Moving Day took a while to get out of his ass and then closed with an absolutely brilliant dance of carnage. Had the orchestrators of this magnificent madness been patrons, the Green Jackets would have kicked them off the property.
But where to start? How to begin to explain the sheer debauchery of a two-hour stretch at the end of the third round?
Before we get to a leaderboard that has Scottie Scheffler at the top and four men within four shots of him, we must travel a long way south to Tiger Woods.
Do you remember Friday, when he broke the record of making the cut for the 24th time in a row and did it in a stage with the most brutal wind? He had been a titan for 36 holes.
A vision of compelling spirit and proof that the brain is worth more than any stick in the bag. In the next 18, he posted the worst score of him on this historic stretch of land: he led 82 strokes.
Scottie Scheffler has a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday after a day of chaos at The Masters
After making the cut on Friday, Tiger Woods recorded his worst score at Augusta National.
It might have been the old, aching body that caught up with him, but what an extraordinary way to marry triumph and disaster in the space of 48 hours. It’s always a drama with that cat.
But it had nothing to do with the shenanigans at the business end. That was much more notable.
A day that began with Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa leading at six under par would end up turning into a demolition derby in which Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard also took the top spot at one point or another.
When the music stopped, Scheffler led at seven under par, one better than he started and one ahead of Morikawa, but that came through more undulations than would ever be expected of him in his 71.
It’s worth knowing a few details here: He reached eight under par in three, gave up one in four, and then took a nosedive in the 10th.
As always, he had hit a drive off the tee, but the frenzy began with an approach that crossed the green and into the crowd. A missed putt from four feet signaled a double bogey, which coincided with Hojgaard making his third consecutive birdie in the back group to take the lead.
We had a new leader and then we didn’t: Hojgaard bogeyed each of his next five holes. He has had a wonderful Masters debut, he will resume at two under par and yet, signing for a 74 he could be forgiven for flying back to Denmark overnight to sleep.
Collin Morikawa is hoping to win a third major title and put in a solid round on Saturday.
Max Homa’s record in the majors is abysmal but he is only two strokes behind Scheffler
Briefly taking his place was two-time major winner Morikawa, who had opened at three under par but then birdied each of the first three holes with a hot-putt combination and an excellent save from the sand on the second.
In the midst of the chaos he held his own, even in the growing afternoon breeze he was able to close with 11 consecutive pars for 69. Having not won a major in three years, Morikawa was beginning to distance himself from conversations about the best in golf, but The 27-year-old American flies in this tournament.
In fact, his 69 might have been enough to reach the top had Scheffler not reawakened. After his calamity at 10, the world number one would drop another to fall to four under par: his lowest point, as it happens.
The highlight of his resurgence was an eagle putt on 13 from such a distance it could have been from another zip code. That took him back to six under before two birdies on his final four holes left him with a lead.
Dangerously positioned at five under par is Homa, who is a bit of a mystery in this scenario.
His talent is abundant, but his best result in a Grand Slam, tenth, is an isolated achievement; His other results in the four major tournaments have been disastrous considering his potential. Here he was as steady as Morikawa and his 73, although he had no birdies, he only had one bogey. On such quick, baked vegetables, that was impressive.
Ludvig Aberg is a remarkable talent and the dark horse is still in contention here.
Like Aberg. To a large degree. It is surprising to think that this is his first major and it comes just 10 months after leaving university, but his progress has been such that he already has two professional titles to his name and arrived here as a dark horse for the qualification. It’s not so unlikely now, is it?
His round of 70 was a masterclass of driving and some impressive early shots before successive bogeys at the 14th and 15th set him back. In him and Hojgaard, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald knows he has a couple of gems still on steep upward curves.
DeChambeau felt the most pain of the day. People used to make a ‘DeShambles’ joke about golf’s mad scientist and, unfortunately, the last nine years of him fed that narrative. His struggles began with bogeys on 11 and 12, which took him to four under, but after a birdie on 14 he lost the lead on the par-five 15th.
The problems began when he attempted to turn into the curve with his second shot, but instead the flight stayed straight and crashed into the trees. Trying to free himself, he played towards the creek and finally scored a seven. He was imploding with a three-putt bogey on the 16th, but just when his day seemed to have collapsed, he holed out from the fairway to birdie the last on the 18th.
It was really great theater.
Bryson DeChambeau had a forgettable back nine until he holed out from the fairway on the 18th.
Time will tell what Sunday brings. Naturally, Scheffler will be the favorite for the final loop because of who he is. For his experience as a former champion and for the possession of such an excellent and reliable game. However, he has started missing some of those shorter putts again.
Aside from his horror show on the 10th hole, there were four leaky putts that went from within 10 feet on the front nine alone. He will be a consideration, as will Xander Schauffele, whose 70 has put him in a group at two under par.
As for Rory McIlroy, the best he can hope for is another backdoor finish with a decent result. His 71 left him 10 off the lead, two better than defending champion Jon Rahm, who like most early starters found little movement on moving day. It was a criticism of his week that his 72 was the best of the three rounds so far.
He left with a face like thunder, which had nothing to do with Tiger Woods’ scowl after his 82. That included a three-putt bogey at six, a botched shot into a bunker for a double bogey at six seven and a failed four footer. on his way to a seven on the par-five eighth: five shots in three holes.
His whole game was rotten. When asked if there was a time when he felt like she was falling apart, he was brief: “All day.”