News Archives for 4/10/2011 | The Masters 2012

Woods hasn't lost appeal to galleries
As Tiger Woods walked from the clubhouse to the first tee Saturday, it was the golfer, not the tabloid star, people noticed. As Woods pushed for a fifth Masters victory Saturday, he had hundreds of supporters rooting for his comeback story. His affairs and his broken marriage were not foremost in their conversations as they followed him from hole to hole.

Adam Scott wins the Masters
Adam Scott has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Mickelson is not conceding
Phil Mickelson isn't one for concession speeches, and he wasn't ready to concede this Masters Tournament after signing his scorecard Saturday. The defending champion didn't do himself any favors Saturday, but few players in the field have put together long strings of birdies the way Mickelson has in the past -- and he'll aim for one of those hot streaks in today's final round.

Italy's Molinari making case to return
AUGUSTA - Edoardo Molinari will likely not win the Masters Tournament, but his third round on Saturday helped his case for coming back to Augusta National Golf Club next year.

A healthier Amy follows Phil again
After his birdie putt on No. 15 found the bottom of the cup, Sophia Mickelson and Jennifer Mackay started their birdie dance. There simply weren't enough birdie dances in a day to vault Mickelson back into the thick of his Masters Tournament defense, but just the presence of his family walking among the pines was welcome.

Dustin Johnson struggles to 73 in third round
Coming off a Masters Tournament best of 68 on Friday, Dustin Johnson was hoping for another low round that would vault him into contention on "moving day."

Cabrera calls on his experience
Augusta National tends to shake the cobwebs off its champions, yet even Angel Cabrera didn't think he'd be one to rise to the top. The 2009 Masters winner barely made the cut in his title defense last year. With his length and comfort around Augusta, though, the Argentinian perked up at just the right time after relatively quiet rounds of 71 and 70.

McIlroy in control after three rounds
Rory McIlroy is showing no signs of slowing. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland recorded a solid 70 today to take a four-shot lead into the final round. McIlroy, bidding to become the first Irishman to win the Masters, is vying for his first major championship.

Geoff Ogilvy wins the Masters
Geoff Ogilvy has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Japanese amateur cards 68
Hideki Matsuyama wasn't in his native Japan when the massive earthquake hit last month, but he still worried about the effect of the devastation.

Fan Notes
It's been a lucky week for Chase Venn, 10. As he cheered on his favorite golfers Thursday and Friday, some big names showed him some love. "I got five golf balls a day from different pros," Venn said.

Watson survives a rough second
Players across the course were posting low scores Friday, but a sizable contingent of Masters Tournament patrons still followed Bubba Watson and his roller-coaster sideshow. The former University of Georgia golfer was all over the map in shooting 1-under 71, which left him at even par at the midway point.

Prize Money
The total prize money for the professionals competing in the 2011 Masters Tournament is $8 million, up from $7.5 million in 2010. The breakdown by position:

Fan notes
On their 10th year coming to Augusta National Golf Club, Louie and Deborah Nye have their routine down. They start the morning at the practice area watching their favorite players prepare for their rounds.

McIlroy remains out front
The weight of an impatient continent rests on Rory McIlroy's young shoulders in today's final round of the 75th Masters Tournament. A European hasn't won the Masters in 12 years, and the 21-year-old from Northern Ireland is in prime position to end that run. McIlroy came to life with birdies on two of his final four holes to shoot 2-under-par 70 on Saturday and double his 36-hole lead from two to four shots.

Athletes on tour amazing to Tiger
It was perhaps inevitable, but golfers at the Masters Tournament are playing a game even Tiger Woods is not familiar with. "They are doing things no one has ever seen on tour before," Woods said of the newest breed of players, who are turning heads the way he did in the 1990s.

Flags of victory are treasured
If the winner of the Masters Tournament comes out of the final pairing today, keep an eye on the champion's caddie after his man putts out on the 18th hole. He'll be making a beeline for the flagstick, if he's not already holding it. It's a tradition that caddies keep the flag from the 18th green as a memento if their player wins -- especially at a major championship such as the Masters.

