Sunday Masters Clippings: Cheer Up Lads!

I sit down for an exciting Saturday night of reading and my beloved scribblers turn out to be all cranky. They get a Tiger-Phil pairing and instead of celebrating, it seems most of them think this thing is over.

It's as if they think it's over because--smooching up stories notwithstanding--they still don't think the course is susceptible to the back nine charge. I can't imagine why anyone would think that. Just because 10-11-12 are the three toughest holes scoring-average wise, the 15th yielded one eagle Sunday and a heroic Tiger chip-out from the Christmas trees, and then there's that super wide 17th!

Anyway, I, being more positive, am holding out hope for a thrilling finish Sunday. We certainly have more people in contention.

Let's get the dirty details out of the way. Here's your Leaderboard and Pairings Groupings. Augusta.com lists all of the past winners on Easter Sunday, not that it means a thing.

PGA.com/PGATour.com's team puts together a nice digest of notes and bits about how the course played.

Nancy Armour files notes on Steve Stricker, unhappy Ian Poulter after a 68, Chad Campbell's club selection decision on 16 and great news on the ESPN ratings front (because I was worried they might not survive without a good number this week).

Okay, now to the coverage.


Lede Watch

James Corrigan in the Independent:

They might be a lowly triumvirate in terms of profile outside of their sport, but Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell have lit up this golfing heaven this week. It is certainly hard to envisage anyone else donning green in the Butler Cabin this evening.

Doug Ferguson, not so grumpy, for AP:

Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry have proven they can handle the pressure on golf's biggest stage. Next up is Sunday at Augusta National, a test unlike any other they have faced.

Oliver Brown in the Telegraph:

Angel Cabrera goes by the nickname 'El Pato’, the duck, but there was nothing remotely waddling about the Argentinian’s third-round performance at Augusta on Saturday as he surged into a share of the lead in the US Masters on 11 under par, alongside American Kenny Perry.

Thomas Bonk for GolfDigest.com:

There will be no Paddy Slam. Tiger's number is 14 and holding. Phil's closet is stuck on two green jackets.

You might as well get used to it.

Mark Lamport Stokes is more positive in his Reuters piece:

Almost 13 years after squandering a chance to clinch his first major title, American Kenny Perry has the opportunity to become the oldest winner of a grand slam crown at the U.S. Masters.

Larry Dorman in the New York Times:

This was supposed to be the year the Masters went hip, celebrated youth and turned over the keys to Augusta National Golf Club to the plugged-in generation. But Saturday, on a sunny, breezy day, the older fellows decided to show the teenagers and 20-somethings just how the game was played.

David Walsh in The Times is having a hard time envisioning a winner outside of the final two groups.

Given the way the course has played and how Cabrera and Perry have handled themselves through 54 holes, it is barely conceivable that they could both be overtaken by Woods or Mickelson and, beyond Campbell and Furyk, it is difficult to see a winner other than the two leaders.

John Huggan sounds slightly optimistic:

The plan was to reproduce the loud and lustrous back nine birdies, eagles and roars that once captivated spectators around the world. The plan was to forget what has recently been.

And this Masters, the 73rd, has, broadly speaking, achieved all of the above. So far at least. But what wasn't anticipated was a dollop of irony. While the men atop the leaderboard after 54 holes are all fine golfers, none is the most charismatic character amongst the game's elite. For "interesting" read "introverted".

The Final Four

Jay Busbee with this fun fact sheet on the three men at the top.

Eric Soderstrom says it's a battle of "unassuming men." Is that a euphemism for boring?

Bob Harig is more diplomatic and focuses on experience angle.

Steve Elling mines all sorts of great details about Kenny Perry's days when he was washing carts and struggling, talking to Sandy Perry and in general making him a lot more likeable. (And making it hard to imagine this is the same guy who complained about having to play the Tour Championship last year).

The Prick Pairing

You know I'm with Rosaforte and Micelli who both said on their Golf Channel spots that this whole Stevie-I-hate-the-prick thing is overblown and has been put behind by all involved. Of course, of course, BUT...just in case you want to relive the drama...

Here's where Stevie made stuff up and in general came across as a, well, prick. Here's where he tried to spin things and only made matters worse. Here's Phil's hilarious comeback that assured Bones he'll be gainfully employed for some time. And here's Tiger trying to put the little spat to rest. Memories...

The scribblers focused more on the notion that drama aside, Phil and Tiger don't have much chance to catch the hounds unassuming men they are chasing.

Jim Litke writing for AP:

What it could have been: golf’s “Rumble in the Jungle.”

What it’s going to be: “Disgusta at Augusta.”

The clash of the titans that everybody in the sport was dying to see—Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in the final round of the Masters—has already been relegated to the undercard.

AP's Tim Dahlberg declares Tiger's chances dead on arrival:

So spend a little extra time at church. Take the kids out to hunt for some eggs. Put a glaze on the ham.

Anyone of a handful of players could end up with the green jacket sometime early Sunday evening, but this much is sure.

Tiger Woods is done.

Jeff Babineau invokes religion for Easter Sunday.

