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| -sixteen D Johnson (United States); -12 S Im (Kor), A Ancer (Mex); -eleven D Frittelli (SA); -10 J Thomas (United States); -9 S Munoz (COL), P Reed (United States), J Rahm (Spa) |
| Others selected: -8 R McIlroy (NI), T Fleetwood (England), B Koepka (United States); -6 P Casey (English); -5 T Woods (United States), D Willett (England); -4 M Wallace (English); -3 J Rose (English), L Westwood (English); -2 I Poulter (English) |
| Venue of events: Augusta National Date: November 12-15 |
| Coverage: Online radio and text commentary with playing clips. Featured newspapers on BBC Two – full details here |
World number one Dustin Johnson will take a four-time lead in the final round of the Masters after a dominant performance at Augusta on Saturday.
Johnson walked off the field with a ghost-free round that produced his second 65-under this week.
The American, who is chasing a first Green Jacket, has equaled the lowest record in the Masters after 54 holes.
Sungjae Im from South Korea, Abraham Ancer from Mexico and Cameron Smith from Australia are the closest to him at 12 bass.
South African Dylan Frittelli, who was joint leader after the first round, shot 67 under five under par and is 11 under, with world number three Justin Thomas one shot behind.
Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland put together a good round of 67 to move up to eight below par.
Johnson chases records at benign Augusta
Cooler and wetter weather in November was supposed to keep Augusta National playing longer, but a few mild days and Thursday’s thunderstorm provided perfect scoring conditions.
Johnson made the most of the smooth greens once again with an eagle and five birdies in the third round that saw him drift off the course.
The 36-year-old, who won the US Open in 2016, is playing some of the best golf of his career during a season in which he also missed two tournaments while isolating himself after contracting Covid-19.
He started with rounds of 65 and 70 at Augusta and, after a brief nine-way tie for the lead early in the third round, accelerated clear with a tap-in eagle on the second hole.
From there, Johnson was nearly flawless, paring up and down at 18 to become the first player in Masters history to have multiple rounds of 65 or less in the same tournament.
Johnson equaled the low record of 16 points after three rounds set by Jordan Spieth when he won it in 2015 and is looking to become the world’s first No. 1 to win the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2002.
“I’ve been playing really well, I just need to make a few putts to shoot,” said Johnson, who tied for second last year.
“It was a really good day, I’ve been playing well all week. Even after getting off to a good start, I tried to be patient and aggressive when I could.
“There are so many really good players around the leadership, I’m going to have to go out there and play well if I’m going to win. I have to go out and execute.”
Challengers struggle to keep up
South Korean sensation Im is one of Johnson’s closest rivals after canceling his only bogey of the day at 17 with a birdie.
The 22-year-old, the 2019 PGA Tour rookie of the year, says he plays so regularly that he prefers to live from hotel to hotel between tournaments rather than looking for property in the US.
That perseverance has paid off, and I got into contention on his Masters debut with a stellar round of 68 that included a sublime birdie at 11.
Mexico’s Ancer and Australian Smith, who finished fifth in 2018, were between a five-way tie for the lead heading into the third round and both pulled three-under-69 scorecards.
Jon Rahm appeared to be mounting a challenge of his own, but the Spaniard’s hopes threatened to crumble after a rare phantom double in the eighth par five.
The world number two dragged a second shot low into the foliage and fired the next at a bush in a tree trunk. He recovered one of those shots to sit nine underground.
American Thomas was two short for the day when he reached the corner, but endured a colorful turn back when he exchanged three birdies with four bogeys to finish six off the pace.
McIlroy went to the slow start of Augusta
McIlroy produced another impressive round on Saturday that will see the Northern Irishman ruin his slow start at Augusta after following Friday’s 66th with a 67 of five-under.
It takes him to eight fewer overall, but highlighted how costly McIlroy’s first 75 was in his bid to become the sixth player to win a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters.
McIlroy came back from a shot in the second before adding a hat-trick of birdies around the corner and entering from a bunker on the green for another at the iconic 12th Augusta.
He immediately bogeyed on the 13th to drop back to a low seven and pulled off a clever par-save on the 15th after having found the water with his approach.
The 31-year-old birdied par three at 16 to fall back to eight under and eight under the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
“I set a goal of trying to get to double digits below par, I didn’t make it, but I did play a really good round of golf,” McIlroy said.
“I really didn’t have a good race here on a Sunday, so it was about time. I feel good, my game is there, I have shown it in the last two days.
“I’ll probably need something a little lower than today, set the clubhouse goal for the guys to follow.”
McIlroy played alongside Bernhard Langer, 63, who became the oldest man to make the cut at Augusta and won the first of his two Green Jackets four years before the world number five was born.
The German proved he can still produce moments to savor, making a gigantic 63-foot birdie putt at 15 and flinging his visor into the air with delight. He sits on two low.
Woods fades away, just like English Challenge
Tiger Woods defied the odds with a fairytale win at Augusta 19 months ago, but the 15-time Major League Champion won’t be adding a sixth green jacket to his collection this year.
Woods posted a 68 on Thursday but had to come back Saturday morning to put the finishing touches on a minus 71, before coming back to post a par 72 that keeps him down five for the tournament.
The 44-year-old, who previously underwent back and knee surgery, seemed to move cautiously towards the end of his round and admitted that the day felt like a “long routine.”
“I can’t win from where I am, but I can birdies and sweep to finish in the top 10,” he added. “I just need to make birdies, I haven’t done any this week.
“Today has been a long day, but I still had my chances.”
Tommy Fleetwood is top-ranked in the English contingent at eight under par, with Paul Casey two strokes behind and 2016 champion Danny Willett at five under par.
Two-time runner-up Justin Rose’s hopes were dashed when he loaded a 76 of four over 76, including seven bogeys to put him back at three low, along with compatriot Lee Westwood.
