Masters Day Three: Spieth Edges Up

He began the day trying to find a rhythm—any sort of repeatable swing—and trying to keep his head above water at Augusta National, much less at the top of the leaderboard.

But as usual, Jordan Spieth's magical putter kept him alive.

On the cusp of making history, the defending champion shook off a slow start and sloppy finish and moved within 18 holes of matching Masters history after shooting a 1-over 73 in the third round on Saturday.

Despite two double-bogeys on his back nine, Spieth heads into the final round Sunday with a one-shot lead at 3 under, and will attempt to become the fourth player ever to win the green jacket in consecutive years, joining golf gods Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods in the back-to-back club at the world's most famous venue.

Paired with rival Rory McIlroy, Spieth barely held off the pack on the back nine, yet will sleep on the lead for the seventh straight round at Augusta, a head-turning feat at any age, much less 22.

It wasn't pretty at times—he double-bogeyed the 11th and battled his driver all day, including wild shots into the trees on the last two holes—but he remains the man to catch. Still.

He only found eight fairways and 10 greens in regulation, so his putter was keeping him ahead of the throng, though he had a few stumbles on the greens, too. He three-putted the 11th and 18th greens, both for double-bogeys.

Spieth had his arm in another green jacket with a four-shot lead before finishing with a bogey on the 17th and the double on the last. Because of the back-to-back burps, 11 players will enter Sunday's round within five shots.

"It wasn't ideal," Spieth said of his stumble down the stretch. "Live and learn."

Jordan Spieth on his mindset: "I've got to absolutely throw away this round. Pretend that tomorrow is a new round and everyone is tied."
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) April 9, 2016

That said, Spieth held fast to the fact that he's still at the top of the scoreboard, even after consecutive rounds over par.

"I [need to] understand that this is the position I wanted to be in after 54 holes and not think about the finish to today's round," he said.

As he did last year when he matched the tournament scoring record of 18 under and set a new mark with 28 birdies, Spieth's performance on the greens was mostly the stuff of sorcery. Starting on the front nine, he jarred a series of clutch putts to keep the lead, including consecutive seven-footers for par at Nos. 6 and 7.

He dropped birdie putts of 17, seven and 10 feet on the back nine to extend his lead on greens that were giving other players something close to conniptions. In all, he made eight putts of six feet or longer, despite the wind, mounting pressure and the most undulating greens ever created.

In his two previous starts at Augusta, Spieth finished second and first. Wrap your noggins around this: No player in three different centuries of golf history has ever won consecutive majors in wire-to-wire fashion, with no ties.

Finding a home at Augusta National

While senior-circuit refugee Bernhard Langer ranked as the biggest surprise among the Sunday contenders, Smylie Kaufman wasn't far behind. A rookie on the PGA Tour, he posted the best round of any player since Thursday with a 3-under 69. He was hauled into the Butler Cabin for a sit-down talk with CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, who immediately went for the comedic jugular.

"You still live at home with your parents?" Nantz asked.

"I'm trying to find a place, but I'm very indecisive," laughed Kaufman, 24.

He entered the week as a 250-to-1 longshot, but will play in the final twosome Sunday with leader Spieth, a former foe from their junior days.

Blowin' in the wind

The Masters looked more like a tourniquet than tournament for most of Saturday.

One year after celebrated Augusta National was razed as though Gen. Sherman had taken a detour through town—with Spieth matching the tournament scoring record at 18 under par while barely breaking a sweat—it morphed into a punitive battle of attrition.

Hats blew off heads, balls blew off greens and into water hazards, and tempers skied in proportions to the scores as players fought to survive the blustery conditions on the third testy day in succession at the Masters. The duel that had fans around the globe salivating—Spieth and McIlroy were placed in the same pairing for the first time on the weekend—turned into a far broader match-play fight between combatants.

The dogfight in the dogwoods was more like man versus nature, at least until the final two hours. Built on a rolling site that once was a nursery, players for most of the day were pushing up daisies in the third round as the scoring average topped 76 as the leaders completed the front nine and the wind finally calmed.

As the famous final duo teed off, only one player had broken par – South African Louis Oosthuizen, who shot 1-under 71 and finished an hour earlier. For much of the day, winds gusted at around 25 mph on a course that features the trickiest greens in the game. Oosthuizen, who lost the Masters title in a playoff four years ago, said his score felt more like a 6-under 66.

"There wasn't one easy shot I had today," he said.

The wind made it hard to pull the right club, and it isn't every day that players have to allow for the wind when putting. Five players broke par.

"Every shot is just guessing and hitting and praying," veteran Kevin Kisner said.

