Key moments
DeChambeau caps round three with 77-yard hole-out
Having led for much of this round, DeChambeau has had a disastrous closing stretch, with bogeys at the 11th, 12th and 16th and a double bogey after finding the water at the 15th. It looks to be going from bad to worse when he finds the trees to the right of the 18th fairway: he has to chip out and has his head in his hands, but he then plays a miraculous approach which spins back straight into the hole for a birdie. After such an engrossing day of golf, it is fitting that a hole-out from 77 yards is one of the final shots. The American will begin tomorrow on three-under par.
Max Homa then gets up and down from the right greenside bunker with a fist-pump and that is the end of round three. Tomorrow we will return with Scottie Scheffler in the lead on seven under but with a host of players in contention. The world No 1 will be in the final group with Collin Morikawa, but Homa, Ludvig Aberg, DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Nicolai Hojgaard, Cameron Davis and Tommy Fleetwood are all among a stacked field in the chasing pack. You can follow all the action here live from early tomorrow afternoon.
Scheffler birdies 18th
What character from Scheffler, who has made two remarkable comebacks during this back nine after setbacks that threatened to derail his third round. The first came after the 10th and 11th, when he lost three shots in two holes. It dropped him back to three shots off the lead, but he made a 31ft eagle putt at the 13th to move to the summit of the leaderboard again.
Then, just now, after making a bogey at the 17th the world No 1 hit a glorious approach close to the 18th pin and drained the birdie putt to move back to seven-under par. The 2022 Masters champion will hold the overnight lead and is surely favourite to win a second Green Jacket.
Morikawa sets clubhouse lead
The 18th has been the hardest on the course today — closely followed by the 17th — and the latter of those two holes claims a shot from Scottie Scheffler. The world No1’s tee shot was only marginally off line, but it limited his options with the approach, and the greens are just so slippery late on in this third round. Up ahead, Collin Morikawa has set the clubhouse lead on six under, two strokes ahead of Ludvig Aberg, who shot 70 today.
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DeChambeau in the water
Bryson DeChambeau follows Scottie Scheffler in trying to take on the 15th green in two strokes, but he goes long and right and is forced into taking a free drop where the patrons have been standing. He gets a decent lie, but somehow duffs his wedge into the water. Extraordinary. The American has to drop again, he chips on, but then misses the bogey putt. At the 16th he then makes another bogey and he is now back at two under.
Tommy Fleetwood meanwhile misses a short par putt at the last, which is the hardest hole on the course today ahead of the 17th — some closing stretch — so will begin tomorrow on one under.
Scheffler leads Morikawa
Bad to worse for Nicolai Hojgaard, who finds the water at the par-five 15th and has now made five straight bogeys to go from the outright lead on seven under to tied-sixth on two under. His playing partner Scottie Scheffler has contrastingly rallied since those three dropped shots after the turn: a birdie at the 15th moves him into the outright lead on seven under ahead of Collin Morikawa.
Tiger Woods earlier recorded a ten-over round of 82, his worst round in his Masters career.
Fleetwood in contention
The greens are now seriously challenging out there. Nick Faldo points out that the humidity at Augusta is only 28 per cent, meaning they have become like concrete. Putting is seriously difficult and Nicolai Hojgaard has now made four bogeys in four holes since taking the outright lead on seven under. Absolute precision is required.
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Up ahead, Tommy Fleetwood has meanwhile finally made a birdie — two in fact — after beautiful kick-in approaches at the 15th and 16th. The Englishman is two-under par and now firmly in contention.
Scheffler and Morikawa lead
Bogeys, bogeys, bogeys — but no longer for Scottie Scheffler. Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa, Bryson DeChambeau and Nicolai Hojgaard all make bogeys, but Scheffler then makes amends for his three dropped shots after the turn with a stunning eagle putt from 31ft. It means the American has regained the lead on six-under par with Collin Morikawa.
Aberg in three-way lead
It’s breathless stuff on this back nine at Augusta as Nicolai Hojgaard and Bryson DeChambeau both make bogeys to drop back to five under, but Ludvig Aberg birdies the par-five 13th to take a share of the lead. The young Swede has made four birdies in a bogey-free round today.
Out in front, Tommy Fleetwood is having a torrid time on the greens today. The Englishman has been near immaculate from tee to green, creating countless birdie opportunities with his irons, but his putter is yet to return the favour and he is still at level par.
