The greens were softer and a little slower.
Thank-you Mother Nature.
It was supposed to be a miserable weather day at the 82nd Masters. It wasn’t.
Rain fell early and late but there were no monsoons, no thunder, no lightning, play on!
The birdie stand was open and scoring came so much easier than it had the first two days.
Matt Fitzpatrick went out early and put up the day’s first 67.
Later, Tommy Fleetwood put on a marvelous run of five birdies on the back nine starting at the 12th hole. Fleetwood was poised to shoot 65 but unfortunately took three putts at the 18th green and settled for 66 and a six-under total for 54 holes in his second Masters appearance.
Then came the 65s.
Rickie Fowler posted one. It was his first bogey-free round at The Masters. He’s in contention at nine-under, just five back of Patrick Reed.
Jon Rahm posted another. It was the first time the 23-year-old from Spain shot a bogey-free round in a major championship. He’s in at eight-under, not out of it by any means.
Not everyone went on a birdie-run, however, especially some of the high-ranked players in the field.
World’s No. 1 Dustin Johnson could only manage a 71 and at four-under, he’s too far back.
Jordan Spieth, who played with D.J., shot 71 as well and at five-under, he’s too far back.
Same for No. 2 Justin Thomas. He shot 70 on a day made for shooting a lower score with his skill set.
Conditions shouldn’t be so birdie-friendly on Sunday.
The Masters has sub-air systems under all the green complexes and that machinery can suck all the moisture from the putting surfaces.
Let the drama continue.