Justin Thomas limped off the course with a 78, just in time to watch his boyhood pal, Spieth, try his luck at the demanding venue. Bring the bandages.

If it stays this windy…. Get ya popcorn ready and watch some chaos
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) April 9, 2016

The day's lowlight came on the 15th green, when Billy Horschel's ball, which had come to rest 13 feet from the flag for a potential eagle, blew off the dried-out green and into the greenside pond, costing him a penalty stroke and bogey.

Bit windy out there https://t.co/EvgmUZmHtT
— Today's Golfer (@TheTodaysGolfer) April 9, 2016

The week has drawn multiple comparisons to 2007, when Zach Johnson won on a cold and blustery layout with a 72-hole score of 1 over, and only one player broke par on Saturday. The good news is, the weather on Sunday is expected to be cool, but otherwise close to perfect.

Great news: the forecast for tomorrow is for almost no wind. Bring the red numbers! Like, please. pic.twitter.com/naIjOCDDyQ
— Steve Elling (@EllingYelling) April 9, 2016

Feel like I've run through 18 brick walls today out there ! Hard to describe how tough Augusta is playing. #TheMasters
— Chris Wood (@Chris3Wood) April 9, 2016

Long, Langer and longest—German star shoots for longevity record

Two golf-related 30-year anniversaries passed this month, and not without notice. For starters, the first iteration of the world golf rankings debuted three decades ago, and more memorably, exactly 30 years have passed since Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at the tournament-record age of 46.

Langer all but thumbed his nose at both on Saturday. The Champions Tour veteran, still grinding out some stellar rounds on the senior circuit at age 58, made history when he became the first man to rank atop the world rankings when they were first issued in April, 1986. He's also a dozen years older than Nicklaus when the latter won the green jacket that same month.

He isn't just threatening to turn back the calendar, but to incinerate it. Langer shot 2-under 70, the second-best score of the day, to finish the day in a tie for third, two shots back.

The historical factoids regarding Langer were nowhere near as astounding as this note: Langer won the second of his two Masters title in 1993, three months before Spieth was born.

@garyplayer yeah but just like you….he is not human! pic.twitter.com/qsPjkcMOai
— Johnny Rodriguez (@JohnnyRodCG) April 9, 2016

On a day when players struggled to break par, Langer had six birdies and was his typically unflappable self. The Hall of Famer's resting pulse rate over the course of his four-decade career has been one heartbeat north of catatonic, and it was no different Saturday as players collapsed all around him.

The oldest player to win any major was Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at age 48. Thirty years after he was the first No. 1 in rankings history, Langer played alongside current numero uno Jason Day—and beat him by a shot. Langer was hardly surprised that somebody from the over-50-set was in the mix.

"I've been saying it's gonna happen, sooner or later," he said. "We have guys like Davis Love, Vijay Singh and Fred Couples who are all long enough to win majors. I'm not quite in that category distance-wise, but I try and make up for it in other areas."

Jason Day: "It's really, really impressive to watch what Bernhard did out there today. … I had a lot of fun playing with him."
— Mike McAllister (@PGATOUR_mikemc) April 9, 2016

Langer, a 500-to-1 longshot in Las Vegas entering the week, said that on the second hole, Day hit a 7-iron approach, while Langer was forced to rip a 3-wood. "That's a big difference to make up, but so far, so good," he said.

"Bernhard Langer is on his way to the interview room".. phrases you didn't expect to hear at twenty past six on Saturday.
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) April 9, 2016

Rory story takes an abrupt left turn

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, seeking to complete the career Grand Slam with a win this week, picked a bad time to rediscover an old nemesis – an unpredictable hook off the tee. Within arm's reach of leader and playing partner Spieth as they began the back nine, McIlroy hooked his tee shot on No. 10 into the trees and scrambled to make a bogey. Worse, on the next tee, he repeated the swing, then yanked his ensuing recovery shot into the greenside pond to finish with a double-bogey.

His hope for the career Shamrock Slam was looking more like a Lilypad Loss. He finished with a 77, didn't have a birdie on the card and stands five shots back. Disappointingly, the showdown with Spieth never materialized.

Meanwhile, Rory suffering the "no longer on TV" nightmare @TheMasters
— Phil Casey (@pcaseysafc) April 9, 2016

Eight back as he stood on the 17th tee, he was tossed a lifeline when Spieth mangled the last two holes, playing them in 3 over. It was the only positive McIlroy could cite afterward.

"To be honest with you, I would be feeling a lot worse about myself if I hadn't have just seen what Jordan did the last two holes," he said. "I sort of take a bit of heart from that, that I'm still in this golf tournament.