Scheffler struggling
More trouble for Scheffler, who drops makes bogey at the 11th after another short missed putt. It means that in two holes the world No 1 has fallen from an outright lead on seven under to sixth place on four under. Unfortunately Hojgaard’s outright lead is short-lived as he also makes a bogey at the 11th — the hardest hole on the course — and is now out in front alongside Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau.
Hojgaard leads
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Oh, it’s all happening now. First Bryson DeChambeau drops a shot with a missed putt from 6ft, but then Scottie Scheffler air mails the 10th green, his ball strikes a slope and ejects beyond the patrons and into the bushes. The world No 1 manages to stab a chip on to the green but his playing partner Nicolai Hojgaard then drains a monster birdie putt from 48ft. Scheffler, seemingly rattled, then three putts — including a miss from 3ft — and the Danish debutant is suddenly in an outright lead.
Hojgaard and Aberg in the mix
Scottie Scheffler remains out in front but this is now a fascinatingly stacked leaderboard. Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau remain on their overnight score of six-under par, but Collin Morikawa has surged into second alongside them after three front-nine birdies.
That American trio is now also joined by Nicolai Hojgaard. The Dane, who was part of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team last year, has made three birdies since the 1st — including one on the 9th after a stunning approach shot — to continue his exceptional Masters debut. Ludvig Aberg was unfortunate to miss a decent birdie putt at the 10th just now, but the Swede remains three under for his round and only two back as he enters Amen Corner.
Aberg the ice cream lover reaches five under
Owen Slot, Chief Sports Writer, Augusta: I’ve been out following Ludvig Aberg, the preposterously gifted young Swede. The Scandi accents in the gallery following him are plentiful; suddenly you realise you’re standing there watching next to his father, mother, sister and girlfriend. I spoke to his coach, Han Larsson, who told me how he was motivating Aberg today. Ice cream. The young man seems to be motivated by two things: Liverpool Football Club and ice cream. Larsson told Aberg before the round that he had a new tub of mint choc chip for him if he plays well. “His eyes lit up,” Larsson said. And then he birdied three holes in a bogey-free front nine to move to five under.
Lowry makes eagle as greens get fast
We may have had a big rain delay on Thursday, but the ferocious wind yesterday and baking sun today is making these greens really, really quick. Scottie Scheffler dropped a stroke at the 4th, but he has just made two clutch par putts at the 5th and 6th, offering further evidence that the switch to a mallet putter is working for him. Tommy Fleetwood is meanwhile struggling to capitalise on some beautiful approach shots on these tricky greens and remains at one under, while Collin Morikawa has just slipped back to five under.
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Further in front of the leaders is the 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, who has just holed out for eagle with this stunning shot from 118 yards.
Birdies for Scheffler and Aberg
Another birdie for Scheffler, who now holds a two-shot lead. The American was granted a free drop to the left of the short par-four 3rd and capitalises by chipping on and draining a 34ft putt.
It’s also been an excellent start for Ludvig Aberg, who has moved to four under after birdies at the 2nd and 5th, the latter of which after a 178-yard approach that finished only 3ft from the hole. As for the other overnight leaders, both have been scrappy early on with Bryson DeChambeau making a bogey at the 3rd and Max Homa salvaging three pars.
Rory McIlroy has meanwhile just signed for a one-under-par round of 71, which he will be disappointed by given his putting performance today. It leaves him three under for the tournament.
Morikawa flying
It feels strange to say given he won both the PGA Championship and Open Championship before his 25th birthday, but Collin Morikawa has become a bit of a forgotten man in recent seasons. Remember this is a player who made 22 consecutive cuts at the start of his PGA Tour career — a mark second only to Tiger Woods’s record of 25 — but he has slipped to world No 20 with that effortless ball-striking too often going amiss.
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That is certainly not the case this weekend, however. Morikawa is one of only a handful of players who went under par in both of their opening two rounds and he has just made birdies at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd holes to get to six under and only one shot off Scheffler. Could this be the week where the American moves within one major of a career grand slam by winning his first Green Jacket?
Scheffler chips in
That’s why he’s world No 1. Scottie Scheffler seems to miscue his tee shot at the 1st then misses the green to the left, leaving him a nasty chip back up a slope to the far-right pin position. First hole nerves? No chance. The American executes a beautiful chip, getting his ball to check on its fourth bounce before gently releasing into the cup. That’s one way to take the lead.
Out in front, Tiger Woods has just compounded his errors at the 6th and 7th by making the first double bogey of his career at the 8th. He is now six-over par.