Missing cut doesn't have to mean leaving
Patrons could do a double take at Augusta National Golf Club's Tournament Practice Range today. They just might see a player working on his game who isn't in the Masters Tournament anymore. It's not unheard of for a player who missed Friday's 36-hole cut to stay and work on his game, especially considering the club's state-of-the-art practice area.

What to expect: Final round
With good weather, expect a flurry of eagles and birdies in today's final round. If that happens, expect plenty of roars from the patrons. The course setup should reward players who are aggressive. Thirteen eagles, including a pair of holes-in-one, were recorded in the final round in 2010.

Masters Insider: Martin Laird
The 28-year-old from Scotland qualified for his first Masters by earning a spot in the Tour Championship last year. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month and shot 69 on Saturday to stand at 4-under for the tournament.

Where to go: Hill on 16
One of the most popular gathering spots is the 16th hole. In 2008, Augusta National added a viewing area on the hillside overlooking the pond and green. A storm wiped out some trees a few years ago, so the club converted the area into a place that has become popular with patrons.

Molinari's 69 betters odds of returning
Edoardo Molinari likely will not win the Masters Tournament, but his third round Saturday improved his chances of coming back next year. Molinari shot 3-under-par 69 to move to 3-under for the tournament.

What's so hard about the 10th hole?
For 75 Masters Tournaments, the 10th hole -- named Camellia for the bushes around the green -- has played as the toughest hole at Augusta National Golf Club. This Masters is no exception. The 495-yard par 4 ranks fifth this week in difficulty. On Saturday, it ranked second and gave leader Rory McIlroy his only bogey on the back nine.

Woodland slumps in second round
Gary Woodland knows what it feels like when he's having one of those grind-it-out rounds. A day after blistering the back nine en route to an opening-round 69, Woodland couldn't recapture the magic and slipped to 1-over 73 in the second round of the Masters Tournament.

Van Pelt hits breakthrough round
The wait was worth it for Bo Van Pelt. He missed the cut in his only other Masters Tournament appearance in 2005, but on Saturday he proved he belongs in what he calls "the greatest golf tournament in the world."

An Interview With: Rory McIlroy

U.S. dealt yet another challenge
Back in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus was taking on the world for his sixth green jacket, international players were lumped into a simple category: "foreigners."

Donald still has shot at ending Par-3 jinx
With his 4-under-par 68 on Friday, Luke Donald put himself in position to challenge for his first Masters Tournament title. Should everything fall into place for him Sunday, the Englishman also would end a 51-year-old curse. No one has won the Par-3 Contest, as Donald did Wednesday, and the Masters in the same year.

Spotlight is not too bright for Choi
After being paired with Tiger Woods in all four rounds of last year's Masters Tournament, South Korea's K.J. Choi is comfortable in the Augusta spotlight. Choi played with Woods again Saturday, and though he didn't have his best round, Choi kept himself in the hunt with 1-under-par 71.

Tiger finds game, and roars follow
It was a frustrating, wheel-spinning first nine for Tiger Woods on Friday at Augusta National Golf Club. "All I wanted to do was get to under par for the tournament," he said. Woods did much more than that. Beginning with a relatively modest two-putt birdie at the par-5 eighth hole, it quickly turned into vintage Tiger at Augusta.

Player notes
Even if Luke Donald didn't want to know where he was on the board as he made a charge, it would be a challenge to stay oblivious to it all. Donald, who is trying to become the first player to win the Par-3 Contest and the green jacket in the same year, had 3-under 69 on Saturday to stay in contention.

No. 1s aren't ones to stay for weekend
Forty-nine players made the cut Friday at the Masters Tournament. World No. 1 Martin Kaymer is not one of them. The reigning PGA Championship winner is among a star-studded group who will be watching the Masters on TV this weekend.

Saturday challenges younger players in new ways
Rory McIlroy stood on the first tee Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club with a two-stroke lead and all eyes fixed on him. As the 36-hole leader, the 21-year-old couldn't help but keep glancing in the direction of the leaderboard at the 18th green. Four times he surveyed the list of names trying to catch him. He quickly learned that the field had gone to work early.

An Interview With: K.J. Choi

Where to go: 18th green
Finding a spot around the green can be difficult, but patrons are generally rewarded with great finishes and emotional moments.

