AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — 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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