Saturday, April 7, 2012
10:30 a.m.
It's Saturday and the third round of the Masters Tournament has kicked off.
Temperatures were expected to be on the chilly side, but with the sun out, many patrons are taking off their jackets and enjoying the crisp, sunny morning. It's heating up quickly, so we'll see just how hot it gets by the time leaders Fred Couples and Jason Dufner tee off this afternoon.
Notable pairings and tee times today:
Amateur Kelly Kraft was the first to tee off this morning at 9:15 a.m.
To keep up with the latest scores, visit Masters.com.
3:30 p.m.
The weather today is absolutely gorgeous. There's a nice breeze rolling through the trees and although the sun makes it a little hot, it feels great.
Here's what you saw when you walked down the first fairway on Saturday afternoon.
I spent some time in Amen Corner and saw a few groups of players come through. When you sit there, you're reminded why the no cellphone policy at Augusta National is in place. Amen Corner just wouldn't be the same if you had to listen to someone's cellphone ring instead of hearing the birds chirping.
Here are some of the pictures I took of Amen Corner:
Amateur Patrick Cantlay walking toward the 12th hole. Cantlay is one of three amateurs left in the tournament.
Both Cantlay and Thomas Bjorn birdied the 12th hole today.
Patrons and members of the media relax under the big oak tree near the clubhouse.
The crowd gathers to watch Phil Mickelson tee off around 1:45 p.m. today.
Rory McIlroy teed off with Sergio Garcia at about 2:25 p.m. McIlroy ended up double bogeying the first hole, as he did on Thursday.
Gonzalo Fenandez-Castano and Edoardo Molinari on the 13th hole.
Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald walking toward the 12th hole.
News 12 talked with Bradley after he shot a 73 today.
A patron relaxes in the shade along the first fairway.
Trevor Immelman hit the ball into the pine straw on the 18th hole. He ended up bogeying the hole today.
Angel Cabrera, who was paired with Immelman, after he teed off on the 18th hole.
A scenic view of the 15th hole.
Rickie Fowler and Steve Stricker in Amen Corner. Fowler's bright outfits definitely make him stand out on the course. I asked him how much effort he puts into choosing what he wears. He said it depends -- sometimes he chooses his outfits the night before and sometimes it's whatever he pulls out of his suitcase the morning of the tournament. He said he works with Puma to design a lot of the clothing he wears.
Fowler on the 13th hole.
Patrons gather to watch the golf action in Amen Corner.
4 p.m.
Fred Couples has the lost the lead after bogeying the first two holes today. Jason Dufner is still at the top, tied with Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar.
Will Dufner stay at the top? It's hard to know at this point, as he's only four holes in. To stay updated on the leader board, click here.
Tiger Woods finished today with an even-par 72 after making two birdies early on but not doing well on the par 5s. He's disappointed but hopeful for tomorrow.
7:15 p.m.
The third day of the Masters Tournament is over and we've got a slightly different leader board than we had at the end of the day yesterday.
The leader board after the third round:
Also, it has just been announced that Gary Woodland has withdrawn due to a wrist injury.
8:05 p.m.
Pairings for the fourth round have been released. You can find them here.
Amateur Kelly Kraft and Stewart Clink will be kicking off the final day of the tournament at 9:20 a.m. Peter Hanson and Phil Mickelson will be the last group to tee off at 2:40 p.m.
10 p.m.
It was a long but beautiful day out on the grounds of Augusta National. We saw some major change-ups in the leaderboard from yesterday and also had some exciting moments up until the very end of the third round.
Sergio Garcia hitting the ball out of the pine straw on No. 9.
Garcia checking out his shot from the woods. He shot a plus-3 75 today.
Hole No. 16 before Sean O'Hair and Jonathan Byrd come up to putt.
O'Hair and Byrd before taking their shots on No. 16.
The day wasn't even close to being over, but some crew members were already working on mowing the grass.
Yong-Eun Yange and Jim Furyk checking out their shots on the 18th hole.
The 18th hole announcer gives some trivia questions to patrons.
Members of the media waiting and watching on the 18th hole.
Byrd and O'Hair on No. 18.
Herik Stenson and Nick Watney take their turns on the 18th hole.
Peter Hanson, who is currently in the lead, waits for Aaron Baddeley to make his shot on No. 18.
Hanson and Baddeley shake hands after a long day on the course.
Mickelson approaches the putting green on No. 18 amid cheers from patrons.
Mickelson waits for his turn and then takes a few practice swings.
And Mickelson shoots a birdie on the 18th hole to come in second ... and the crowd goes crazy.
Some scenic shots after most of the course had cleared for the day.
I was also able to interview 23-year-old Rickie Fowler after he finished the course today with an even-par 72.
When asked what he would’ve changed about his play today, he said there’s not a whole lot he would have done differently.
“Looking back, I played all right. There were a couple holes where I put myself on the wrong side of the pin, the green, and ended up making bogeys. Maybe been able to save a couple shots there. Missed a short shot on 9 for par, but other than that, I felt like I hit the ball pretty well -- just couldn't get the ball in the hole quick enough today,” he said.
For tomorrow, Fowler said he’s going to focus on ball striking, saying he’s missed a few fairways this week, which have led to some bogeys.
“Getting the ball in play off the tee is key,” he said. “You put yourself in the wrong position out here and you can make a bogey, a double bogey pretty quickly.”
Fowler has accomplished a lot in the golf world at a young age, but he says being a part of the 2010 Ryder Cup team has been the biggest honor thus far.
“I have accomplished a lot but still a lot of goals ahead for this year, so really just focusing on those and hoping to move forward,” he said.
And, of course, you can’t mention Fowler’s name without talking about the loud and bright ensembles he wears during tournaments. He said he works with Puma to put the outfits together a few months ahead of time.
As for choosing what to wear when, that’s completely up to him.
“Tournament weeks, it could be the night before or morning of that I'll just put something together. It could take five minutes of my time, it might just be whatever comes out of the suitcase first,” he said.
