Putting keeps Tiger from being threat
AUGUSTA, Ga. – For the first time since 1999, Tiger Woods did not break 70 in any of his four Masters rounds.
Nor did Woods have back-to-back birdies at any time during this unsuccessful attempt to win his fifth Masters title.
He did tie for third place with his 2-under-par 70 Sunday, as he birdied the 16th and 18th holes. But a shaky putter kept Woods from being a real threat to Phil Mickelson at any time down the stretch.
“I hit the ball beautifully,” Woods said, “and I made nothing. I missed them left, right, long, you name it. It just got frustrating. I absolutely putted so bad, and I couldn’t get it fixed.”
Woods had a chance to pressure Mickelson on both 13 and 15, the par-5s, but missed both eagle putts and had to settle for birdie. At 18 he finally rolled in a birdie putt and waved his hands derisively at the hole.
“As good as I hit it today, that’s how bad I putted,” he said. “It’s a shame. If I could have just putted normal, I think it might have been different.”
Ollie’s run
The new golf swing of Jose Maria Olazabal, 40, melded with his traditionally deadly short game to produce a near-miracle at the Masters on Sunday.
The two-time champion birdied 13 and 14 and eagled 15 to get to 5-under par, which, at the time, left him one shot behind Mickelson.
But a 3-putt on the 16th cost him a shot, and his wayward iron shots didn’t give him a chance at par on the final two holes. Olazabal wound up at 4- under and in third place.
“I felt like I needed one more (birdie),” he said. “What happened at 16 hurt, and then I forced it a little bit on the last two holes.”
Olazabal lashed a 5-wood 246 yards to within a foot-and-a-half of the cup for his eagle.
“It was a great shot considering the situation and the moment,” he said. “It was a special moment. The round was wonderful. I played really nice, no complaints at all. I looked at the leaderboard and the guys were not making a charge, so I thought, OK, see how well you can play on the back.”
Olazabal wasn’t an overly long hitter when he won this event in 1994 and 1999, but on Friday he had the longest measured drive.
His 66 was the low round of the tournament. He began the round six shots behind leader Mickelson.
Aching back
Rocco Mediate knew he was cheating time at Augusta National, walking up and down the difficult hills in a contending position. His foot slipped on the 15th hole Sunday morning, as he finished up his third round, and his chronic back problems flared up. Mediate never got past them, making a 10 on the par-3 12th and slumped to an 80, finishing 36th.
“My back went psycho in the afternoon,” he said. “After I almost made eagle on the ninth, I almost couldn’t go on 10. After my swing on 9, my back went. I couldn’t make the swings.
“On the second shot on 9 was a double whammy. It was the sickest sound. I knew it was coming back.”
Numbers game
Mickelson’s 4-under-par 212 after three rounds was the highest score for a 54-hole leader since Ben Crenshaw in 1989. … Mickelson, who won at Atlanta last week, became the fifth player to win the Masters after a victory in the previous event. He had 13 birdies on par-5s for the week. … Fred Couples and Rich Beem led the field by hitting 55 greens in regulation, and David Howell had the fewest putts with 106.