AUGUSTA, Ga. – What would a 10-handicap shoot at Augusta National in Saturday’s gusty, frigid conditions? Australia’s Cameron Davis was asked to hazard a guess at the Masters.
“You could play really well and shoot below 100 if you make a couple of putts, I reckon,” said Davis.
But it depends in part, he said, on whether or not that player is a low-ball hitter or a high-ball hitter.
“There’s a 20-shot difference between the two,” he explained. “This course is hard. It seems like you want to hit the ball high into every green and you had to hit the ball low. When the greens are firm and it’s windy, it’s kind of hard to do the low option, so you have to throw the ball up in the air and see what happens a lot of the time. It’s just hard.”
Temperatures started in the low 40s and remained in the low 50s throughout the afternoon, with sustained winds of 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 1-under 71 and holds fast to a three-stroke lead on a day when only nine players managed to break par. Nos. 1 and 18 allowed only two birdies each in the third round. One Rory McIlroy birdied the fourth hole.
Here’s what players had to say about the difficult day:
Kevin Kisner plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of The Masters golf tournament. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“It was very difficult conditions to start and got behind the eight ball early. … Just if you put the ball in the wrong spot when they put these hole locations this close to edges, it just becomes almost impossible.
“I fought back, and was unfortunate on 17 to make 6, but I would have taken 1 over the way I played throughout the day, but it is what it is. … Obviously your body doesn’t move as well, and the ball feels like you’re hitting concrete there. You just have no feel. It’s a place you need a lot of feel around the greens. So 50, 55 and blowing 20 is not a lot of fun.”
Tommy Fleetwood of England plays his shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2022, in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
“I think it’s so hard to get it anywhere near the pin. I played amazing today. I mean, not saying I’m the best golfer in the world, but I played really, really well and I honestly seemed to be holing out all day.
“I made what, three – I made four birdies today, so you’re not – nobody is really going to be stiffing anything.”
Rory McIlroy follows his shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2022, in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
“There’s no easy birdies. Even the par 5s aren’t – usually they’re sort of, not guaranteed 4s, but you feel like they’re holes that you would likely pick shots up on. The way the wind’s blowing, sometimes five is a good score and you just move on.
“The gusts are what makes it pretty difficult at times. The wind completely laid down on me on 12 and I hit it into that back bank like a lot of people are.
“But Sepp (Straka) hit just after me and the wind gets his and balloons it up clears out and clears Rae’s Creek. So, in the space of 30 seconds, two golf shots hit by two completely different strengths of winds and two completely different results. So, it’s not just about judging the wind, but it’s also hitting the ball at the right time.”
Justin Thomas hits out of the bunker on no. 2 during the third round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Danielle Parhizkaran-Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports
“I mean, it was tough. It just was cold. It was just so cold … for someone that likes a lot of feel and using my hands a lot, when it gets cold like that, it gets tough. It’s tough for everybody.
“It seemed like the ball was curving a lot more. I wasn’t hitting it solid with the driver, so it just was really curving offline in those crosswinds.”
Tiger Woods plays his shot from the seventh tee during the third round of The Masters golf tournament. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Today, it’s just been blustery all day. You add in the temperature difference, it was cold starting out. The ball wasn’t going very far. I thought it was tough. Some of the other guys may not say that, but for me, I had a tough time. I felt like I didn’t really hit it that bad, but I had four three-putts and a four-putt.”
Sergio Garcia plays a shot from a bunker on the first hole during the third round of The Masters golf tournament. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
“Obviously it was tough. Not only because it was windy again like the first two days, but the course was firmer, the greens were firmer, it was colder. So it wasn’t easy to move as well as the first couple of days.
“I started really well. … On 10, I got a huge gust off the tee. I thought I hit a perfect tee shot and caught a huge gust and moved 20 yards left and went in the trees unplayable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make par.”
Will Zalatoris tees off on no. 1 during the third round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Andrew Davis Tucker-USA TODAY Sports
“It’s a heavy wind, so you get downwind and the ball’s not going to fly as far. It’s tough because you know you’re standing there and you’re 20 mph downwind, and you’ve got to hit the same club as no wind. It’s playing hard. There’s no faking it around here.”
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