Scandinavians hunting down Zoeller’s mark
No player has won the Masters when making their debut in major championships, but Ludvig Aberg shot 69 yesterday, the lowest score in round two, and makes par at the 1st. The Swede is always near-immaculate from tee to green, but his putting was also among the best in the field yesterday, and he is aiming to become the first Masters debutant to win the Green Jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Also chasing that accolade is Nicolai Hojgaard, Aberg’s fellow Scandinavian. The Dane dropped two shots late on yesterday to slip back to four under, but has also been mightily impressive on his Augusta debut and tees off alongside Scottie Scheffler at 7.35pm.
Out on the course, Rory McIlroy has just made birdie at the 14th after an excellent approach, but Tiger Woods makes bogey at the 6th and double bogey at the 7th to undo his solid start.
Woods bounces back
What a putt from Woods. The five-times Masters winner drops a shot at the par-three 4th after an uncharacteristically poor short-game display but hits a beautiful seven-iron into the testing par-four 5th and holes the birdie putt from 19ft.
Elsewhere, Ryan Fox has moved to two-under par at the 1st, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris have just made birdies, and Chris Kirk is putting together one of the best rounds of the day on three under thru 14 holes.
Hatton on the charge
What a great start to round three this is from Tyrrell Hatton. The Englishman started at two over, but made a birdie at the 1st after an excellent approach and now makes another with a long putt from off the back of the 3rd green to move back to level. Woods, meanwhile, has hit three greens in regulation in three holes but his birdie putts have all just slipped past the outside of the cup and he remains at one over. Frustrating, but a solid start from the 48-year-old.
McIlroy let down by putter
Rory McIlroy has hit several lovely approach shots today but is being let down by his putting. He has hit it close then missed putts from inside or around 10ft at the 4th, 7th and now 9th, meaning he completes his front nine in a level-par 36 strokes. A bit of a missed opportunity from the Northern Irishman this morning.
Woods under way
Much better from Matsuyama and Fowler. The former shows excellent touch with a wedge from the back of the 13th green and makes the birdie putt, then holes a testing par putt at the 14th. Fowler then makes birdie at the 15th after a glorious approach, before both players hit decent shots into the par-three 16th.
Behind them, Tiger Woods has just teed off at the 1st. The 15-times major champion, who set a Masters record by making a 24th consecutive cut yesterday, begins round three one-over par and in a share of 22nd place. He hits a perfect drive straight down the middle of the fairway, but settles for par after a long missed birdie putt as playing partner Tyrrell Hatton makes birdie.
Rahm struggling
Among the other early starters, Joaquin Niemann — who has been in fine form on LIV Golf — Denny McCarthy and Adam Scott are enjoying good front nines, but last year’s champion Jon Rahm is continuing to struggle in his title defence. The Spaniard has had a torrid time on the greens this week, losing 0.78 shots per round on the rest of the field with his putting, and a bogey at the par-four 7th moves him down to six-over par. Having said earlier that today’s conditions are far more conducive to good scoring, the Augusta breeze is just beginning to stiffen again.
History counts against McIlroy
Rory McIlroy hits a glorious approach into the par-three 4th but cannot convert the putt and remains ten shots off the lead. Let’s have a look at some 36-hole stats that reflect how unlikely the Northern Irishman’s outside chances are:
• Of the past 37 Masters winners, 36 were in the top ten entering the third round
• The largest 36-hole comeback to win is eight shots by Jack Burke in 1956
Meanwhile, Hideki Matsuyama makes two poor chips at the 10th and 12th so drops back to five over after that excellent front nine, but Rickie Fowler gets a roar from the patrons with a chip-in at the 12th.
McIlroy birdies as Matsuyama makes fast start
You have to question Rory McIlroy’s strategy at times. He hits a monster 380-yard drive down the par-five 2nd but then tries to take on a flag tucked away in the narrow back-left corner and protected by a sheer bunker. His approach — rather predictably — comes up short in the bunker, but he gets up and down for birdie after a decent putt to move back to four over.
The round of the day so far has been played by the 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, who struggled in round one but has shown more of the form that has taken him back to world No12 since. The man from Japan made birdies at the 2nd, 3rd and 9th after a beautiful approach in a bogey-free front nine that takes him back to three-over par.
