Traditionally, Saturday at any golf tournament is considered moving day. This year, I would call it ‘hold on for dear life day’! With two 68s making the lowest scores of the day, the lone 69 by Colin Morikawa had the greatest impact on the leaderboard. The leaders prior to the start of round three hoped to put some distance between them and the field, but alas, they were holding on for dear life for most of the round. It was a typical day at the Masters where Augusta National was the deciding factor on how well the field played.

At the beginning of play, I thought that many of the players would have a chance to shoot a low score. However, as the day progressed, it became evident that Augusta National was not going to cooperate. The course was in fantastic shape and the greens were lightning fast. It was amazing to see how many four and five foot putts causes such angst with the players. The course was set up in a very traditional fashion, but hitting some of those pin placements seem impossible.

With less than 25% of the players shooting under par (most of those were 70 and 71), it is not hard to see why many of the players were happy to limit the possible damage by avoiding high scores. I am not sure I have ever seen Augusta National playing as hard as it is this year. And the interesting thing is that there is talk of lengthening the course.

During the traditional Tuesday press conference, Chairman Fred Ridley discussed the topic of the bifurcation of the golf ball. This topic reared its ugly head in 2017 and it seems to have hit a much bigger stage. “I’ve said in the past that I hope we will not play the Masters at 8,000 yards. But that is likely to happen in the not too distant future under current standards. Accordingly, we support the decisions that have been made by the R&A and the USGA as they have addressed the impact of distance at all levels of the game.” Ridley said.”

I certainly hope that this is not the case. The current layout of Augusta National is challenging enough as less than 25% of the field is under par. This year seems to be the perfect challenge to all players as many are just trying to hold on for dear life.

Moving Day now dubbed ‘Hold On For Dear Life Day’ in 2024, was fun to watch. There were several exciting moments like Bryson DeChambeau’s hole out from 77 yards on the 18th hole. After his poor play on 15 and 16th holes, this hole out might be enough to motivate him for the final round.

During today’s round, I think there are three players to watch as they make their move.

The first is Scottie Scheffler. This is a no brainer as he is the number on player in the world and is playing well. It is his tournament to win, but he will have to shoot a 68 or 69 win his second green jacket in three years.

The second player is Colin Morikawa. He played very well yesterday and that might buoy his round for today. He will have to play smart golf with a touch of aggressiveness to top the leaderboard. He demonstrated that he has the game to win and if he gets hot on the greens, anything can happen.

The last person on my radar today is Xander Schauffele. He was my original pick to win the green jacket and he has an outside change. He will have to start early and fast by going three under in the first six holes. If he can put some pressure on the leaders, he has an outside chance to win. He must keep his ball in play off the tee if he wants to top the leaderboard this afternoon.

The last day at the Masters is always exciting. I do not think anyone will run away with the title this year because the course is playing too tough. Generally if a player is within 5 on the last day they have a chance and that is the case this year. The top of the leaderboard a mixed of strong young players and it should be exciting if any can overcome the world’s number one player.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!