Rose smelling sweet at Masters

Thomas Pieters, also tied for the lead at the start, shot 75 to drop into a tie for ninth at 1-under.

The four-time major victor got off to a flying start with birdies on the second and third holes of his third round but unravelled with a double-bogey six on the seventh.

Rose could make a lovely piece of golf history by becoming the second man after Ben Hogan to win majors at both Merion and Augusta National. But from the middle of the fairway on 18, he hit one of the best shots anyone will hit all tournament, flying it just over the pin from 171 yards – the ball dancing on the crest of the mound that runs through the middle of the green, then rolling back toward the cup, almost holing out for an eagle.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Fans of dominant, wire-to-wire performances and runaway winners, this Masters is not for them.

You also can’t resist looking at Couples and imagining a future in which Tiger Woods contends here again, his hair gray like Couples’ or gone entirely.

Saturday’s Masters third round set the stage for an epic Sunday afternoon at Augusta National, as Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth all are in the final two pairings.

William McGirt is alone in fifth at minus-2 following a 1-over 73.

Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth – the game’s best putter and former Masters champion – gets up and down for par at the 12th and still lurks at -3.

“This was something different that we’re not used to seeing, so it’s going to be back to something a little bit more normal these next two days”.

Jason Day of Australia, reacts after missing a putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 8, 2017, in Augusta, Ga. That left him two strokes behind Hoffman. And I thought, in order to win this golf tournament – I hit my favorite shot I’ve ever hit in competition in my life on that hole going for it when we had that decision in 2015.

Hoffman, who opened with a 65 to claim the biggest 18-hole Masters edge since 1955, made five bogeys in six holes but the American birdied 13 and parred in from there to cling to a share of first.

He went 29 straight holes without a bogey until a three-putt from below the ridge on the par-3 16th. Saturday at The Masters.

“If it goes in the bunker it’s not too bad, if it goes a foot right you can get a stance”, Willett said.

It’s a sentiment shared by most of the top 20 after the first two rounds here.

He had a run of five birdies over a four-hole stretch to pick up four shots on the leaders who had yet to tee off. Barring a sensational Sunday round, McIlroy still won’t have a green jacket. I couldn’t see the green, given where the tree was located.

Cool and blustery conditions at the famed 7,435-yard layout made the course play like a brutal combination of tricky US Open greens with chillier British Open weather. I hit some good shots on the back nine coming in.

On one-under were Spain’s Jon Rahm, England’s Lee Westwood and 57-year-old Fred Couples. “You’re going to have to go out and play a good round of golf, and I think there’s going to be four or five guys pretty much with the same mindset”.

“I feel so fortunate that I have been able to play many majors in a row and given myself a lot of chances”.