Saturday is Moving Day on the professional tours and the Majors are no different.
For some, the moving is onward and upward toward to the top of the leaderboard, for others, the moving is toward the foundation of the leaderboard to support the rest of the field.
Many times, there are surprising names that do not take advantage of the situation for a variety of reasons. Maybe course conditions sabotage a round, hole locations are not conducive to scoring, atmospheric conditions keep low scoring at bay.
Then you have a day like Saturday, Round 3 of the Masters at Augusta National. A late night storm rolled out the red carpet for the field in the season's first major, softening the course and presenting scoring opportunities. And while some enjoyed the walk others stumbled while catching the soft spikes on the shag.
At the 54-hole mark, your leaders at the 73rd Masters are Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry -- both tied at 11-under par. Perry fired a 2-under par 70 in round three that featured four birdies and two bogeys. Cabrera's 3-under par 69 included five birdies and two bogeys.
Both played solid rounds on a course that got more difficult as the round progressed. The key for both was that neither backed up; they appeared to get the most out of the round.
Chad Campbell began play tied for the lead with Perry. Campbell fired an even-par 72 on the strength of three birdies tempered by a double on No. 16, a birdie on 17 and a bogey on 18. It wasn't the finish that the low-draw-hooking-Texan was looking for, but the key is, he's in the mix and will begin the final round in the penultimate group.
Four on the floor: Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Sean O'Hair, Ian Poulter and Steve Flesch all posted 4-under par 68s on Saturday. Furyk's 68 left him 8-under all-alone in fourth place. Stricker used his bogey-free round to move into solo fifth at minus-7. Sean O'Hair rebounded from his second round 76 to jump into a tie for 10th at 4-under along with Ian Poulter, whose 68 is his first round in the 60s for the 2009 Masters. Flesch's Saturday stroll could have been even better but his six birdies were offset by bogeys at No. 5 and No. 11.
Goin' South, eh: 2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir posted the not best round of the day, a seven-over 79 that included a birdie at the 18th. Unfortunately, that was the highlight as the Canadian Lefty also tallied one double and six bogeys.
Start Me Up: It has been said that the Masters really begins Sunday on the back nine. That start includes the three toughest holes, statistically, so far in this Masters.
Camilla, the 495-yard par-4 10th hole is ranked 3rd most difficult in the event with a stroke average of 4.26 and only 20 birdies to offset 58 bogeys, 10 doubles and one "other".
White Dogwood, the 505-yard par-4 11th hole is ranked as the first most difficult hole so far in the 2009 Masters. The first hole of Amen Corner is playing to a stroke average of 4.37 and while it has yielded one eagle, it has only given up 11 birdies against 75 bogeys and 14 doubles.
Golden Bell, the 155-yard par-3 12th is the shortest par three on the course yet it is the second most difficult hole in tournament play so far. With seemingly constant swirling winds above and Rae's Creek in front, the 12th is playing to a stroke average of 3.28 giving up 31 birdies, 53 bogeys, 18 doubles and three "others".
Whomever has the lead heading into the final nine Sunday at Augusta National will most certainly have to negotiate this most difficult part of real estate better than most to claim the Green Jacket
Looking at the top of the leaderboard, if the 73rd Masters comes down to the final nine, Angel Cabrera has a stroke average of 34.33 over holes 10-18 in rounds one through three. Kenny Perry averages a flat 34 over the same stretch while Chad Campbell averages 36.33 over the final nine.
How Far? How far is too far back for someone to win the Masters? Well, for this year, as in years past, it would take some backing up by the players at the top of the leaderboard.
With Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry tied at -11 atop the leaderboard, realistically, look at Saturday's best round of 4-under 68 as a barometer of who could come from where. Realistically it would take a 64 or 65, with the leaders backing up two to three strokes for someone else in the field to win this Masters. So players as far back as minus-4 have a chance but everything would have to go right for that to happen. Now with that said, here are the nine players who enter Sunday's final round tied for 10th at 4-under and who coincidentally have a Kevin Bacon six-degrees or less association with Tiger. They are:
Sean O'Hair: Was paired with Tiger for the final round of the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and stumbled a bit down the stretch allowing Eldrick to claim his sixth API title and 66th overall on the PGA Tour.
Ian Poulter: At one time openly talked about being number two in the world to Tiger. Still is not.
Lee Westwood: Had a birdie putt on No. 18 during the final round of the US Open at Torrey Pines last June that would have gotten him into the Woods /Rocco Mediate 18 playoff on Monday.
Nick Watney: Won the 2009 Buick Invitational without Tiger in the field due to his knee injury, surgery and rehab.
Stephen Ames. Was dusted by Woods at a WGC match play event when the Striped One perceived that he was being dissed by the pro from Trinidad & Tobago.
Hunter Mahan: Was on the winning '08 Ryder Cup team at Valhalla that did not feature an injured Tiger Woods.
Phil Mickelson: Would be considered one of the best players on the planet, second to none, had Woods not come along. Instead seems destined to answer Tiger questions, both real and imagined, until the end of his career and beyond.
Tiger Woods: Has never come from behind to win any of his 14 majors. Has not rewritten a chapter of his comeback story yet this week. Could a major comeback be in the offing.
Round and round. The pairings for round four are in and go something like this for the more notable and intriguing (all times Central).
10:45 -- Rory McIlroy/Luke Donald. Northern Ireland mop top meets English Proper.
10:55 -- Sergio Garcia/Stuart Appleby. Garcia authored a third round +3 75 that featured indifferent nines of 37-38. Appleby has made 13 birdies but has also tallied 13 bogeys so far. Both are too far back to make a run but both have the arsenal to provide some early fireworks for the patrons.
11:15 Padraig Harrington/Sandy Lyle. The Paddy Slam is off the menu but getting a little quality time with a fellow Euro who already owns a Green Jacket can't hurt Harrington's future.
12:15 Anthony Kim/Hunter Mahan. The Future is Now pairing. Both young, aggressive playing styles from two former and future Ryder Cuppers. Worth getting there early to see.
12:35 Tiger Woods/Phil Mickelson. THE PAIRING that everyone wants to taste, see and smell. Both will play down the rivalry factor but if there isn't a Green Jacket on the line by either of these two by the second nine, there will always be the pride factor and that alone is worth the price of admission to witness.
1:15 Steve Stricker/Rory Sabbatini. Two distinctly different styles which shows one of the beauties of this game is that there are different ways to get the J-O-B done.
1:25 Chad Campbell/Jim Furyk. It would be no surprise if the winner of the 2009 Masters came from this group. It would be somewhat of a surprise if it wasn't Furyk.
1:35 Angel Cabrera/Kenny Perry. Cabrera has a major, Perry has a Ryder Cup win. Perry is focused on the majors in '09, Cabrera is looking to right a listing season. If there are no hiccups ahead, the winner will more than likely come out of the 2:15, 2:25 or 2:35 group.
And so it comes down to this, the final round of the 2009 Masters. In all the years that this event has been contested, there have been big names, familiar names and no-names (no disrespect intended) who have claimed a Green Jacket. Regardless of their current status, the man who claims this Green Jacket will certainly earn it and with it elevate their status to a higher level.
The Masters may not begin until the back nine at Augusta National but the first nine will determine who gets to make that run.
Coverage begins at 1 p.m. (Central) on CBS and whatever you do, don't miss the "Live From..." coverage on The Golf Channel immediately following the tournament.
It's Masters Sunday. Happy Easter.
