AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Scottie Scheffler (-7) will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the 88th Masters Tournament.
Traditionally known as moving day, Saturday is when players try to put themselves into position to win a green jacket on Sunday. But during another day of tough scoring positions, only 12 players managed to break par.
Among them was Scheffler, the 2022 champion, with 71. A dramatic birdie at No. 18 earned him the outright lead after 54 holes. It was his 15th under-par round in his last 18 Masters rounds.
“I think I’ll have a better understanding of what the morning is like tomorrow,” Scheffler said. “But, yeah, proud of how I played today. It was a good fight out there. The golf course was extremely challenging. The greens were very firm, very fast, and it was extremely difficult again today. So probably looking for more of the same tomorrow.”
One behind Scheffler is 2020 PGA and 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa (-6), who has improved by a stroke each round since Thursday’s opening 71.
“If you asked me at the beginning of the week I’d be one back heading into Sunday, I would have taken that any time.,” Morikawa said. “You give yourself a chance with 18 holes left, that’s all you can really do and everything that you practice for. It all comes together tomorrow hopefully. But it’s going to be a grind, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Two off of the pace is second round co-leader Max Homa (-5) seeking his first major championship. He shot 73 on Saturday.
“I don’t know what more I could have done,” Homa said. “Could I have seen some putts go in, but I don’t hate how I putt.
Started the ball on the line a lot. The greens got really fast. So adjusting to that took a couple holes.
Just hard to get it close to the hole. Didn’t play the par-5s well on the front. Got a funky lie on 2. Other than that, I was pretty happy with that.”
Ludvig Aberg (-4) of Sweden, making his Masters and major championship debut, is three back attempting to become the first to win at Augusta in their first try since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
“I’m a competitor and I want to win tournaments,” Aberg said. “I feel very fortunate to be in this position and to be here playing golf.
Yes, I don’t think you should shy away from it. I don’t think you should try to push it away. I try to embrace it, and I try to be okay with all that comes with it, I guess.”
Five-time champion Tiger Woods (+11) recorded the highest score of his Masters career with an 82 on Saturday, one day after setting a Masters record by making the cut for a 24th consecutive time.
“I was not hitting it very good or putting well,” Woods said, who admitted Saturday’s conditions wore him down physically. “I didn’t have a very good warmup session, and I kept it going all day today. Just hit the ball in all the places that I know I shouldn’t hit it. And I missed a lot of putts. Easy, makable putts. I missed a lot of them.
It will be a long night and a long warmup session, but we’ll be ready.”
Augusta resident Luke List (+5), who went home Friday thinking he had missed the cut, returned Saturday to shoot a third-round 71.
“I packed up my whole locker,” List said. “I was planning on missing the cut. Obviously the conditions were tough. I thought it was going to stay at 5. For that to happen, it was a bonus. It happens in golf with those conditions, so I was very fortunate.
I had a bunch of friends and family. Your kids don’t care what you shoot, so they were acting normal. It’s tough. It really was.
I feel like I played really well yesterday. I feel like I was really patient with the way I hung in yesterday and just didn’t get anything out of it. To miss like that, I felt it was stinging a little bit.
Then to the full mix of emotions to be able to turn around and be able to play today was very special.”
For final round starting times and pairings, click here.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
