Snedeker no stranger to Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Brandt Snedeker isn’t as inexperienced as you might think. Sure he was a PGA Tour rookie last year and yes this is his first Masters as a pro. But he knows his way around Augusta National. He figures he has played 40 practice rounds here.

After he qualified for the 2004 Masters as an amateur, he took advantage of the policy that allows Masters qualifiers to play as many rounds as they want. “I think they almost changed the rule the next year because of me,” he said.

Maybe that helped on Saturday. It didn’t hurt in turning his round around after bogeying all three holes of Amen Corner (11, 12, 13), making three birdies on the final five holes.

In any case, he got his round to go north as Phil Mickelson’s went decidedly south. Mickelson, who also knows the layout here as a two-time champion, seemed poised for a run when he birdied 13 and 14 to go 4 under. Then he missed a 5-footer for birdie on 15, double-bogeyed 16, finished with a 75 and wound up 2 under – nine shots from the lead and out of contention.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Mickelson said, “because I felt like I was hitting the ball well. I was hitting some good putts. I don’t know what happened.”

Softball questions

An oddity from the world of golf, land of multiple roles: CBS announcer Peter Kostis was interviewing Paul Casey off the 18th green. Kostis also is Casey’s swing coach. So when he asked the player, “What’s your game plan for tomorrow?” Casey said, “I was going to ask you that.”

Fashion statement

Boo Weekley on showing up without his goatee: “My wife kind of told me it started looking hideous. She’s like, ‘It’s time to either trim it up or take it off.’ I didn’t have no trimmers with me so I just went ahead and took it off.”

Weekley, the only player wearing a camouflage golf cap, also trimmed strokes from his score. He shot 68 and finished 2-under par, tied for seventh.