McIlroy smiled, as if to say “bring it on”, and turned his eyes forward again. 11 through 15 that Reed and current runner-up Marc Leishman are a combined 6-under in the first two rounds. The last time the Masters was forced into a Monday finish was 1983, when Seve Ballesteros won his second green jacket.
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This is for themselves, not for team.
Patrick Reed, the 27-year-old Texan who’s an established Ryder Cup hero, and Mark Leishman, an Australian who has contended here before, are each seeking their first major championship at Augusta National Golf Club. So I think it was very important.
Right behind? Five major champions, for starters.
Early in his round, Reed made bogey at the par-4 third, opening the door for those chasing him, and just about everybody began breathing down his neck.
He paused to smile when he heard a few chuckles.
That “something else” is something grand. This is going to be fun. Reed, meanwhile, has been remarkably steady, hitting eagle on the 13th and 15th holes and claiming birdie another four times on Saturday.
He did make one more bogey at the par-3 16th, three-putting from 45 feet, but a par save from over the 17th green quickly erased that memory, and he got into the clubhouse at 14 under with one more par at 18.
One more solid round and he might have predicted his own future.
Four-time Masters victor Tiger Woods, however, was spinning his wheels. But he overpowered the par-5 13th hole, hitting a 7-iron to about 15 feet and making eagle to earn a pair of crystal glasses.
The way Reed has played, it’s doubtful even Mother Nature can slow him down. “I’d like for it to either stay consistent throughout the day”. “I need to stick to my game plan”. He dropped his second shot at the par-3 12th, but recovered with an eagle at the par-5 13th, and then another eagle at the par-5 15th, chipping in from just off the front of the green. I just felt like from that point, the crowds were electrified. That’s the kind of momentum you can take into the final round no matter what you’re wearing.
McIlroy can only hope he didn’t use up all his luck.
When he returned Friday with another hot round going, he faced a predicament having been blocked out from the left pin by the trees. He’s got that to deal with and sleep on tonight.
A look at the history books tells you this Masters is McIlroy’s to win. Didn’t feel any pressure.
“I got a lot closer and it was nice to play the last few holes with a bit of adrenaline, but there’s nothing you can do about the other guys”. “Hopefully I don’t have to rely on it too much tomorrow”. He three-putted from long range on the par-5 eighth.
In 2011, a 21-year-old McIlroy led by four shots at the same stage but fell apart spectacularly, shooting 80 to tumble down the leaderboard. He was at 8-under 208. For as the crowds gathered once more on the first tee, turning it into a temporary Tiger town for the third day running, it was Poulter standing next to him, revelling in the frenzied atmosphere that accompanies all things Woods.
Countryman Cameron Smith, who almost aced the par-3 16th, closed with two bogeys to card a 70 and finish at three under.
The favorite for the tournament, Rory McIlroy, sits at four under for the weekend. Jordan Spieth. Justin Thomas.
At 140, Spieth and McIlroy went into the day one stroke behind former British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden. In 2011, he entered the final round as the leader but bombed on Sunday and finished tied for 15th.
Now it’s the missing piece of the slam.
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Four-time major victor McIlroy claimed Reed had added expectations, having attended nearby University of Georgia and Augusta State college. I’m going to guess like over 1,400 or something, whatever it was. “Not that I have anything against Patrick”. Just play with what we get. “But at the end of the day, it’s business, and we’re both trying to do something pretty special”.
