Cameron Smith has share of second place as Dustin Johnson takes lead into final round

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Even with out spectators in November, the Masters promised to ship extra drama with 10 gamers separated by a single shot going right into a weekend crammed with potentialities.

After which Dustin Johnson turned it right into a one-man present.

The No. 1 participant on the earth regarded each bit the half Saturday, racing away from a five-way share of the lead with an explosive begin — four beneath via 4 holes — and by no means letting his foot off the gasoline till he had a 7-under 65 and matched the 54-hole Masters document.

Extra importantly, Johnson had a four-shot lead.

Sunday would be the third time Johnson takes a lead into the ultimate spherical of a serious, together with two different majors the place he was tied for the lead. His solely main was the 2016 U.S. Open when he got here from behind. Most not too long ago, he had a one-shot lead at Harding Park within the PGA Championship this summer time, closed with a 68 and misplaced to a 64 by Collin Morikawa.

This effort was grasp class. Johnson used putter from above a slope to the fitting of the 18th inexperienced to five toes and holed that for a par to cap off one other bogey-free spherical and attain 16-under 200. That ties the document set by Jordan Spieth in 2015, when he went on to a four-shot victory over Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.

Cameron Smith makes a late surge

Not all of the gamers chasing Johnson are as acquainted. Two of them are Masters rookies.

Sungjae Im, the supreme ball-striker from South Korea who gained his first PGA Tour title two weeks earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf within the spring, birdied the final gap for 68. Abraham Ancer of Mexico saved par on the 18th for a 69. They had been at 12-under 204, together with Cameron Smith of Australia.

Smith opened with 12 pars earlier than working off three straight birdies and scrambling his approach house to a 69.

“It was a really up and down spherical, slightly bit scrappy,” Smith mentioned.

“However hung there and on the finish, it was good.”

Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm had their possibilities solely to make premature errors. Rahm almost topped is second shot on the par-5 eighth and hit his subsequent one off a tree and into the bushes on his solution to a double bogey. Thomas sailed his second shot over the 15th inexperienced and into the water, making bogey on a par 5 the place he hoped to make up floor.

Each bogeyed the 18th gap. Thomas shot 71, Rahm had a 72.

Requested to explain his day, Rahm did not mince phrases.

“Significantly? How would I describe? Fairly terrible,” he mentioned.

Beginning occasions for the ultimate spherical have been moved as much as end by Three p.m. so CBS can honor its NFL contract, and will probably be threesomes off each tees. And identical to all week, and all 12 months, there might be no roars so as to add to the strain.

Dustin Johnson makes Masters historical past

Defending champion Tiger Woods will stick round Sunday to current the inexperienced jacket, and he’ll have to depart his at Augusta Nationwide till he returns.

Woods was four beneath via 10 holes to start out the Masters, and he picked up just one extra shot over the subsequent 44 holes. He completed off a 71 within the second spherical, had a 72 within the third spherical and was 11 pictures behind.

It seemingly did not assist the 44-year-old Woods to go 26 holes on comfortable turf of a hilly course,

“It is simply a part of the deal,” he mentioned. “When you have lengthy days like this, I will get slightly bit sore, which I undoubtedly am.”

U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was extra dizzy than sore. He felt so odd on Thursday night time that he had one other COVID-19 take a look at to make sure — it got here again destructive — and the betting favourite of this Masters was in the course of the pack.

The scoring has been low all week. The 36-hole reduce Saturday morning was at even-par 144, the bottom in Masters historical past, one other replace to the membership’s document guide.

Nonetheless in entrance of Johnson is an opportunity to set the 72-hole document. All he cares about is a inexperienced jacket, and given his previous expertise, he is aware of higher than to look forward.

“I really feel like I am swing properly and I’ve received plenty of confidence in what I am doing. Every part goes properly,” he mentioned. “There’s plenty of actually good gamers proper round me. I will have play aggressive after I can and play good after I cannot.”

He was aggressive initially. First, he drilled a 5-iron he almost holed for an albatross on the par-5 second, leaving him a tap-in eagle. He adopted that with a lofted pitch to five toes for birdie on No. Three, and a 40-foot birdie putt up the slope on the par-Three fourth gap because the lead started to develop.

Thomas was inside two pictures till he made errors and Johnson stored going. Johnson had two-putt birdies on the par 5s on the again 9, and he hasn’t made a bogey for the reason that sixth gap of his second spherical.