D8
S
KLMNO
THE MASTERS
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
DAVID J. PHILIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Phil Mickelson and caddie Jim Mackay react to Mickelson’s fairway shot to the 15th green, which nearly resulted in Mickelson’s third straight eagle. Earlier Mickelson went from 7 under to 11 under in 20 minutes.
After 3 rounds, Westwood leads Mickelson by one
masters from D1
“What Phil Mickelson does is really out of my control,” he said. Or, perhaps he meant to say, simply out of control. The pin at the par-4 14th was in such a posi- tion — at the bottom of a slope from which balls could feed — that Woods said, “You could see one going in there.” Mickelson had 141 yards in. He took out his pitching wedge. He fed the slope. The ball rolled across the green. It dove into the cup. Any sense of monotony turned, instantly, to mayhem. In 20 minutes, Mick-
NOTEBOOK
First Masters becoming memorable for Marino
Fairfax native’s hot 10-hole stretch briefly puts him near lead
by Barry Svrluga
augusta, ga. — When Steve
Marino tapped in a tiny little birdie putt at the 10th hole early Saturday afternoon, his name was, justifiably, on the leader boards all around Augusta Na- tional. He had started the third round of the Masters at even par, but after 10 he was 5 under — all of three shots back of the then- leaders, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, who had just teed off. “It felt pretty good,” Marino said. “But you know, this golf course is such a delicate little beast that if you blink for a sec- ond, before you know it you’re making bogeys.” So Marino, a Fairfax native and
University of Virginia grad who is making his first appearance here, started making a few. His climb up the leader board halted with his first bogey of the day at the 11th. Still, he made a nice, uphill birdie putt at the 18th and sal- vaged a very strong round of 69 to head into the final round 3 under, tied for 11th at his first Masters. “I just wanted to go out and en- joy it and have fun and just play the best that I could,” Marino said, “and so far, I’ve accom- plished that goal.” Whatever happens in the final round, Marino will have a ster- ling memory of his first 10 holes Saturday. He began his run with a birdie at the second — despite the fact he hit his 3-wood approach in front of the third tee, well right of the green. He made a 15-foot downhill birdie putt at the fifth, struck a 7-iron to six feet on the par-3 sixth for another birdie, and then overcame a drive into the pine needles left of the eighth fairway with a splendid pitch to tap-in range for his fourth birdie of the front side. Before arriving this week, he
had played the course just twice — on a quick Sunday-Monday
CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Steve Marino shot a 69 in the third round, including 10 holes that briefly got him to 5 under.
practice trip last month. He has, however, adapted. “I’ve just been a little bit lucky, I guess,” Marino said. “I’m just trying to go about it just like I do every single week on tour, just play my game and just see what happens.”
Choi matches Woods
One of the more remarkable showings here has been that of K.J. Choi, who drew what some players in the field considered a short straw when he was paired with Tiger Woods in the first two rounds. But Choi matched Woods’s 138 total at the midway point, so they were paired again Saturday. The result: Choi held up again, matching Woods’s 70 to stand at 8 under, four back of the lead. His reward: another pairing with Woods in the final round. “I’m used to him [for] three
rounds,” Choi said, “so [the] same pairing is fantastic.” . . . Fred Couples hadn’t shot 68 or
better at the Masters since 2001. Now, two of his first three rounds are at least that good, and his 68 Saturday — despite a bogey at the last — puts him on the fringes of contention despite his age (50) and his back (balky). He is 7 un- der, alone in fifth. “I just love this place,” he said.
“I have a shot at it tomorrow if I can shoot a crazy score.” . . . Phil Mickelson’s back-to-back eagles at Saturday were the third set of consecutive eagles in Mas- ters history, matching Dan Pohl in 1982 and Dustin Johnson a year ago. All three times the ea- gles have come at 13 and 14.
svrlugab@washpost.com
Minor League Affiliate of the Washington Nationals
See the Potomac Nationals at
Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. $1 tickets available on game night only at the Pfitzner Stadium box office. Potomac Nationals information: 703-590-2311 potomacnationals.com
MONDAY NIGHTS ARE
DollarNights
POTOMAC NATIONALS
— WITH THE —
PRESENTED BY THE WASHINGTON POST
Grandstand Admission: $1 Hot dogs: $1
Every Monday night home game in 2010!
SF
elson had eaten Westwood’s en- tire lead in two stuffed-to-the- cheeks bites. “I was well aware that some- body was making a charge, and I figured it was Phil,” Westwood said. “That’s what major champi- onships are about. They’re tough ones to win, because great players do great things at major champi- onships.” Westwood could have crum- bled, right then and there. Amen Corner and beyond began to fill with those explosions, and West- wood caused none of them. Not only did Mickelson hole out his
approach, but Fred Couples — whose name can no longer be mentioned without his age, 50 — made a birdie at 14, then chipped in across the 15th green for an ea- gle of his own. He was at 8 under, right in it. “There were roars going up all over the place,” Mickelson said. “You couldn’t figure out who was doing what, because there were roars happening simultaneously throughout the course.” And Woods? When he bogeyed
the 10th, he sat seven behind Westwood’s lead. He seemed out of it. He was not.
“I still had those same holes to
play,” he said. And he played them well, going birdie-birdie-birdie from 13 to 15. More roars. He has seemed his old self here, despite all the unseemly revelations about his life. He swore at himself after a tee shot on the sixth. “Did I?” he said. “If I did, I’m sorry.” His fire is there. So is his focus. “That’s never a problem,” he
said. Westwood, though, has not yet proven he can say the same thing, not under these conditions. A bo- gey at the devilish par-3 12th al- lowed Mickelson another open-
ing. At that point, Mickelson had 87 yards to the flag at the par-5 15th. Again, the ball rolled like a putt.
“I was expecting it to disap-
pear,” Mickelson said. It didn’t. Bummer. Instead of three eagles in a row, he had eight inches for birdie. Oh, and the outright lead. “You have to expect the unex-
pected,” Westwood said. Maybe, then, the most unex-
pected development was West- wood holding up. One of the cra- ziest hours in Masters history was over, and a new leader, Mickelson, stood clear of the field. But West-
wood didn’t come unglued. His first bogey became his only bogey, and he got back to 12 under with a birdie at the 15th. Mickelson gave his share of the lead back when he bogeyed 17. Westwood’s splendid up-and-down at the last ended a splendidly up-and-down day. The exhaling, mercifully, began. “I don’t think I’ll have any problem sleeping tonight,” West- wood said.
Easy for him to say. Lee West- wood only had to play in the third round of the Masters Saturday. He didn’t have to watch it.
svrlugab@washpost.com
Home delivery makes good sense.
1-800-753-POST washingtonpost.com/subscribe
E205 4x7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184