Masters trash is treasure for some
The commemorative plastic cups that come with beers and sodas are as much a part of the Masters Tournament as pimento cheese sandwiches and golf itself, patrons say. Garbage picking is not ruled out. To some, it's not Dumpster diving when the container is a tidy green garbage bag and the prize is a commemorative Masters cup.

Venturi proud of overcoming speech problem
Millions of golf fans are familiar with Ken Venturi's name, but few are aware that the former U.S. Open champion and longtime CBS golf analyst has a speech problem. They don't know it because Venturi made a determined effort to overcome his handicap a stuttering problem and he is not embarrassed to admit it.

Putting proves challenging for Barnes
Ricky Barnes is better known for his engineer's cap than his golf game. He hopes to change that this weekend. After carding 1-under 71 in the second round of the Masters Tournament, Barnes finds himself in contention at a place where he has had success before.

Watson halfway to goal with 67
Bubba Watson spoke after making the cut Friday of putting together back-to-back 67s on the weekend and seeing where that put him on the Masters Tournament leaderboard. He's halfway to that goal. The former University of Georgia golfer tied for Saturday's best round -- a 5-under 67 that pushed him into a tie for ninth place entering today's final round at Augusta National Golf Club.

Players tweet about second rounds
Golfers get serious on Friday for the second round. Here are some of their tweets and reactions from the day.

63 has been a major hurdle in golf
Twenty-five years ago, Nick Price set the course record at Augusta National Golf Club using a wooden driver and laying up on all the par-5 holes. Technological advances in golf clubs and balls have been great since then, but only Greg Norman has matched Price's 9-under-par 63 at the Masters Tournament.

Low-shooting young guns partners again
The bad news for the field in the 75th Masters Tournament is that Northern Ireland's 21-year-old Rory McIlroy and Australia's 23-year-old Jason Day will be playing together today for the third consecutive round. If they continue to bring out the best in each other, one of them might be hard to catch during the weekend, even by a resurgent Tiger Woods.

Course record stands test of time at the Augusta National
Twenty-five years ago, Nick Price set the course record at Augusta National Golf Club using a wooden driver and laying up on all the par-5 holes.

An Interview With: Tiger Woods

Charl Schwartzel wins the Masters
Charl Schwartzel has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club

Clubs used by Eisenhower being sold in online auction
A set of golf clubs used by President Eisenhower sat abandoned in a shed behind an Augusta home for years. After today, they will be in the hands of the highest bidder on an online auction site. New Jersey-based Green Jacket Auctions is taking bids until 8 p.m. today for Eisenhower's golf bag and his five Spalding Bobby Jones golf clubs.

Friday surge falls flat in Saturday 74
Tiger Woods watched in agony as his long birdie attempt at No. 5 stopped a dimple short of falling. This isn't 2005. On moving day, Tiger Woods made his move -- in the wrong direction. After climbing the leaderboard and surging into contention a day earlier, Woods might have played himself right out of the Masters Tournament with 74 in the third round.

Masters Insider: Jason Day
Jason Day earned his first Masters invitation by winning the Byron Nelson Classic last year. The 23-year-old from Australia shot 64 on Friday to vault into second place.

Watson, Van Pelt rally on Saturday
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- With a closing bogey by Tiger Woods for a 74, the U.S. standard-bearers entering the final round of the Masters Tournament are Bo and Bubba. Well, this is Georgia. Bubba Watson and Bo Van Pelt made early and fast sprints up the leaderboard Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club, Watson matching the day's low round with a 67, while Van Pelt had a 68 with a bogey on the final hole.

What to expect: Moving day
Low scores should be plentiful in today's third round. If form follows the action from 2010, when Phil Mickelson made consecutive eagles, then patrons should be in for an exciting day.

Luke Donald wins the Masters
Luke Donald has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

McIlroy ready for breakthrough moment
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A second-round 66 heightened expectations that Tiger Woods was back on his game, on the verge of rekindling past glorious Masters moments. Sure enough, time did get turned back Saturday in the third round at Augusta National. It just wasn't Woods that made it happen.

Matsuyama keeps focus on game
Hideki Matsuyama wasn't in his native Japan when the massive earthquake hit last month, but he still worried about the effect of the devastation. When it came time for his first Masters appearance, the 19-year-old regained his concentration.

