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Tournaments

2019 Masters Live Coverage: Highlights from Saturday’s third round at Augusta National

By GOLF Editors
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April 13, 2019
Tiger Woods tees off for the third round of the 2019 Masters at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Getty Images

Our 2019 Masters Live Coverage continues on Saturday at Augusta National, for what is shaping up to be a historic third round of the Masters. So many top players, like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, are in the hunt, it’s anyone’s guess who will be the leader by the end of the day.

But Tiger and Phil aren’t the only players in the running. There is a five-way tie on top of the leaderboard. Among those leaders is Brooks Koepka, who has won two of the last three major championships. He’s joined by Adam Scott, Jason Day, Francesco Molinari, and Louis Oosthuizen.

You can find live score updates and highlights of the best shots and moments below with our Masters Live Coverage of the third round.

Masters Live Coverage: Saturday’s Third Round (ET)

FULL MASTERS LEADERBOARD | ROUND 3 PREVIEW
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6:51: And so there you have it. Molinari with an up and in, and he’s your leader after 54. Lots of big names in the hunt. Including a guy named Eldrick, playing in the same group. Enjoy the final round, everyone.

6:49: Koepka, asked just now what he plans to do to get ready for the unusually early start tomorrow, reveals that he plans to wake up early. Fascinating insight. But it’s that mind of unblinking approach that has served him well in his three major wins.

6:42: And he plays a sparkling sand shot that runs out to about 3 feet. Wow. Unflappable. It’s looking like he’ll head into Sunday with a two-shot lead.

6:41: Francesco will have a long bunker shot, with a tough up and down to save par.

6:39: So, we’ve got two players left on the course. Jason Day and Francesco Molinari. Day is well left, playing from the pine straw. Molinari is on the far right of the fairway. And Jason’s feet slip at impact and he misses short right. He’ll have a tough flopper from there. Molinari will have to play a little cut to get to the flag. And no. He hits a rare poor shot. A little hooded iron that runs into the front bunker

6:37: Koepka’s birdie try just dies low on 18, so he’ll close with a 69. He’s at 10 under, and within striking range. Let’s see if Adam Scott can make a putt. He’s got about 5 feet for par. And he’s made nothing today. Ouch. And he misses another. That’s got to be a deflating round. He shoots even par but flushed the ball all day.

6:28: Molinari hits a beautiful lag putt and taps in for par. He’s playing stress-free golf. Hard to imagine him giving it away tomorrow. Someone is going to have to statch it from him.

6:26: What else can we tell you? DJ blocked his drive on 18 and winds up with bogey. He finishes at 8 under. Oosthuizen, playing with him, makes birdie to tie Johnson at minus 8. And Brooks Koepka, now playing 18, will have about 10 feet for birdie that would tie him with Tiger and Tony Finau at minus 11. They’ll all likely be gunning for Molinari tomorrow. Francesco is looking at a long birdie on 17 and simply isn’t missing many shots.

6:22: Molinari makes his par on 16. Still just one bogey for the week. He’s got a two-shot lead at minus 13.

6:20: Just a few groups left on the course, including Koepka and Adam Scott. Koepka just missed a birdie bid on 17 that would have gotten him to minus-11.

6:11: Back in our final pairing, Jason Day is making a hash of the 15th. He missed the fairway, laid up and then found the water with his third. He’s on his way to a double as Molinari, who has made just one bogey all week, lines up a birdie putt. Molinari makes, and that puts him to minus 13, two clear of Woods and Finau.

6:08: And a very good bid from Tiger on 18. His putt skirts just past, and he’ll tap in for par. That’s a Saturday 67, for an 11-under tournament total, one off the lead. If things hold, he’ll be playing with Molinari and Finau tomorrow. Molinari, who he played with on Sunday at the British last year.

6:05: Tiger, with an 8-iron approach on 18, tugs it. Good distance but that’s well left. He’ll have a long putt for his birdie on the closing hole.

6:01: Another missed putt for Scott, who is having one of those woulda, coulda, shoulda rounds. Has not made a thing on the greens but he’s still 9-under

6:00: And Koepka drains his eagle to get to minus 10. Adam Scott, playing with Koepka, will have his own look at birdie from about 8 feet that would get him to minus 10 as well.

