AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — 4:31 p.m.
Jordan Spieth just couldn’t pull away at Augusta National.
His second bogey of the day at the seventh, where he missed a slick 5-foot putt, allowed Justin Rose to again close within three shots of the Masters lead on Sunday.
Rose made an adventurous par at that same hole. The Englishman drove behind a pine tree, was still among the patrons after his second shot, nearly holed out a chip, and then made a short putt that rolled all the way around the lip of the cup before dropping in.
Rose wiggled his hips like a hula dancer, mimicking the path of his ball.
Showing plenty of sportsmanship, Spieth gave Rose a thumbs-up for his third shot.
Spieth was at 16-under par heading to the eighth hole, which was the same point where he had a two-shot edge on Bubba Watson a year ago at Augusta National. Spieth lost that edge before the turn and watched Watson pull away to win his second green jacket in two years.
Let’s see if Spieth can hold on this time.
The only other player with a real shot was three-time Masters winner Phll Mickelson, whose birdie at the eighth brought him within four strokes of the leader.
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3:37 p.m.
Back and forth they go at Augusta National.
It’s almost like match play Sunday between Masters leader Jordan Spieth and closest pursuer Justin Rose.
They made matching birdies at the first hole. Rose struck the first blow of the final pairing at No. 2, making another birdie to close within three shots of the lead. But Spieth restored his four-shot edge with an 18-foot birdie at the third, as Rose missed his own birdie try from about 15 feet.
Spieth is back to 18-under par for the tournament.
Tiger Woods is the only other player ever to get that low, with his winning score at the 1997 Masters.
Spieth had 15 more holes to take the mark even lower. Judging by some of the early scores, there’s plenty of low numbers to be had in the final round.
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3:22 p.m.
At the final round of the Masters, the first blow was delivered by Justin Rose.
The Englishman started Sunday with two straight birdies to take his score to 14-under par. The leader, Jordan Spieth, made a matching birdie at No. 1 but missed about a 4-footer and settled for par at the second.
Spieth’s miss came right after Rose rolled in a 5-foot birdie, closing the gap to three shots.
Rose was playing brilliantly, having birdied seven of his last eight holes going back to Saturday.
It looks like a three-man race, at best.
Phil Mickelson birdied the second and remains five shots behind Spieth. Charley Hoffman has fallen eight shots back and just one other player, Dustin Johnson, is as close as 10 strokes.
Both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were off to sluggish starts. McIlroy had four straight pars, while Woods dropped to 12 shots back with a bogey at the fourth.
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3:01 p.m.
Justin Rose rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to start the final round of the Masters.
Justin Spieth answered the challenge, making a 10-foot birdie of his own to maintain a four-stroke lead after the first hole Sunday.
It was a good start for the 21-year-old Texan, playing in the final group at Augusta National for the second year in a row.
Phil Mickelson made par at the first hole, dropping six shots behind Spieth. Charley Hoffman started with a bogey and fell eight strokes back.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, both needing historic rounds to overcome double-digit deficits, squandered a chance to get closer by missing short birdie putts at the easy second hole. They were 11 shots off the pace.
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2:51 p.m.
Not looking the least bit nervous, Jordan Spieth teed off in the Masters with a four-stroke lead Sunday.
Spieth smiled and tipped his cap when the starter announced his name, and then he followed with a perfectly placed drive in the fairway.
This is the second year in a row that Spieth played in the final group at Augusta. In 2014, he was tied with Bubba Watson and actually built a two-stroke lead with 11 holes to play. But Watson rallied to win his second green jacket in three years.
The 21-year-old Spieth had a bit of a cushion this time, after setting a 54-hole scoring record with a 16-under 200.
Justin Rose was Spieth’s closest challenger and playing in the final group of a major for the first time. Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson was five shots behind, while Charley Hoffman, at six back, was the only other player within single digits of the leader. They were in the second-to-last group and, in all likelihood, the only ones with a chance to win the green jacket.
The lone player to rally from as far as 10 shots down on the final day to capture a major championship was Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open. Of course, that tournament is best remembered for Jean van de Velde’s epic collapse on the 72nd hole.
Hoffman dropped a shot right away, making a bogey at the first hole.
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2:42 p.m.
Tiger Woods started the final round of the Masters by playing the wrong hole.
Woods yanked his tee shot into the adjacent ninth fairway Sunday.
He was able to hit an approach over the trees to the fringe of the green and salvaged par.
Rory McIlroy, playing with Woods in the third group from end, also opened with a par.
Both McIlroy and Woods were 10 shots behind the leader, Jordan Spieth.
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1:28 p.m.
It looks like another day for going low at Augusta National.
On a cloudy Sunday, with temperatures expected to peak out in the upper 70s, there are plenty of red numbers on the board among the early starters.
Keegan Bradley is 4-under par through 10 holes. Jimmy Walker is 3 under through 12. Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson are 2 under after playing just a few holes.
Essentially, there are two tournaments at this point.
Jordan Spieth hold a four-stroke lead over Justin Rose after setting a 54-hole scoring record with a 16-under 200. Phil Mickelson is five shots back and already warming up on the practice range, looking to rally for his fourth Masters championship. Charley Hoffman, at six off the pace, is the only other player with a single-digit deficit.
Spieth and Rose tee off in the final group at 2:50 p.m. EDT.
Leading the B-flight, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are among those 10 shots off the pace; they’ll be playing together in the third group from the end.
Also at 210 are Kevin Streelman, winner of the Par 3 Contest, Kevin Na and Dustin Johnson.
Only one player, Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open, has ever rallied from 10 shots down on the final day to win a major championship.
That was the year that Jean van de Velde collapsed on the 72nd hole and lost in a playoff.
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