Chill permeates moving day
Moving Day at the Masters had most of the masses Saturday wanting to move to warmer climes.
Georgians aren’t used to Albany-like temperatures in early April. With gray skies overhead, Augusta National patrons were dressed as if they were attending a December football game in Athens, or perhaps a March golf tournament in the Adirondacks.
As hot as Scottie Scheffler has been, and he will take a threestroke lead into Sunday’s final round, he was donning a winter vest between shots.
It was 50 degrees officially when the third round began, but it was a dry 50. It hasn’t rained here since Thursday morning. Most spectators and players had layered clothing. Some wore ski caps. They must be from the Northeast, since you can’t find any of those around here. Folks
with hoodies actually used the hoods. Face masks were worn as face-warmers.
“I’ve never in the tournament experienced weather like this round here,” said 25-time European Tour winner Lee Westwood, an Englishman who had the good sense to move to West Palm Beach, Fla.
Looking for relief ? Don’t head to the concession stand. The only warm food was the beef BBQ sandwich. When they advertise cold beer, it was cold beer.
One spectator was hoping to find someplace warm. “The Masters Club sounds warm,” he said.
“That’s a sandwich,” his companion told him. “It’s served cold.”
Mid-60s was something neither the thermometer nor Masters players were going to reach, even when the sun made an appearance late in the afternoon. Cameron Smith of Australia was the only player to shoot in the 60s. His 4-under-par 68 has him in second place and playing in Sunday’s final group with Scheffler.
“I had hand warmers all day, but I don’t think they helped,” Smith said. “It was brutal.”
“I’ve got five layers on,” fellow Aussie Marc Leishman said after his round of 1-under 71, “and I never even thought about taking any of them off. … I feel like the Michelin man at the moment.”
Tiger Woods, whose surgically repaired back and right leg don’t respond well to such temperatures, shot a 7-over 78. He had four three-putt greens and one four-putt.
“I just could not get a feel for getting comfortable with the ball,” Woods said of his putting. “Posture, feel, my right hand, my release, I just couldn’t find it.”
One worker managing the gallery ropes said he had offers for his gloves. Another tried to keep his hands in his pockets as he held the ropes together. Maybe he should have made a higher offer for his partner’s gloves.
“All of a sudden it turns into a Scottish-type of weather,” said Min Woo Lee, an Australian playing his first Masters.
Another Masters rookie, Tom Hoge, had a large group of family and friends following him.
“They’re all used to this North Dakota weather,” said Hoge, who grew up in Fargo.
Through it all, Scheffler, 25, has been at the head of the class this week. He was 61st in the Official World Golf Ranking less than a year ago, but he has since ascended to No. 1, thanks to three PGA Tour victories already this season.
The hottest golfer coming into this tournament remained that way, even through the cold. Scheffler led by as many as six strokes during the third round.
“If he plays well tomorrow,” said Charl Schwartzel, who is tied for fourth, “then he determines his own destiny.”
Scheffler was born in Ridgewood, N.J., so maybe he was conditioned to the cold. He was in elementary school when his family moved to Dallas.
“The only thing I remember was our backyard,” Scheffler said. “I used to just hit golf balls in the backyard, hit them over the house.”
Temperatures are expected to rise into the 70s on Sunday. If that’s not warm enough, Scheffler might be able to acquire a green jacket to keep him warm.