Amateurs leaving Matsuyama behind
The expression on Hideki Matsuyama's face probably didn't need translation: He will play the weekend at the Masters Tournament. The 19-year-old amateur had completed his second round at his first Masters after his even-par opening round with a 1-over 73. That was good enough to make the cut, making Matsuyama the only one of six amateurs to do so.

Kuchar finds his rhythm
Matt Kuchar wouldn't say that his approach on the short, par-4 third hole necessarily served as a kick-start for a solid scoring Saturday. The knockdown wedge he nearly holed out seemed to right the ship for the former Georgia Tech star, though. Despite a roller-coaster round that featured six birdies, Kuchar shot 3-under-par 69 on Saturday to move to 4-under, tied for 14th.

Birdie putts save Ogilvy
A major winner in Friday's 10:30 a.m. group made a charge up the leaderboard in the second round, but it wasn't Phil Mickelson. Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open winner, shot his second 3-under 69 to move to 6-under for the tournament and a tie for fifth place. After a double bogey on the second hole, the Aussie rolled in six birdie putts while Mickelson spun his wheels.

McIlroy falters at 10
Rory McIlroy, the 54-hole leader, hooked his tee shot into the trees at No. 10 and posted triple bogey to fall out of the lead. At 8-under, he is now tied for seventh.

Mickelson needs big charge
Phil Mickelson walked off the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club on Friday with the confidence and swagger of a man ready to win his fourth green jacket. The fact that he was eight strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy at the time and tied for 20th after a mediocre round of even-par 72 with four birdies and four bogeys didn't seem to phase him.

Amateur's day counts, even if round doesn't
Augusta amateur Jeff Knox knew exactly what it meant when Robert Allenby bogeyed the 18th hole in Friday's second round of the Masters Tournament. It meant Knox, an Augusta National Golf Club member, would be playing the weekend as a noncompeting marker. His playing partner Saturday was Ernie Els.

Tiger steps into weekend hunt at Masters
This Masters Tournament just got very, very interesting. With the last roar of the day Friday, Tiger Woods dropped in one more birdie for a 66 to jump into a tie for third behind a couple of kids. We're about to find out a lot of pressing questions this weekend.

K.J. Choi wins the Masters
K.J. Choi has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Patron of the day: Jackson Dupree
Jackson Dupree is a 7-year-old from Appling who is visiting the Masters for the second time.

High temperatures expected for final round
Saturday opened with threats of thunderstorms late in the day. Those storms never materialized. Instead, inordinately high temperatures greeted players during the third round of the Masters Tournament. It amounted to perfect scoring conditions on a day when "moving day" at Augusta National Golf Club proved to be just that.

Couples' cool has an ageless quality
Which is more impressive -- that 51-year-old Freddie Couples is competing with guys less than half his age to win the Masters Tournament or that he's still cooler than all of them?

Scott hopes Masters experience finally pays off
Nine Masters Tournament appearances and, with the exception of a top-10 finish his first time around, Adam Scott has little to show for it. Attempt No. 10 might be different. The 30-year-old Australian shot 5-under 67 on Saturday, continuing his dominance on the par-5s with another eagle at 13 to move into a tie for sixth place and five strokes off the lead.

In the field
After Padraig Harrington had teed off Thursday, there was no doubt: He knew he would do so again Friday, no matter how his neck felt. The three-time major champion, who said he hurt his neck while warming up Thursday morning, had 40 percent movement in his neck Friday.

Jason Day wins the Masters
Jason Day has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Day fires at every pin in carding sizzling 64
For someone who owns all of two rounds at Augusta National Golf Club, Jason Day surely isn't shaking in his golf cleats. The 23-year-old Australian played as though it were a game of darts Friday, firing at the pins for a bogey-free 64. After opening with even-par 72, Day surged to second place at 8-under, pulling within two shots of 36-hole leader Rory McIlroy.

Junior Patron of the day
Trent McLauchlin, 10, of Hickory, North Carolina, is the Junior Patron of the Day.

Quiros achieves his goal
Alvaro Quiros gave one of the more eye-opening comments from players after an opening-round 65 Thursday that left him tied for the lead in the 2011 Masters Tournament. Quiros said his aim was to make the cut and "it would be stupid" to think about shooting 65 again. Quiros was right on target Friday. The big hitter shot 1-over par 73 to make his first Masters cut in three attempts.

