Category Archives: Golf News


The Latest: Umbrellas out as Woods begins his 3rd round

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on Saturday’s third round at the Masters (all times local):

6:55 p.m.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy is already trying to play mind games with Patrick Reed heading into the final round of the Masters.

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McIlroy and Reed will be in the final pairing on Sunday. It could shape up to be the kind of showdown typically seen in the Ryder Cup.

Reed made two eagles on the back nine and shot a 5-under 67 in the third round at Augusta National, just a few miles down the road from where he went to college. Reed is at 14-under 202 heading into the final round. No one has ever shot all four rounds at the Masters in the 60s.

Reed also has a shot at the Masters record of 18 under, set by Tigers Woods in 1997 and tied by Jordan Spieth in 2015.

McIlroy shot a 7-under 65 Saturday and will start the final round three strokes behind the leader.

”All the pressure’s on him” Sunday, McIlroy said. ”I’m hoping to come in and spoil the party.”

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Patrick Reed halfway home to 1st major at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Patrick Reed is halfway home to his first major championship.

He got there by mostly staying out of trouble at daunting Augusta National and mastering the four par 5s.

Reed shot a 6-under 66 in the second round Friday and moved to 9-under 135 for the tournament. He takes a two-shot lead over Marc Leishman into Saturday’s third round, which could be affected by rain.

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Forecasts call for steady showers all day, the kind of weather that should soften up what had become a hard and fast test.

The way Reed has played, it’s doubtful even Mother Nature can slow him down.

”I believe if I play the golf I know how to play, I can win majors,” said Reed, a 27-year-old Texan who ended his college career 3 miles down the road at Augusta State. ”I need to stick to my game plan.”

Reed and Leishman will be the final pairing Saturday, scheduled to tee off at 2:30 p.m.

Reed grabbed the lead thanks mostly to being the only player in the field to birdie a..

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Patrick Reed halfway home to 1st major at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The only thunder was on the ground, not in the sky, a series of ear-splitting roars for Patrick Reed and his two eagles, Rory McIlroy and his final birdie, and everyone else who tried desperately to keep up with them in the Masters.

”The roars … it’s hard not to know what’s going on,” McIlroy said.

By the end of a wet and wild Saturday at Augusta National, Reed helped bring this Masters into focus.

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Reed seized control with a pair of eagles on the back nine, two big pars and a 5-under 67 that gave him a three-shot lead over McIlroy as he goes for his first major in the city where he led undermanned Augusta State to two NCAA titles.

His primary challenger is McIlroy, in the final group at the Masters for the first time in seven years, this time with a shot at the career Grand Slam.

This time it’s for a green jacket, not a gold Ryder Cup trophy.

This is for themselves, not for team.

Reed and McIlroy are indelibly linked to that Ryder C..

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Past 2 Masters champions Garcia, Willett miss cut

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The last two Masters champions won’t be playing on the weekend.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia and 2016 winner Danny Willett missed the 36-hole cut Friday at Augusta National.

Willett finished the second round with consecutive bogeys, missing out by two strokes. He ended up at 7-over 151.

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”It’s a bummer,” said Willett, who has dropped to 296th in the world rankings since his Masters victory. ”You talk about luck. Hit a pretty good one on the 18th, gets a bad bounce, goes in the bunker, you get a terrible lie. It’s one of them things that I think if things aren’t going your way, they’re not quite going your way.”

Garcia’s reign was essentially over when he wrote a double-digit number on his scorecard in the opening round Thursday. The Spaniard and new father hit five consecutive balls into the water at the par-5 15th – four of them from less than 100 yards out and with a sand wedge in his hands.

Garcia ended up with an octuplet-bogey..

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Masters Key Hole

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) A glance at the key hole Friday at the Masters:

HOLE: 1

YARDAGE: 445

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PAR: 4

STROKE AVERAGE: 4.32

RANK: 8

KEY FACTS: Patrick Reed made one of only 10 birdies on the opening hole on his way to a 6-under 66 that gave him the midway lead. First-round leader Jordan Spieth made double bogey on the opener and shot a 74.

For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Golf and https://apnews.com/tag/TheMasters

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Masters Glance

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) A look at Friday’s second round of the Masters:

LEADING: Patrick Reed, after a 6-under 66 put him at 135 for the tournament.

JUST BEHIND: Marc Leishman at 137 after a second round 67. Henrik Stenson is third a shot back.

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WHERE’S TIGER? Tiger Woods was 13 shots behind at 148, while Phil Mickelson was another shot behind after a second round 79.

THE STARS: Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are tied for fourth, five shots back. Another shot behind is Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas.

NOTABLE: Reed and Leishman are both trying for their first major championship win.

QUOTEABLE: ”Even though I’m a lot behind, if I play a special weekend, shoot two rounds in the mid-60s, you never know.” – Tiger Woods on his chances of winning a fifth green jacket.

WEATHER IN PLAY: Saturday’s forecast called for a 100 percent chance of rain in Augusta.

TV: 3-7 p.m. CBS

For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Golf and https://apnews.com/tag/..

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Column: Tiger Woods no longer dominant, and that’s OK

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) When Tiger Woods knocked one into the water at Amen Corner for the second day in a row, he headed off toward the Nelson Bridge while his two playing partners took a more familiar route to the 12th green over the Hogan Bridge.

In a sense, those divergent paths were the perfect analogy for where Woods is at this stage of his career.

He might add another major title to his amazing record.

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Maybe even two.

But he’s not catching Jack Nicklaus, and his days of dominating on the PGA Tour are done.

He’s going one way. The kids are going another.

Golf, like all sports, belongs to the youth.

With an exception or two, they’ll be the ones battling for the green jacket at Augusta National this weekend. Patrick Reed. Rory McIlroy. Jordan Spieth. Justin Thomas. Rickie Fowler. All members of the 20-something club.

As Stephen Colbert once joked in his previous job as a fake talk show host, ”Folks, I don’t trust children. They’re here to replace us.”..

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