A prayer. That’s about what Woods’ chances appear to be after another ho-hum, lackluster lap around The National on Saturday, something that has become more the norm than the exception. Make no mistake, Woods fought to the very end, making three birdies in his final six holes to post a respectable number (2-under 70). But he’s a long, long way from home.

Rich Lerner did some unscientific research Saturday and found people bored by the leaders and he doesn't sense that the course will allow for Tiger or Phil to make a run.

The hope at the start of the week was for a retro Masters with second nine Sunday roars. Pat Summerall’s doing voiceovers, the piano music’s still soothing, the course still green but the giant swings in momentum are missing.

Rex Hoggard on past Tiger-Phil pairing results:

Sunday will mark the 22nd time the two have been paired together in a Tour event and the first time at a major since the 2001 Masters. And, for the record, Woods has posted a better round than Mickelson 15 out of those 22 head-to-heads, including that 2001 run at Augusta National.

PGATour.com charts the past pairings.

Kevin Garside writes off Tiger's chances Sunday.

Augusta National is simply too big a test for a golfer playing only his fourth competitive tournament since having a knee rebuilt. There is a reason they don’t play major championships at Bay Hill, scene of Woods’ first tour victory into his comeback a fortnight ago.

Off the tee Woods was all over the place here. A wayward drive on the first led to a double bogey start. Another at the second had him down on his knee. No blame attaches to his iron into the short par 6. The irons were his saviour on Saturday, apart from this one, which was too good, splicing the flag stick like an arrow issued by Robin Hood.

Michael Bamberger details the infirmary situation at the Mickelson household (ouch Amanda, poor thing!) that probably didn't help Phil's play in Houston, and says he believes Phil about his chances for a dramatic comeback Sunday.

It'd be a fantasy, of the Ben-Crenshaw-at-Brookline variety, to think that the winner could come out of the seventh-to-last group. But what makes it semi-feasible is that Augusta National has not been this conducive to scoring in years. There seems to be more grass, which is allowing for more aggressive chip shots. Because of the storm that passed through Augusta as Friday turned into Saturday, the greens were soft and receptive.

Paddy Slam, RIP

Mark Reason details the second hole 9 that cost Paddy Harrington a chance at three straight majors.

The Irish Times' Paul Gallagher reports on the Irish trio's tough day Saturday including...

Rory Ruling, Not Quite RIP

Interesting new details emerged on Friday's Rory ruling, including an explanation for the excruciating length of time between incident and resolution. Part of it is Rory's fault. Sounds like Fred Ridley is too patient and forgiving.

Nancy Armour of AP shares this:

His phone rang at 6:30 p.m. EDT, and Fred Ridley, chair of the competition committees at Augusta National asked what he’d done on 18.

“I said, ‘I played my bunker shot, didn’t get it out of the bunker. Played my next shot over the green and three-putted for a seven,’ ” McIlroy said.

Ridley told McIlroy they were looking at his bunker shots, and asked if he wanted to return to the club to review the tape. McIlroy said no thanks, confident he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Almost two hours later, Ridley called back and told McIlroy it was in his best interest to look at the tape. At issue was whether McIlroy kicked the sand or swiped it; it looked like a kick because some sand flew up.

Mark Reason talks to a few folks who say McIlroy got away with a violation even if the rule in question is peculiar and also raises questions about the club's sense of urgency.

Peter McEvoy, the captain of the winning Walker Cup teams in 1999 and 2001, said: “Was Rory McIlroy guilty? The spirit of the rules say no, the letter of the law says yes. I would have done the same as the Augusta Committee. But I am very surprised that they did find no violation of the rules. I thought they would disqualify him.”

The Masters hierarchy had been informed of the incident, but an hour after they knew about it a rules official had still not been summoned. The rules officials only found out when a member of the press called one of them. Why hadn’t they been called earlier?

James Corrigan says it's time for a rule change.

Only the BBC showed replays and they were just about inconclusive enough to take McIlroy's word for it. Whether sand can fly into the air, as it did, while being smoothed is a moot point. The rule-makers need to apply hasty clarification. It would be a shame if McIlroy's image as the most refreshing golfer to hit the game in many a year was in any way compromised.

Billy Payne, Our Resurrecting Lord Of Augusta As It Should Be

Lawrence Donegan says Billy Payne has delivered on starting to undo the reign of Hootie Johnson in many areas, including the golf course.

Those who do take an interest in architecture and who have long considered Augusta to be the most strategically brilliant layout in the world (outside of St Andrews, at least) know that the responsibility for "crime" lies largely with Johnson, who sanctioned a series of changes to the course around the start of the decade that undermined its elemental genius.

Holes were lengthened, trees planted, rough grown. Thinking golf was replaced by mindless golf. Where once players had multiple options, they now had one: middle of fairway, middle of green, hope for a single putt and for God's sake don't take any risks. Therein lay the road to public indifference, and the Masters was halfway there.

Fortunately, Payne appears to have recognised the problem and he is nimble enough to do something about it.

Imagery/Flora/Fauna

The SI team's lovely photos from Saturday.

And as always, the Augusta Chronicle's extensive gallery is here.

They left John Daly alone Saturday and focused on golf. But for fun, Marty Hackel takes us behind the scenes at the BBC booth.

Okay see you Sunday at around 11:15 for the live blog and what could be a very exciting day.