JUSTIN ROSE finished like an express train to get his Masters challenge right back on the fast track last night – and join Ryder Cup pal Sergio Garcia in the final group.
Rose seemed to be chugging along in US Open mode for much of the third round, reproducing the grinding golf that won him that tournament four years ago.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
But a look at the leaderboard showed some of the best players in the game – notably former world No 1s Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott – were making a dramatic move.
Rose responded brilliantly.
He conjured up five birdies in the final seven holes to charge past that duo and complete a sizzling 67. And at six under par, with all the momentum going his way, he now looks the man to beat.
Rose punched the air as his final birdie putt dived into the hole on 18, and his look of satisfaction reflected the fact he has a great chance of going one better than two years ago, when he was joint runner-up behind runaway winner Spieth.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
The Hampshire ace has always been bullish about his chances of winning the Masters one day.
It has become almost an obsession, something that applied equally to his determination to make his mark when golf returned to the Olympics last year.
That did not work out too badly. The gold medal hanging up in the trophy cabinet at Rose’s tax-haven home in the Bahamas would look pretty good draped down a green jacket.
Rose, 36, felt he learned a lot when he finished joint fifth here ten years ago, and his 14 under par total two years ago would have been a winning score in almost any other year in Masters history.
You can bet your life the winning total will be a lot lower this time – although in this mood, you would not completely rule out the chances of Rose matching it!
Clik here to view.
Garcia will join Justin Rose in the final group, praying that the ‘Spirit of Seve’ will help him end 18 years of heartbreak in the Majors.
Today would have been Seve Ballesteros’ 60th birthday – and after the Spanish legend was credited for inspiring the Miracle of Medinah in 2012, Garcia will hope his hero is looking down on him.
He will reason that Rose already has one Major victory to his credit – so give someone else a chance!
Garcia is still waiting for his first, although that would not have seemed possible when – as a raw 19 year old – he pushed Tiger Woods to the limit at the 1999 USPGA Championship.
The Spaniard is now playing his 74th Major, and has been second on three more occasions. Maybe fate will decide his time has finally come.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Garcia said: “We all felt the spirit of Seve was looking down on us at Medinah, and I cannot think of a more fitting time to win my first Major than on his 60th birthday.”
Rose and Garcia both played their parts in that unforgettable Ryder Cup fightback at Medinah, and they are locked together on six under par at the top of the leaderboard.
But they have some of the biggest names in the game breathing down their necks after a day of sensational scoring at Augusta.
Rickie Fowler, another man seeking to break his Major duck, is just a shot behind, with 2016 champion and course specialist Jordan Spieth heading a trio of players on four under, which includes Americans Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman.
Spieth, who has finished second, first, and second in his three previous visits to Augusta, loves the course.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
His meltdown at the 12th hole last year is still fresh in most people’s memories – but there were no signs of any demons as he made a brilliant up and down at the same hole to save par yesterday.
His par save from behind the green at the tenth – one of Augusta’s most notorious no-go areas – was even better.
And keeping bogeys off your card in those situations is just as important as boarding the birdie train.
No-one was better at keeping the big numbers off their cards than 2013 champion Adam Scott.
Clik here to view.
Most read in sport
His 69 was a rare bogey-free round on a day when the dried out greens compensated for the absence of strong winds in terms of keeping the players honest.
Scott threw in birdies at three of the par fives to move to three under, but you sense he will have to make start making gains elsewhere to trouble Rose, Garcia and the rest today.