Angel Cabrera wins the Masters
Angel Cabrera has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Yang's rise reversed on back nine
Y.E. Yang climbed to the top of the leaderboard at the Masters Tournament early Friday with a furry of birdies, but back-nine bogeys ended his day right where he started it. The 2009 PGA Championship winner shot even-par 72 to finish the first two days at 5-under, tied for seventh. He attacked pins with his approach shots all day, but the putts quit falling after he made the turn.

McIlroy starts final round
Rory McIlroy, the 54-hole leader, ripped his tee shot down the middle to open the final round of the Masters Tournament a few minutes ago. He holds a three-shot advantage over Charl Schwartzel and a two-shot lead over playing partner Angel Cabrera as well as Adam Scott.

Early departure won't spoil fun of tournament
One of the surprise success stories of 2011, Jhonattan (pronounced Jonathan) Vegas is the first golfer from Venezuela to compete in the Masters Tournament. Jhonny Vegas, who did not make the cut after shooting a two-day 4-over 148, shared his rookie Masters experience with The Augusta Chronicle:

What they're saying
Moving day at Augusta National Golf Club couldn't have moved slower. Folks around the course waited an awful long time -- which seemed even longer considering how electric Friday turned out -- for the pace to quicken Saturday at the Masters. Then the young man from Northern Ireland, perhaps Europe's answer to Tiger Woods, finally took charge.

Japanese amateur cards 68
Hideki Matsuyama wasn't in his native Japan when the massive earthquake hit last month, but he still worried about the effect of the devastation.

Cejka, Immelman finish strong
As Alex Cejka saw his birdie putt on No. 17 Sunday slip just by the left side, he buckled his knees in reaction to the miss.

An Interview With: Jason Day

Golfers share moving day tweets
The tweets read like a normal Saturday: watch some sports, send birthday wishes, then play some golf. But the round of golf played had much higher stakes for those tweeting, since these posts came from golfers competing in the Masters.

McIlroy falters at 10
Rory McIlroy, the 54-hole leader, hooked his tee shot into the trees at No. 10 and posted triple bogey to fall out of the lead. At 8-under, he is now tied for seventh.

Couples regains ground after mistake on No. 8
As other contenders tried to climb up the leaderboard Saturday, Fred Couples was hoping to get back to where he began the third round. The 1992 Masters Tournament champion had to rebound from a double bogey on the par-5 eighth and responded by closing strongly to finish with even-par 72 and remain at 5-under as he continued to battle back pain.

Schwartzel gets momentum with 68
Fifty years after Gary Player made history as the first international Masters Tournament winner, another South African has a chance to win. Charl Schwartzel finished three rounds at 8-under par, which tied him for second place with Angel Cabrera, K.J. Choi and Jason Day.

Tiger Woods wins the Masters
Tiger Woods has won the 2011 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Cejka, Immelman finish strong
As Alex Cejka saw his birdie putt on No. 17 Sunday slip just by the left side, he buckled his knees in reaction to the miss.

Young gun McIlroy separates himself from peers
Rory McIlroy stood on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday afternoon with a two-stroke lead and all eyes fixed on him. As the 36-hole leader, the 21-year-old couldn't help but keep glancing in the direction of the leaderboard at the 18th green. Four times he surveyed the list of names trying to catch him. He quickly learned the field had gone to work early.

Woodland struggles to two-over Saturday
AUGUSTA, Ga. As his birdie attempt slipped by the hole on No. 18, Gary Woodland gave a little flip of his right hand. It was clear what it meant. "That's how it was all day," Woodland said following a frustrating third round Saturday at the Masters. "It was a struggle all day." The end result was a 2-over 74 that dropped Woodland back to even par for the tournament and tied for 38th with Robert Karlsson.

Johnson let down by putter
Coming off a 68 on Friday, Dustin Johnson was hoping for another low round to vault into contention on "moving day" at the Masters. But the South Carolina native struggled with his putter and saw his tournament hopes dashed after shooting 1-over 73 on Saturday. The Coastal Carolina alumnus is at 1-under for the tournament.

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