Key events
After a five-minute wait as Max Homa faffed around, Scottie Scheffler takes aim at the 12th. Into the heart of the green. Maybe 30 feet away, but the safe play. Collin Morikawa gets a bit closer and claps his hands together in determination, a desperate cry to himself to take it up a notch. The entire chasing pack in the last-chance saloon already, unless Scottie Scheffler gives them a helping hand. Hey, it’s happened before around Augusta National, nothing’s set in stone yet.
Max Homa takes a drop onto the pine straw, the best result he could hope for. But the chip is no good, duffed into the fringe and left short of the green. His next one sails six feet past, and he does very well to make the one coming back. But that’s a double-bogey five, and suddenly Scottie Scheffler has a three-stroke lead. Ludvig Aberg pars after a calm two-putt from distance.
-8: Scheffler (11)
-5: Homa (12), Aberg (12)
-4: Fleetwood (15)
-3: DeChambeau (13), Morikawa (11)
… but he over-reads the left-to-right slider, and that’s Morikawa’s second double-bogey in three holes. A small consolation for him: Scheffler carelessly races his putt from just off the green eight feet past, and can’t make the one coming back. A bogey, but everyone in the chasing pack is doing so much worse.
-8: Scheffler (11)
-7: Homa (11)
-5: Aberg (11)
-4: Fleetwood (15)
-3: DeChambeau (12), Morikawa (11)
-2: Smith (14)
Homa has found his ball in the thick cabbage. It’s surely unplayable. As he works out where to drop, the cameras pan back to 11, where Morikawa takes a drop right by the side of the bank, as opposed to the drop zone. He grips down the shaft and bumps cleverly to six feet, giving himself a great chance of limiting the damage to bogey …
“Dammit!” Collin Morikawa hollers in anger as he pulls egregiously into Aberg’s lake. As young Ludvig has just demonstrated, he’ll need his A-game to limit the damage to bogey. Scottie Scheffler plays it safe by sending his second shot short and right. Meanwhile over on 12, Max Homa whistles a hot tee shot through the green, his ball disappearing into the vegetation behind. That’s disappeared. Where is it? We’ll soon find out. Aberg finds the dancefloor, but a good 50 feet away from the pin. All of a sudden, this is threatening to turn into a procession for Scheffler, as his challengers take turns to make big and potentially costly mistakes.
Max Homa gives his birdie putt a good old rattle. Bold, and six feet past. But he pops in the one coming back. Meanwhile Ludvig Aberg drops and wedges to 20 feet, about as good as he could do from the zone. He nearly makes the bogey putt, but that’s an ever-so-costly double. He smiles widely, if ruefully, as he wanders over to his fate at the 12th.
-9: Scheffler (10)
-7: Homa (11)
-5: Aberg (11), Morikawa (10)
-4: Fleetwood (14)
A reflective but relatively cheery Rory McIlroy talks to Sky. “I still have a little bit of work to do on my game … it’s an amazing golf tournament … I’m super-grateful to compete in it … I’m going to keep coming back until it is my year!”
The wind is picking up a little bit, just in time for the leaders as they traverse Amen Corner. Lovely! That’s not affecting the ice-cool Scottie Scheffler, though, who bashes a drive straight down the middle. Collin Morikawa follows him. Further up the hole, Max Homa sets his second well away from the drink that claimed Ludvig Aberg’s ball, and gently draws it in from the right. He finds the dancefloor, pin high, though he’ll have a long downhill putt for birdie.
Amen Corner takes its first victim at the business end of Masters Sunday! From the centre of the 11th fairway, Ludvig Aberg pulls his second dramatically left, the ball bouncing off the bank and plonking into the water. That birdie putt at 9, and all the associated bedlam, seems an awfully long time ago now.
It’s three birdies in a row for Scottie Scheffler, who strokes his right-to-left slider carefully down 10 and into the cup. All of a sudden, there’s a bit of separation at the top of the leader board. Par meanwhile for his playing partner Collin Morikawa. Meanwhile across the 13th green, Tommy Fleetwood nearly drains a monster 70-foot eagle effort, but has to settle for a kick-in birdie.
-9: Scheffler (10)
-7: Homa (10), Aberg (10)
-5: Morikawa (10)
-4: Fleetwood (13)
Scottie Scheffler took a while to warm up today, but he’s dialling them in now. He follows that sensational wedge on 9 with a glorious short iron at 10 from 146 yards to nine feet, pin high. Meanwhile up on 18, a par for Rory McIlroy. A 73 and he finishes at +4.
The 2024 Masters Tournament starts here and now. That’s because the final group has hit the turn. The back nine on Sunday! It. Is. On! Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa send their tee shots down the 10th fairway.