"I just need to go out there tomorrow and be aggressive. I've got nothing to lose. Today was my bad day and hopefully I can go out there and make up for the lack of birdies today and make double the amount tomorrow. "

What's two times zero? Right.

Meanwhile, Rory suffering the "no longer on TV" nightmare @TheMasters
— Phil Casey (@pcaseysafc) April 9, 2016

Teeing it high and letting it fly

Hall of Famer Lee Trevino never had much use for the folks who run Augusta National, who openly discriminated against women and minorities as a matter of policy for decades. He's never been shy about voicing his dislike for the tone of the event, and noted again this week that there's a fine line between pomp and pompous.

The rules, regulations, and backstory at stuffy Augusta National are rarely discussed by those attending and covering the event, and the six-time major winner ripped current players for not voicing any opinion about the club's policies. To wit: No cellphones, no running, no handwritten signs, almost no media access to players, etc.

"There were just too many rules for me," Trevino told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "If you go there now and try to use a cellphone, they will kick you out, even if you are using it in the parking lot or on the driving range.

"Have you heard one of them complain yet? No, because they are gutless. If they went to the U.S. Open and the U.S. Open told them they couldn't use their cellphones on the driving range, they would raise all kinds of hell. They're scared to death."

As opposed to Trevino, who tore into former club chairman Clifford Roberts. The Texas legend has been voicing similar opinions for years to no avail—which doesn't mean he's wrong. Far from it. "Cliff Roberts was a dictator," Trevino said. "He played by his rules and you had to walk on eggshells at Augusta when you were there. I'm not an eggshell-walking guy."

No, but he will fling some eggs at times.

Because after a day like this, we can use a good laugh

Kevin Kisner entered the Masters on the watch list of possible winners for some, since he grew up in nearby South Carolina and was considered something of a local favorite. But the week didn't turn out that well, and while he made the cut, he's often struggled.

Which brings us to the best Masters video posted this week. Here's Kisner, talking with caddie Duane Bock on Saturday about club selection on the tricky 12th hole.

Caddie: "I hear a huge gust [of wind]."

Kisner: "Well, I'm in last place, so it really doesn't matter."

Kisner had bogeyed four of his last five holes, but wasn't quite at the bottom of the pack. He did make par on the 12th and finished with a 76. "I never been as ready to be done as I am right now," he said afterward. "I'm glad I can't make any more bogeys."

Jeff Knox, Legend. #TheMasters https://t.co/EMgtkhDn8G
— Adam Fonseca (@GolfUnfiltered) April 9, 2016

Bubba gets around in a hurry

Because an uneven number of players made the 36-hole cut on Saturday morning, Bubba Watson was paired with Augusta National member Jeff Knox. Watson, who believes he suffers from ADHD and prefers to play at a fast clip, blew through the first six holes in a little over an hour.

That's the good news. The bad is that Watson shot his highest round of the week with a 4-over 76 and had to watch as Knox, a very good amateur player who frequently plays with tour players as a so-called "marker" on Masters weekends, made putts like these.

The twosome played in 3:35—well under the 5:20 mark of the threesomes over the first two days.

Jeff Knox, Legend. #TheMasters https://t.co/EMgtkhDn8G
— Adam Fonseca (@GolfUnfiltered) April 9, 2016

Post-round beatdown sends Johnson packing

Chalk up another casualty for the game's armchair referees.

Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was hauled into the Augusta National principal's office late Friday night when a videotape replay indicated that he had accidentally, and improperly, grounded his club in a water hazard while hitting a shot from the creek on the 13th hole.

After reviewing the video, Johnson was hit with a post-round, two-shot penalty, giving him an 80 in the second round, which left him on the wrong side of the cut line. Johnson took the high road and said that while it was inadvertent and no advantage was gained, rules are rules.

Unfortunate circumstances. Viewing slow video replay, the rules staff, my caddy Damon, and I ALL agreed it was HIGHLY likely I had touched
— Zach Johnson (@ZachJohnsonPGA) April 9, 2016

BUT, I (nor anyone for that matter) could not rest easy knowing I might have had a rules infraction. I'm thankful for the rules staff in
— Zach Johnson (@ZachJohnsonPGA) April 9, 2016

His brethren were quick to applaud his ability to take the news with such aplomb. Johnson won the Masters title in 2007 and is the reigning champ at the British Open.

Today many around the world learned why I am honored to call @ZachJohnsonPGA my friend.
— Stewart Cink (@stewartcink) April 9, 2016