Past US Open victor and reigning Olympic champion Rose fired a 5-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead at 6-under.
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He had plenty of company.
Phil Mickelson looks over the 18th green in second round play during the 2017 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta April 7, 2017.
And the fun is just starting. He approached the tournament hoping to get himself into contention Sunday, and he’s looking forward to the calmer winds in the forecast.
That won’t make it any easier, as survival gives way to what could be a shootout among some of golf’s biggest stars.
The four-time major victor, who needs to win the Masters to complete the career grand slam, hit a superb pitch to three feet but missed the par putt to leave himself five shots off the clubhouse lead. “If I am able to jump out into the lead, I know that you have to keep the gas pedal down and pretend you’re not”.
“I’ve shown myself many times that I can contend and I can truly feel like I can win, not only one, but more than one”, Garcia said Friday. “We’re in a good spot”.
He’s going to put his statement to the test again this weekend.
“Obviously a lot more hard today”, Hoffman said.
Rose, who was three shots off the lead entering Saturday’s third round, finished with a 5-under-par 67. He bounced back with a birdie and stayed in the lead. But he boarded the bogey train on No. 6 and bogeyed five of six holes. Hoffman was simply happy to join them. His four-shot lead over McGirt is the largest at Augusta National after the opening round in 62 years.
The leaders were at 4-under 140.
Rahm, 22, won at Torrey Pines to reach Augusta and could become the first Masters debutante victor since 1979.
Rose, who has a U.S. Open title and an Olympic gold medal, is seeking his first green jacket.
He carded bogeys on the fourth, 10th and 13th holes but dealt with the windy conditions better than just about any other golfer and is one of fewer than a dozen players who are under par heading into the weekend.
The leaders will tee off in about 90 minutes.
The putt bounced right when it got out of the fringe and then picked up velocity before it hit the cup and fell.
He said: “I did what I needed to do today”. “I can live with not executing, as long as I’ve thought through the process and just stick with the game plan”. “When you get in position you have to be aggressive”. Both were wearing dark sweaters during the search, and the scorers were confused with who lost the ball.
But a miserable spell in his second round, which saw him drop five shots in six holes, threatened to derail his tournament altogether.
The 37-year-old is playing his 71st consecutive major championship, a streak stretching back to the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
“I knew I needed to get going for sure”. An excellent chip from there led to a birdie for Garcia. “I probably don’t even want to think about it”. I try not to overthink things. A tricky downhill birdie putt from 20-feet at the par-3 16th and another 22-footer on the 18th green had the 2015 Masters champion pumping his fist as he walked off the course.
With his putter playing up, Adam Scott says he will channel good vibes from his 2013 Masters victory to win the coveted green jacket for a second time.
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Behind them, the leaderboard is absolutely loaded with former champions. Mickelson shot a 74 and will start the final round trailing by eight. I’m disappointed to finish like that, but I’m still within five of the lead going into the weekend with better conditions on the way.