5:58: Tiger, on 18, rips a drive an immediately picks up his tee. He likey. And for good reason. It’s a high fade well up the right side of the fairway.

5:56: And Brooks Koepka, coming off a bogey on 14, just lasered an approach on 15 to about 8 feet. He’ll have an eagle putt to get to 10 under.

5:54: Tiger is ready for his long uphill putt on 14. And it’s a great lag, just sliding by. He’ll tap in for par. Tomorrow, they’ll be playing in threesomes with the times adjusted for the weather. If things hold, it will be Tiger, Molinari and Tony Finau in the final trio.

5:51: And Molinari makes. That puts him in the outright lead, and he has the gettable par-five 15th coming up.

4:49: Molinari has stiffed yet another iron shot, this time on the 14th. He’ll have about 7 feet for birdie to snag the outright lead. Tiger, meantime, has 153, uphill to the 17th green. It’s on the green but well short of the back right pin. He’ll have a 40-footer or thereabouts for birdie.

5:46: Adam Scott, who is playing better tee to green than anyone, just missed a 10-foot birdie trie on 14. He’ll tap in for par. He’s just two back, despite a cold puter.

5:43: No let up for Woods on the 17th where he pipes it up the left. Perfect.

5:41: And Tiger walks it in! Another birdie. We now have three in the lead. Tony Finau, Tiger and Francesco Molinari.

5:40: Xander, pitching from the drop zone, flies it about 10 feet long. He’ll have that remaining to save par. As Tiger lines up his birdie on 16. A 7-footer that would put him in a tie for the lead.

5:38: On the 15th, Schauffele, playing a 6-iron approach, leaves it a fraction short, which is a no-no. His ball rolls back into the drink. Meantime, we have a tie for the lead, as Molinari just poured in a birdie on 13 to get to minus 11.

5:36: Woods has a nine-iron. Amazingly, someone decides to yell Baba-booey. Very original. Tiger’s shot is also familiar. Perfect distance. About 6 feet left for birdie.

5:33: Adam Scott has birdied two in a row to get to 9-under through 13 holes. Tiger is now on 16 tee, playing to the traditional Saturday pin, middle right of the green

5:31: And just like that, Tiger is to within one of the lead.

5:27: Tiger’s pitch from behind the 15th is a beauty. It draws to a stop less than a foot from a cup. I should be able to get it to minus-10, just one off the lead.

5:25: Tiger, who has a look at 15 after all, plays a 5-under from 240 yards. And it flies the green. He’ll have a very slick pitch back down the hill for his third.

5: 22: Let’s not forget Brooks Koepka, who now has an eagle putt on 13. He played his second shot to the par-five from 187 yards. The game is easier when you do it that way.

5:20: Matt Kuchar, with a birdie on 16, has gone four under over his last four holes. He’s at minus 8.

5:18: Tiger negotiates a long two-putt on 14 for his par, and moves to the par-five 15th, where he plays a stinging drive up the left side. Maybe too far left, as he will be blocked by pines on his next.

5:15: Molinari, playing the 12th, just missed an ace by about 6-inches. He’ll have a tap-in birdie to join Zander at minus-10.

5:11: And Xander just drained a birdie putt on 13 to get to minus-10, sole second place. So many players are in the hunt. It’s going to be a wild Sunday, possibly with wild weather too.

5:09: And Tiger’s approach from the fairway drifts right and down the ridge. Not as good a shot as the ones he hit from the trees the first two days. Pin is very accessible at 14, so that’s a missed opportunity. Up ahead, Tony Finau will par 18 to get in at mins-11 and the lead.

5:07: Oosthuizen, from behind the 12th hole, just hit an overheated shot that runs well past the cup. He misses the comebacker. That was a bad bogey. Drops him back to minus-7.

5:03: Word just in: with thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow, tee times for tomorrow’s final round have been moved up. They’ll be starting play at 7 a.m. in the hopes of beating the weather. Speaking of beating, Tiger just beat his drive up the center of 14. He birdied this hole the first two days from wild left of the fairway. Let’s see how he does from the center of the fairway.

