With three holes to play, Charley Hoffman sat atop the leaderboard late Saturday afternoon at Augusta National. Then, No. 16 happened.
As Hoffman pleaded with his tee shot to “go, go,” it instead found water, resulting in a double bogey.
“My swing on 16 – it happens,” Hoffman said. “It was a bad one. I was able to regroup and make a couple of pars coming in, but those things happen.”
PHOTOS: Hoffman struggles in Round 3
Hoffman carded 72 on Saturday and enters his final round two shots behind leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. Hoffman will tee off at 2:25 p.m. Sunday with fellow American Ryan Moore.
“I put myself in position pretty much all day,” Hoffman said. “Obviously, I would have liked to have gotten up and down on 14 and then like to have made birdie on 15. I mean, everybody knows on this back nine, anything can happen. You can make birdies, eagles, bogeys.”
Aside from the double bogey on No. 16, Hoffman played solid golf Saturday, carding a 2-under 34 on the first nine. After 13 holes, the Las Vegas resident was 7-under and alone in the lead.
However, Hoffman played his final five holes 3-over and will enter Sunday at 4-under.
“I was in the lead after 36 holes, and more than that, almost all day today,” Hoffman said. “I’m playing good golf, and if I play my game tomorrow, I think I got a good chance.”
As for his game plan for Sunday, Hoffman has one thought in mind.
“Hopefully I got a chance coming up 18,” he said.