Max Homa, having been outdone in the drama stakes on 9 by Ludvig Aberg, Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, gets involved by sending his approach at 10 from 160 yards to three feet. That’s one of the shots of the day! He makes his birdie while his playing partner Aberg cards a no-fuss par. This is really beginning to bubble now. Scottie Scheffler the favourite but good luck calling it with complete confidence!
-8: Scheffler (9)
-7: Homa (10), Aberg (10)
-5: Morikawa (9)
Morikawa can’t make the bogey putt, and it’s a double at the most costly of times. AFTERTHOUGHT DEPARTMENT: Max Homa parred the hole, by the way.
-8: Scheffler (9)
-7: Aberg (9)
-6: Homa (9)
-5: Morikawa (9)
-3: Fleetwood (12), DeChambeau (10)
-2: Smith (12)
… when the 9th green is vacated, Scottie Scheffler, coming behind from 89 yards, lands his wedge ten feet past the flag and spins it back and … in? Nope. Not quite. It stops on the lip. But he taps in for birdie to regain the lead for himself. What a shot! The gallery went wild. And that’s rattled Collin Morikawa, who had carved his tee shot into the trees. He sends his second under the branches and into the left-hand bunker. He leaves the first splash in the sand, and doesn’t get close with his second attempt. He’ll have a long look at bogey. Blows and counter-blows all over the shop!
-8: Scheffler (9)
-7: Aberg (9), Morikawa (8)
-6: Homa (9)
Ludvig Aberg’s second into 9 is a bit careless, ending up 36 feet behind the flag. He’s faced with a tricky downhill putt on a treacherous and infamous green – putting back down the fairway is not beyond the realms – but dribbles a sensational right-to-left swinger that picks up pace and drops into the centre of the cup! Never (ahem) in doubt! He rolls his eyes and smiles broadly. Just as well that hit the cup, because it was travelling. But it’s a birdie! He claps hands with the patrons as he walks up to the 10th tee, one of them accidentally knocking the power bar he’s munching on out of his hand. Aberg stares at the gallery, then hangs his head in theatrical misery, before walking off laughing. He’s on cloud nine at the moment … and on top of the leader board alongside Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa at -7! But not for long, because …
Danny Willett pars 18 and signs for a final round of 78. That’s a whole ten shots worse than his extremely impressive opening round, but the 2016 champion will be happy with his +9 finish nonetheless, coming back ahead of schedule from shoulder surgery as he is.
Scottie Scheffler tickles in his straight birdie putt and for a second is the sole leader of the Masters. Collin Morikawa joins him seconds later, though, with his first birdie of the day. Meanwhile the closing stretch looks like costing Tyrrell Hatton again; a bogey at 17 and he slips back to -1. Bogey also for Nicolai Hojgaard at 10.
-7: Scheffler (8), Morikawa (8)
-6: Homa (8), Aberg (8)
-3: Fleetwood (11), DeChambeau (9)
-2: Smith (10), Schauffele (9)
-1: Hatton (17), Davis (10), Hojgaard (10)
Collin Morikawa has been quietly parring his way around Augusta National. Seven in a row today. But he’s looking good to break that run at the par-five 8th. From 110 yards he screeches a wedge to a halt, pin high, four feet from the flag. Meanwhile Scottie Scheffler, having sent his second over the back right of the green, bumps a gentle chip seven feet past. He’ll have a pretty straight birdie putt coming back up the hill. Two big birdie putts coming up.
Ludvig Aberg catches his wedge up from the swale to the side of 8 a bit thin. The ball fails to bite on the green and topples over the back. It’s a tricky up and down to save par now. In the meantime, Max Homa lags a 53-foot eagle putt up to a couple of feet, and that’s his second birdie in seven holes after a 34-hole wait for the third. Aberg elects to putt up from the back, and though his first one breaks almost 90 degrees to the right and rolls a couple of shaky feet away, he makes the par saver. It’s a four-way tie at the top now!
-6: Homa (8), Aberg (8), Scheffler (7), Morikawa (7)
-3: Fleetwood (10), DeChambeau (8)
Ludvig Aberg crashes his tee shot 312 yards down 8, then sends his fairway wood wide right of the green from 250 or so. He’ll have quite a task getting up and down from that swale if he wants a birdie that’d take him into the lead on his own. Meanwhile here’s Simon McMahon. “If DeChambeau remains under par through 72 holes, he’ll have been in red figures for the entire tournament, having birdied the first on Thursday, and then remaining under par ever since (I think). That’s probably happened more often than I imagine, but still, it’d be some effort from the big man, especially at Augusta.