5:02: And he guides it in. To great huzzahs from the patrons, who are also fans and spectators, of course.

5:00: Tiger’s putt will be a quick one, sliding left to right.

4:58: Tiger, with 70-yards, hits a low spinner that checks up around 5 feet past the cup. He’ll have a very nice look at birdie.

4:54: And there is scorching play going on all over, as Kuchar rattles the flag on the 14th and King Louis nearly holes out his approach on the 11th. Oosthuizen will move to 9-under. And Tiger, from well back in the second cut on 13th, lays up. He’ll have no more than a three-quarter wedge to the flag from there.

4:52: Tiger’s ball is safe, skirting the trees on the left and landing the second cut.

4:47: Xander Schauffele, in second place at minus-9, hit the flag on the 11th and had a 5-foot slider for birdie. But his putt glides by on the low side. Meantime, just ahead, on the 13th tee, Tiger, with driver, backs off to wait for some cheers to die down, and he hits a dangerous looking drive along the left. Hard to see if he found the Rae’s Creek.

4:45: And it just runs out of pace, two inches shy. Tap in par for Tiger, who’ll go to the very gettable 13th at 8-under

4:44: I stand corrected on Tiger’s putt. 18-feet is more like it. He’s surveying it now.

4:42: The final pairing of the day, Molinari and Day, are headed to the 10th tee. Molinari at minus-9, two behind Finau, who has found the green on 16 but well below the cup.

4:40: Conditions are primo for scoring today. Finau now has it to minus 8 for his round. Webb Simpson is already in with a 64.

4:39: Tiger on the 12th, where he stiffed it yesterday but missed his birdie, just took dead aim. Directly over the flag. On the back of the green. He’ll be putting back for birdie. Maybe 15 feet.

4:38: Something strange just happened. Francesco Molinari Molinari just missed a shot. An approach on 9 from the center of the fairway that he leaves short. Front of the green. A long uphill putt awaits. And he better keep it moving, as Tony Finau just birdied the 15th to get to 11 under. He leads by two.

4:35: Anyone at even par is moving backward today. Tiger now, with his left to right downhiller, lags it nicely and will tap in for par at 11. He’ll be very happy with that after a woefully blocked drive.

4:32: Barely room on the leaderboard with all the bold-lettered names. Tony Finau and Webb Simpson among those going bonkers today. And Tiger will now have about 15 feet on 11 to 9-under, after a good break on his drive. Buckle up. We’re headed toward the back nine on moving day.

4:30: Tiger Woods goes wayyyy right on 11, but has a pretty gap in the trees and finds the green. He’ll have a nice birdie opportunity from there.

4:25: The Golden Child gets in the clubhouse at four under for his event. 71 for Jordan Spieth today. Rahm, Kuchar, DeChambeau, Fleetwood all also at four under. Can any of these dudes win the green jacket? Feels like they probably can’t because there are so many names above them.

4:20: Everyone’s favorite 5-time Tour winner, Rickie Fowler makes birdie on 15 to reach eight under. That Sunday orange will be relevant this week. Brooks Koepka bounces back with birdie on the par-5 eighth to tie Fowler.

4:15: Francesco Molinari has joined Tiger Woods at eight under after birdieing the 6th hole. Woods, meanwhile, finds the middle of the 10th green and will have 25 feet for a birdie. He was making these kind of putts Friday.

4:10: Tony Finau makes birdie on 13 to reach 10 under. The guy is lights out today. No bogeys. He’s seven under and, yes, the course record is in danger. Tiger Woods is off and in the fairway on no. 10 with a 3-wood. A LOT can happen over the next three hours.

4:05: Time for another leaderboard reset! Tiger makes his par on 9.

4:00: Schauffele makes birdie and reaches nine under. Rickie Fowler makes eagle on 13 by chipping in to reach seven under. Too many names, too little time! Webb Simpson two-putted from 40 feet for the clubhouse lead at nine under. We’ll see if Finau can do any better on his next six holes. 64 for Simpson.

