For Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, it was pretty much more of the same on Saturday at the 82nd Masters.
It was pretty much uninspiring action from the two players most talked-about going into this first major of the year.
With conditions perfect for scoring on a damp morning in Augusta, neither Woods or Mickelson was able to shoot under par.
Mickelson suffered from a horrible start right out of the box. He hooked his opening drive badly, deep into the woods on the first hole. His first attempt at getting back into the fairway was a whiff. Yes, a total swing and miss. His third shot got him into the fairway, his fourth was over the green. After a poor chip, two putts later he walked off with a triple-bogey seven. Add a bogey at the par five second and Mickelson was four-over after two holes.
Mickelson would go on to shoot 74, a pretty decent score considering how far behind the eight-ball he was after two holes. He played the next 16, two-under and he’d finish his day at seven-over par.
Woods continued to suffer from iron deficiency. His first hole was a perfect example. He crushed his drive about 340 and from inside 100 yards, left his sand wedge second short in the front left bunker. His bunker shot wasn’t any good and he walked off the first with bogey.
At the second, Woods caught the right fairway bunker off the tee and would make bogey there. It was a familiar pattern. His play on the par fives has pretty much reflected his week. He played them one-over on Saturday. Woods did manage birdies at the eighth and 13th but bogeyed the 15th after hooking his drive too far left. His tee shots were once again wild. Through 15 holes he found just three fairways.
Woods best shot of the day came at the par three 16th where he stopped just five feet short of the hole and he’d make a birdie to get back to even for his round. That’s where he’d finish and his 72 was the best effort of the week and left him where he started moving day — four-over.
