AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Latest on Saturday’s third round at the Masters (all times local):
3:15 p.m.
Tiger Woods is making a move — in the world rankings, not the Masters leaderboard.
Woods is expected to crack the top 100 for the first time in years following golf’s first major.
Woods shot an even-par 72 in the third round Saturday at Augusta National and is at 4-over 220 through three rounds. He continued to struggle with iron play, failing to get a grip on distance control.
He says “my swing is just off with my irons.”
The 42-year-old Woods is playing the Masters for the first time since 2015. He is back following a fourth back surgery.
He started the week ranked No. 103 in the world, but should move up several spots after making the cut at golf’s first major.
Woods says he is “just kind of gradually working on it, gradually building,” adding, “I’m getting there.”
Woods won’t win a fifth green jacket and says he now has a modest goal for the final round: “Even par or even in the red. Hopefully, I can get it done.”
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2:55 p.m.
Matthew Fitzpatrick made a huge move on “Moving Day” at the Masters.
The 23-year-old Englishman shot a 5-under 67 in the third round Saturday at Augusta National, getting to even-par 216 for the tournament. He’s surely to make one of the biggest jumps — maybe even the biggest — heading into the final round.
Fitzpatrick made four birdies and an eagle — all in a nine-hole stretch — to surge up the leaderboard.
Fitzpatrick, who has four wins on the European Tour, is in the Masters for the fourth consecutive year. He first made the tournament after winning the U.S. Amateur in 2013 and making the field the following year. He missed the cut.
He tied for seventh in 2016.
Umbrellas were out early at the golf course with light, intermittent rain falling. Play has not been stopped though the forecast calls for steady showers all day.
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12:05 p.m.
What will Phil do next? A little bit of everything.
Phil Mickelson began the third round with a drive into the trees, and then he completely missed the ball trying to get back to the fairway. He punched out, missed the green and wound up with a triple bogey. He followed that with a bogey.
And then on the par-5 eighth, Mickelson hit driver off the fairway to 8 feet and made eagle. He’s tied for last place. He’s no less entertaining.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, made his first birdie on the par-3 sixth. He was 1 over for his round. Woods opened with 73-75. He has never had three consecutive rounds over par at any Masters, even as an amateur.
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10:45 a.m.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have begun their third rounds at the Masters and the umbrellas are out at Augusta National.
They were playing in a light rain and the forecast calls for steady showers all day.
Mickelson triple-bogeyed the first hole, his second triple of the tournament. Mickelson, who was playing the third round with Tyrrell Hatton, tripled No. 9 on Friday.
Woods bogeyed the first hole.
Patrick Reed leads the tournament at 6 under and is scheduled to tee off at 2:30.
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4:35 a.m.
Patrick Reed is halfway home to his first major championship.
He got there by mostly staying out of trouble at daunting Augusta National and mastering the four par 5s.
Reed shot a 6-under 66 in the second round Friday and moved to 9-under 135 for the tournament. He takes a two-shot lead over Marc Leishman into Saturday’s third round, which could be affected by rain.
Forecasts call for steady showers all day, the kind of weather that should soften up what had become a hard and fast test.
The way Reed has played, it’s doubtful even Mother Nature can slow him down.
“I believe if I play the golf I know how to play, I can win majors,” said Reed, a 27-year-old Texan who ended his college career 3 miles down the road at Augusta State. “I need to stick to my game plan.”
Reed and Leishman will be the final pairing Saturday, scheduled to tee off at 2:30 p.m.
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For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Golf and https://apnews.com/tag/TheMasters
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