3:55: Webb Simpson will have a long birdie putt on 18 to tie the course record and take the lead on his own. Tony Finau makes a par on 12 from off the green. Xander Schauffele is about to be your leader soon, though. Has two putts for birdie on the 8th hole.

3:50: And he….misses. Tiger Woods with a tap-in birdie, his third in a row on the front nine. Eight under for the event and just one back. Koepka bounces back with a birdie on 6. This entire day is going to be a marathon of scores.

3:45: TIGER WOODS ON EIGHT. We’ve seen him do this before. Woods hits a perfect wood up the hill, flying onto the green and has 11 feet for eagle. That would push him into a tie for the lead.

3:40: Finau, Simpson, Schauffele all at nine under. Brooks Koepka has bogeyed the 5th. Scott does, too. So no one is at eight under.

3:35: There’s a rumor going ’round the press room.

3:30: Absolute DART from Tiger into the 7th hole. From the middle of the fairway, he’s at kick-in range and will reach seven under. Webb Simpson makes his birdie on 16 and is tied for the lead at nine under with Finau. A LOT of things are happening. Xander Schauffele birdies the 6th to join them at nine under.

3:25: Simpson has a good look at birdie on 16. Course record could be in danger again! Meanwhile, remember our final pairing? Jason Day and Francesco Molinari have each made three pars to start their day.

3:20: Webb Simpson misses his birdie try on the 15th. Still seven under on his day, eight under total. The poster boy of easy conditions out here. Tiger makes a birdie on his 6th hole to reach six under. A bounce-back for TW.

3:15: Brooks Koepka reaches eight under with back-to-back birdies on 2 and 3. Can Brooksie win his fourth career major? It would be a legendary run of major championship golf.

3:10: Tony Finau makes par on 9 for a first nine 30. JUST barely missed a record 29 there. Tiger misses his par saver and has now bogeyed the 5th hole three times this week. Yikes!

3:05: Tiger was force to lay up out of the fifth hole bunkers. He’s made bogey there every time this week. With the rest of the field going lower and lower, feels important for him to make a birdie soon. TW has 20 feet left for par.

3:00: Alright we just need to reset the leaderboard discussion. It’s been a wicked start.

2:55: Are you not entertained?!? Tony Finau eagles the 8th hole to reach six under for the day and is alone on top at nine under. Webb Simpson is six under through 13. Augusta National is under attack! Meanwhile, Tiger misses his birdie chance at four.

2:50: Adam Scott has birdied his first hole of the day and is now eight under, alone atop the leaderboard. Scott has hit 80% of his greens in regulation, which is an incredible performance at this golf course. Tiger sticks his approach on 4 to 15 feet. He’ll have that for his first birdie of the day.

2:45: Tiger’s spinny pitch rolls out beyond the hole. From 18 feet, his putt comes up short and right of the hole. No birdies for Woods thru three. No bogeys, though. This course has many opportunities.

2:40: Woods finds the fairway off the 3rd tee. Will have an up-and-down try at birdie. Definitely a disappointing event for Rory McIlroy. He did make eagle here at 15 today.

2:35: Tony Finau has made four birdies in six holes. Phil Mickelson has made two birdies in four holes. There are going to be A LOT of fireworks today. None yet for Tiger Woods, who two-putted for birdie on no. 2. Patrick Cantlay got up and down from 100+ yards on 18 for a par and 64. He’s six under for the event, one off the lead.

2:25: Tiger Woods made an easy par on the first hole. Then drove it into the fairway bunker on the second and had to lay up out of it. Cantlay did the same thing on 18, so he’s not shooting the course record.

2:14: If you pay attention to ONE thing in this blog, let this be it: THIS. COURSE. IS. GETTABLE. Patrick Cantlay will tie the course record if he birdies 18. Hideki Matsuyama has gone low. There are many, many birdies out there. If the wind picks up for the later groups, this thing may never end.

2:05: Tiger Woods is off and running! Fairway at the first. Tiger took 3-wood off the tee today. Course didn’t get much precipitation overnight and this morning, so it should be in great shape. The rain, as you’ve probably heard, begins tomorrow.

12:40: Good Morning and welcome to our Masters Live Coverage of the third round at Augusta National. Our coverage kicks off at 2 p.m ET.