Scottie Scheffler’s tee shot at 7 sails towards the trees down the left, then pings across to the second cut on the right. He’s forced to clack a low second under some branches and into the bunker at the front of the green, hoping to get up and down the percentage play. He can only splash out to ten feet, though, and the left-to-right slider stays high on the left-hand side. Yet another near-miss birdie effort for the par-crazy Collin Morikawa, and suddenly there’s a three-way lead at the top. What a Masters we have here!
-6: Aberg (7), Scheffler (7), Morikawa (7)
-5: Homa (7)
-3: Fleetwood (10), DeChambeau (8)
-2: Hatton (15), Smith (9), Hojgaard (8), Schauffele (8)
Time to remind ourselves that Ludvig Aberg is making his major-championship debut here. Nobody has won a major on debut since 2011, when Keegan Bradley made off with the PGA; before that it was Ben Curtis at the Open in 2003. Meanwhile nobody’s won the Masters on debut since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. The only other two debutants to win the Masters don’t really count if we’re being honest with ourselves: Horton Smith in 1934, the first tournament, so somebody had to, and Gene Sarazen one year later, when it wasn’t exactly a statistical jaw-dropper. If Aberg does this … well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But y’know.
Back on 7, Max Homa whips his second over the trees to the front of green. He utilises the bowl surrounding the flag to bring his chip in to eight feet, but his par saver lips out. Passing him on the leaderboard the other way, his partner Ludvig Aberg, who wedges calmly from 100 yards to four feet, and tidies up for his second birdie of the day!
-7: Scheffler (6)
-6: Aberg (7), Morikawa (6)
-5: Homa (5)
-3: Fleetwood (9), DeChambeau (7)
-2: Hatton (14), Smith (8), Hojgaard (8)
Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa take turns to nearly drain mid-range birdie putts on 6. Neither of these major winners seems to have located their A-game yet. Meanwhile there’s a four-putt for Rory McIlroy on 13. Admittedly it was from the best part of 75 feet, but still. A bogey, having technically putted for eagle. We’ve all done it countless times, right? (The four-putt part, that is, not the putting-for-eagle bit.)
A fine par for Cameron Smith at the par-five 8th. Fine considering he had to play his second shot out of the trees on his knees. He remains at -2. Meanwhile up on 18, par for the defending champion Jon Rahm. A final round of 76 and he ends the week at +9. Not much of a defence, but at least he made the cut, which he didn’t look like doing for a while.
Max Homa has been so steady all week. A first-round 67, since when he’s made three birdies, two bogeys, and 37 pars. He won’t want to get out of that rhythm now, so a snap-hook into the trees down 7 is most unwelcome. Ludvig Aberg meanwhile whistles one straight down the middle.
Scottie Scheffler finds the heart of the difficult 5th with two fine whacks. His second, from 193 yards to ten feet, sets up a fine birdie chance, but the gentle left-to-right slider stays out on the left. Collin Morikawa continues his run of pars. Meanwhile up on 14, Tyrrell Hatton creams his second pin high to six feet, but misreads the chance to move to -3, where he remains after tapping home.
A wonderful two-putt par from Ludvig Aberg on the par-three 6th. He’d landed his tee shot on the ridge running through the green, the ball turning away from the flag and rolling 70 feet away. He has to give the uphill putt a good old whack, and sends it ten feet past. But cool as you like, he strokes it into the centre of the cup. A proper momentum-saver. Whether that’s rattled Max Homa or not is unclear … but Homa’s shorter birdie effort is always staying high on the right. Pars for the pair of them, but one man will be feeling much better than the other.
One of the shots of the week at the par-three 6th by Max Homa. The pin’s tucked away back right; he bumps his tee shot off the bank to the right of the green, the ball gathering round and stopping eight feet behind the flag. Sensational, and a great chance to snatch a share of the lead. Meanwhile at 13, Tyrrell Hatton goes for it with his second shot. His ball falls off the back of the green, but he lags up from the fringe, a 60-foot putt that rolls gently across 59 of them. In goes the birdie putt and he’s -2.
Scottie Scheffler sends his tee shot at 4 over the back of the par-three. He underhits the chip coming back up, the ball only just squeaking onto the green, and there’s to be no scrambled par this time.
-7: Scheffler (4)
-6: Homa (5), Morikawa (4)
-5: Aberg (5)
-3: Fleetwood (7), DeChambeau (6)
Tyrrell Hatton is going along very nicely. Birdies at 2, 6, 10 and now 12, and he’s moved into red figures at -1. Only problem is, he’s not enjoyed the closing stretch here this week: he’s dropped eight strokes over the five closing holes, a record that includes two double bogeys. If he manages to break that trend and hold it together today, he’s on for his best finish here, easily beating his tie for 18th three years ago. Godspeed.
