Sunday at the Masters. It’s a bittersweet feeling this year — nine months’ worth of anticipation finally culminating in an opportunity to see the next Masters champion don his green jacket by day’s end. How much drama are we in for?
Here are five things you need to know for Sunday’s final round at Augusta.
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1. We’re finally back on track
After two days of overlapping play, where the first round was completed on Friday and the second round was completed on Saturday thanks to a three-hour weather delay on Thursday morning, Sunday will be a showcase for the final round only, with players getting started bright and early to avoid a conflict with Sunday night football. So set your alarms — no Sunday sleep-in for West Coast viewers!
2. DJ has a chance to make some history
Aside from the obvious — a second major on the resume! — a Dustin Johnson victory on Sunday would mark the first time a player ranked World No. 1 has won the Masters since 2002, when Tiger Woods did it. Nice company to have!
3. Does anyone have a chance to beat DJ?
History says it’s possible. Back in 1956, Jack Burke Jr. came from eight shots back to beat Ken Venturi, an amateur at the time. More recently, Nick Faldo erased a six-shot deficit to Greg Norman to claim the green jacket in 1996, and Charl Schwartzel birdied his final four holes to beat Rory McIlroy in 2011.
This year, there are three players who trail Johnson by four shots, and two others within six shots. Of those players, only one — Justin Thomas, six shots back — has won a major.
Rory McIlroy’s roller-coaster Masters another case of what might have been
4. What are Rory’s chances?
It’s hard not to think “what if” when it comes to Rory McIlroy’s performance at Augusta this year. An opening round of 75 was a less-than-ideal way to start, but he’s bounced back admirably, firing second and third rounds of 66 and 67, respectively, to reach eigh under overall — eight shots behind DJ’s lead.
Is there any way McIlroy could close the gap? As referenced above, the largest Masters comeback in history was eight shots, but that required the leader, Venturi, to shoot an 80 to Burke Jr.’s 71.
The lowest round ever fired at the Masters is 63 (nine under), so assuming Rory matches that number on Sunday and Dustin is one under or worse, it could happen! Is it likely? In a word: no.
5. Tiger watch
Given Tiger Woods’ form in the weeks leading up to this Masters (a missed cut at the U.S. Open, and a T72 at one of his favorite courses, Sherwood Country Club), watching him simply making the cut should be a win. But as defending champ, our hopes for Tiger were perhaps unrealistically high, and after his opening round of four under, a run at a sixth green jacket seemed like a tantalizing possibility.
Alas, Woods has been stuck in neutral for the last two rounds. He’s currently five under overall, T20, and 11 shots behind DJ’s lead. Still, if he can keep it going for one more round, he can notch his best finish since January’s Farmers Insurance Open, when he finished T9.
No matter what happens, we’re in for one of the best days of the year. So get comfy. It’s Masters Sunday! Enjoy the view.