Many fall back; some have fallen out
Web posted
Sunday, April 11, 2004
While Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio), Chris DiMar-co and Paul Casey (Stats | Bio) tore up the course Saturday to move into the top three spots at the Masters Tournament, many players saw their scores blow up heading into today's final round.
Thirteen players finished Friday's second round under par for the tournament. Nine of those players saw their scores turn green in the third round as they fell to even par or worse.
The top three players after Friday - Justin Rose (Stats | Bio) , Alex Cejka (Stats | Bio) and Jose Maria Olazabal (Stats | Bio) - all shot 6-over or worse to fall out of the top 15 heading into today's final round. Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, shot 7-over and is tied for 20th at 3-over par.
Fred Couples (Stats | Bio) , Davis Love III (Stats | Bio) and Charles Howell, who were tied for sixth at 2-under par, shot over-par rounds. Love and Couples are tied for ninth at even par, while Howell dropped to a tie for 16th at 2-over.
Jeff Sluman (Stats | Bio) had the biggest blowup of the day at 10-over par. He went from 1-under par Friday to one shot away from last place Saturday. Steve Flesch (Stats | Bio) and Mark O'Meara (Stats | Bio) were tied at 11th with Sluman after the second round. Flesch dropped to 4-over par and O'Meara to 2-over par after their rounds.
Love, who is six off the lead, said the pin placements were tough for the third straight day.
"A lot of them were on the edge of the green," Love said. "Kept hitting right at it. If I could have gotten it close, I could've had a shot at birdie."
Of the players who played poorly Saturday, Couples and Love have the best shot at getting back into contention in the final round. Both are at even par and had low rounds Friday. Love shot 67 and Couples shot 69 in the second round.
"I didn't shoot myself totally out of it," Couples said. "I will have a heartbeat when I tee off tomorrow."
"Nobody's running away with it," Love said. "I'm happy I can go home to bed tonight and think I have a chance."
Couples won here in 1992, while Love has been the runner-up twice (1995, 1999).
Olazabal, who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999, said he put himself in a difficult position by missing his iron shots and not putting well.
O'Meara said tougher course conditions gave him trouble Saturday, but the 1998 champion didn't completely rule out a run at the leaders.
"You never know," he said.
Rose, who led after each of the first two rounds, shot 9-over to go from 6-under par to 3-over par, so Mickelson's and DiMarco's 6-under par scores aren't completely out of reach. DiMarco followed up a good first round (69) with 73 and shot 68 on Saturday. Mickelson started at even par, but followed with back-to-back 69s as he goes for his first major championship.
The weather could be a factor today. The forecast calls for rain most of the day, which could give those players who had trouble with the faster, dryer course Saturday a better shot at a comeback today.
"If I can have my career round (today), I can win," Couples said. "Really, anybody can win."
Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3219 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.
