AUGUSTA, Ga. — It's stocking-cap Saturday.
Just saw two remarkable things at The Masters.
- Fargo's Tom Hoge just dunked a bunker shot on No. 7 for a surprise birdie.
- A guy just walked through the gates with his hoodie up, a hat on top of that, wearing mittens and carrying two blankets.
The temperatures at Augusta National are in the low 50s. With wind and gray skies, it feels chilly, for Georgia.
Hoge just had a wild front nine. A quick recap:
No. 1: Two good shots, conventional two-putt par.
No. 2: Same as Friday: Drive in the fairway, approach to the right of the green, delicate chip over the bunker, birdie.
No. 3: Solid drive, an aggressive play, down the right side catches the rough. Second shot, a wedge, flies the green. Tough chip, two-putt bogey.
No. 4: Tee shot at the tough par-3 goes way right. Excellent pitch to two feet. Par.
No. 5: Drive down the middle, approach to the front slope of a big, undulating green, tentative lag put, missed par putt, bogey.
No. 6: Excellent tee shot on the downhill par-3 to an accessible pin, makes the slightly-downhill putt for birdie.
No. 7: Second straight day drives it into the trees on the right. This time misses branches with his approach, into the front bunker. Bunker shot flies into the hole for birdie.
No. 8: Second straight day drives into the bunker on the right, plays out. Has a wedge from about 110 yards, flies the green, tentative chip, two-putt bogey.
No. 9: Strong drive down the middle, approach past the front hole location, beautiful lag putt for tap-in par.
Three bogeys, three pars on the front nine for an eventful 36.
Hoge just parred No. 10. Solid round going. Can he take advantage of the par-5s on the back?
Hoge's group was walking down the ninth fairway as Tiger Woods was approaching the first green. A massive crowd was following Woods.
The leaders will tee off at 1:50 p.m.
This morning
Over the last 25 years, the average position of the eventual winner entering the final 36 holes was 3.6. The winner will probably come from one of the last few groups.
Having proved he can win, and that he can play the Masters even under difficult, windy, conditions, what Scottie Scheffler has to prove this weekend is that he has the nerve to win a major. He enters Saturday with a 5-shot lead and seems to be able to play with a clear mind and enthusiasm.
What you notice about Scheffler is that he can joke with his caddy on course, and that he isn't constantly meddling with his mechanics. He swings freely and can work the ball left and right and up and down. I don't see a guy who will falter, but you never know.
It's been fun walking with Hoge and his entourage. He's been composed at all times, and seems thrilled to be here. Making the cut is a big deal.
Right now, Hoge is the 22nd-ranked American in the world golf rankings. If he plays well this weekend and continues to play well the next year or so, he could have a chance to compete for a Ryder Cup spot, later this year in Italy.
The leaderboard entering Saturday is fascinating. Scheffler is trying to win his first major. Charl Schwartzel, Hideki Matsuyama and Dustin Johnson are former Masters winners. Sungjae Im is a wonderful young player. Shane Lowry has won the British. Harold Varner III is from North Carolina and is a fan favorite. Corey Conners is known as one of the Tour's best ball-strikers.
And then there is, of course, Tiger Woods, who is tied for 19th at 1-over.
He's not going to win, but he looked better, physically, on Friday than he did earlier in the week, and he's enjoying the walk despite the pain in his damaged right leg.
Could he make it to the top-10 leaderboard?
The forecast is for clear skies and a high of 58 degrees on Saturday, then a near-perfect sunny and 75 on Sunday.
