stakes will be. This time it’s for a green jacket, not a gold Ryder Cup trophy. This is for themselves, not for their teams.
Reed and McIlroy are indelibly linked to that Ryder Cup singles match at Hazeltine National Golf Club near Minneapolis some 18 months ago, when they traded big putts and uppercuts until Reed prevailed on the 18th hole.
“It won’t be quite as intense as that Ryder Cup match, I don’t think,” McIlroy said, alluding to the partisan and at times rude nature of cheers rarely found at Augusta National.
“I think we’ll still be feeling it. It’s the latest round of a major championship. Patrick is going for his first major. And I’m going for … something else.”
He paused and smiled upon hearing a few chuckles.
That “something else” is something grand. At stake for
McIlroy, who turns 29 next month, is the final leg of the career Grand Slam. The feat has been achieved by only five players — Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods — and completed only once before at the Masters (Sarazen in 1935).
“It’s going to be good fun,” McIlroy said of today’s round.
Reed ran off three straight birdies around the turn Saturday, and he stretched his lead to five shots with his eagles. The first one was a 15-foot putt on the 13th hole. The next one was far more bold.
From just less than 270 yards away, with the rain making the air feel heavy, Reed hit a 3-wood shot just over the water and short of the bunker. His chip shot 80 feet from the hole slammed against the pin and dropped in. Reed pumped his fist, the kind of emotion he typically saves for the Ryder Cup. He was at 14-under 202. McIlroy made up a five-shot deficit in eight holes when he chipped in for eagle on the par-5 eighth. Reed was in the group behind him, and perhaps the cheers inspired him. He holed a 10-footer for birdie, the start of three in a row to regain control.
“Anytime you hear a bunch of roars, you’re going to get excited, especially if you feel like you’re playing some good golf,” Reed said. “Felt like I was doing what I needed to do. Of course, I heard the roar on 8, but then to birdie 8, to make the putt on 9, and then hit a good shot on 10 and make birdie there … I just felt like from that point, the crowds were electrified.
“You had to ride the momentum and keep it going.”
McIlroy can only hope he didn’t use up all his luck. He figures that chip-in at No. 8 was going off the green, except that it struck the pin. He also feared for the worst when his second shot on the par-5 13th went into a sea of pink azaleas. He was relieved to find the ball, and the bushes were thin enough he could chip out of the mess and escape with a par.
“Just a great day,” McIlroy said. “To get myself into the final group, and have a chance to win another major … you couldn’t ask for much more out of today.”
The verbal gamesmanship may have started early.
“I feel like all the pressure is on him,” McIlroy said of Reed. “He’s got to go out and protect that, and he’s got a few guys chasing him that are pretty bigtime players. He’s got that to deal with and sleep on tonight.”
Reed — who led Marc Leishman by two shots after the second round on Friday — didn’t flinch when told of McIlroy’s views.
“I am leading,” he said. “But at the same time, he’s trying to go for the career Grand Slam. You can put it either way. Honestly, I woke up this morning, felt fine. Didn’t feel any pressure. Just came out and tried to play some golf. And I believe that’s how it’s going to be tomorrow.”
Both realize that even with their Ryder Cup connection, this is hardly match play and others aren’t completely out of the championship picture.
Rickie Fowler made eagle on the par-5 second hole and was 5 under through eight holes. He cooled until the end of his round, when a pair of birdies on the last two holes gave him a 65 and left him five shots behind and in third.
Jon Rahm also chipped in for eagle on No. 8 and saved par on the 13th after hitting into the creek in his round of 65. He was at 8-under 208 and fourth, while Henrik Stenson (70) was seven shots behind and fifth. No one in this top five has ever won at Augusta, though Stenson is a major champion, having broke through at the 2016 British Open.
So many others who started the third round with a chance didn’t do nearly enough to stay even remotely close to Reed.
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson (68) — who, like Reed, spent part of his college career at the University of Georgia — was tied for sixth with Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Leishman (73) at 6 under.
Tied for ninth at 5 under were Jordan Spieth (71), the tournament’s 2015 winner, and Justin Thomas (70), who won the 2017 PGA Championship and has been strong this season. Top-ranked Dustin Johnson (71) was another stroke back in 11th.
More than any pressure with the Grand Slam at stake, McIlroy has a score to settle — perhaps with Reed, but definitely with the Masters. He had a four-shot lead at Augusta in 2011 and shot 80 in the final round.
Now it’s the missing piece of the career Grand Slam. McIlroy said he learned from his mistakes — he won the first of his four major titles at the U.S. Open two months later — and loves the idea that he has nothing to lose being three shots behind.
“I can’t imagine there’s going to be much chat out there tomorrow,” McIlroy said. “Not that I have anything against Patrick. We’ve actually got quite a good relationship. But at the end of the day, it’s business and we’re both trying to do something pretty special.”