McIlroy bogeys 1st
More early movers as Luke List birdies the 1st then eagles the 2nd, and Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler and Tom Kim get back down to five over. It’s still early in this third round, but the conditions seem a night-and-day contrast to yesterday’s as Rory McIlroy hits his first tee shot. The Northern Irishman, who laboured to a five-over-par 77 in round two, is not conceding defeat in his tenth quest for a career grand slam just yet, but he makes bogey at the 1st after finding the fairway bunker with his drive.
Fair weather on moving day
The conditions yesterday were the most challenging seen at Augusta National in recent times, with ferocious winds blowing sand out of bunkers and causing all manner of issues for the 89-man field. However, the fortunes of the early starters are already suggesting that scoring will be easier today. Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, has made back-to-back birdies at the 2nd and 3rd to get back to four over, while Russell Henley has also made two birdies at the start of his round. The forecast is for sun all day and winds up to only 11mph. We may indeed be set for a big “moving day”.
We’re off
Play is under way on day three. Hideki Matsuyama and Thorbjorn Olesen start with pars, while Rickie Fowler records a bogey on the par-four 1st.
Who’s out early?
Play will start at 2.35pm BST, with those at the bottom of the leaderboard beginning earliest.
The first pairing consists of a Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama, alongside the American Rickie Fowler.
Tom Kim, the exciting 21-year-old from South Korea, is out at 3.05pm BST, while the 2023 champion Jon Rahm follows at 3.25pm. Adam Scott, who won the Green jacket in 2013, will tee off at 3.15pm.
Those of a certain generation will be pleased to see José María Olazábal in action. The 1994 and 1999 winner at Augusta begins at 2.55pm.
McIlory: I can still win
Rory McIlroy is not admitting defeat in his latest quest for the career grand slam.
The 34-year-old carded 77 for the second round to sit at four over at the halfway stage — ten shots off the lead. Nevertheless, he is taking inspiration from his comeback at the Dubai Desert Classic last January.
“I won from ten back [at halfway] in Dubai at the start of the year, but obviously the Dubai Desert Classic and the Masters are two very different golf tournaments,” McIlroy, who has not won a major since 2014, said.
“We’ll see. Hopefully the conditions are a little better. I still think I can go out and shoot a low one, get back into red numbers, and have half a chance going into Sunday.”
Spieth’s latest Masters meltdown
Jordan Spieth, water, quadruple bogeys, Augusta. It has been an infamous combination before, and it resurfaced yesterday.
The 2015 Masters champion had a nightmare on the par-five 15th in his first round, as he sent his approach too long, chipped across the green and into water, and then putted his way tamely to a nine.
It will not go down in Augusta infamy like his collapse on the Sunday of the 2016 Masters, but this ordeal ended the American’s Green Jacket hopes and he did not make the cut.
Floundering Harman is one of us
A seven on 13. The water and a triple bogey on 16. Four more shots dropped in the next two holes. Brian Harman had an awfully reassuring start to Friday.
The Open champion recomposed himself admirably once he started his second round, but his terrible finish to round one was an ordeal any golfer could relate to.
Owen Slot: It is only every once in a while that a professional golfer thumps out the kind of round to which we common or garden amateurs can relate, and for this we were indebted on Friday to Brian Harman, who is not only ranked No 8 in the world but is also the Open champion.
We everyday mortals of the fairways are eternally challenged by the conundrum that allows us to produce a half-decent round one day and utter garbage the next. Well, Harman is indeed one of us. Or so he has been for the past two days, at least.
• Read in full: Brian Harman’s garbage day at Masters gives rank amateurs solace
Timeless Tiger
The movement may be more clunky, the hair thinning and the age approaching 50, but watching Tiger Woods at Augusta remains a breathtaking experience.
He navigated a gruelling 23 holes on Friday to finish one over par, meaning he made the cut for a record-breaking 24th consecutive Masters.
As younger and more-fancied players struggled to handle the extraordinary winds, the 48-year-old showed several flashes of genius and mettle.
• David Walsh: Broken body, breaking records: Tiger’s fighting spirit is undimmed
Weekend of destiny begins
Welcome back to our live coverage of the Masters. After a long day yesterday which involved the completion of the first round and all of the second, the 60 players who made the cut will resume over this afternoon and evening.
Play begins at 2.35pm BST, with Tiger Woods out at 5.45pm after the 48-year-old made a record 24th consecutive Masters cut on Friday. He is followed by the three leaders: Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler.
Elsewhere, Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg are hoping to continue their superb Augusta debuts, while Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are among the star attractions surely playing only for pride.
