Early Bird
Round four begins at 10:35am when 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle tees off by himself. With no one in his way, he should be able to finish before the leaders tee off at 2:25pm. Despite finishing last, it would be nice to get the final round out of the way early and kick your feet up to watch the part of the tournament that actually matters. I wonder if he’ll watch.
Phil Fades
Phil Mickelson, who had been dubbed the “true leader” after the second round, decided he didn’t want to win after about fifteen holes today when he missed a four-foot birdie on 15 and double bogeyed 16. Look for more of the same from him tomorrow as he pushes to make up ground early.
Youth Challenges
Youth has led the tournament for three rounds now. Can it hold up on Sunday?
That Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker are paired together again will only be a positive if they are both playing well. If one of them tightens up under the final-round pressure, then the other is going to be dragged down. Their post-round interviews were impressive. Neither player admitted to being bothered by the pressure of leading the Masters.
We’ll see if their play tomorrow is as smooth as their talk.
Woods’ Chances
Tiger Woods has to blitz the front nine, dominate Amen Corner and catch a few lucky breaks on the closing holes to have chance. Even then, Immelman is going to have to back up for Tiger to have a chance. The lowest round this week was a 67 shot by Steve Flesch on Friday. The lowest final round ever shot at the Masters is 64. Shooting that would put Tiger at -13. If he gets there, he wins. Anything short of that and say goodbye to the Grand Slam for 2008.