SPORTS
Saturday, April 9, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3B
Spieth hangs on to Masters lead, but just barely
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jordan
Spieth set a Masters record on
Friday by leading the tournament
for the sixth straight round.
He sure didn’t seem to be in a
mood to celebrate.
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shots after a fast start, and then, just
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dear life. Spieth holed a 15-foot par
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Rory McIlroy.
“I’m still in the lead. I couldn’t
ask for much better than leading,”
Spieth said. “I’m a bit disappointed
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jacket to complete the Grand Slam,
played the last six holes in 3 under
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The prospects of Spieth and
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major, much less the Masters, is
tantalizing. Both of them realize
that this is far from the duel. With
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AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Jordan Spieth walks along the 15th fairway during the second round of the Masters golf tournament
Friday, April 8, 2016, in Augusta, Ga.
highest 36-hole lead since that
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Dustin Johnson birdied all
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U.S. Amateur champion Bryson
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the day at 3 under and just one shot
out of the lead. But he hooked his
tee shot into the trees and had to
return to the tee, hooked the next
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“It almost feels like a U.S. Open
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said. “And I’m trying my best to
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three Masters appearances. Coming
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atop the leaderboard for six straight
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rounds in 1961, though he shared in
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Spieth’s mistakes — a four-putt
double bogey on No. 5, a three-putt
bogey on No. 16. Frustration began
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said. “I felt like I played better than
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The gusts topped out at 30 mph
on Friday, and it’s not expected to
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Spieth to become only the fourth
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off the Grand Slam, and this could
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He said anyone breaking par
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from as far back as 25th place.
Spieth’s par on the last hole
not only kept him in the lead, it
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rule. Mickelson shot a career-high
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the cut.
Tom Watson missed the cut
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18th hole anymore.”
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Last cut is deepest: Watson bids adieu
Former champion
plays last round
at the Masters
By EDDIE PELLS
Associated Press
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, holds up his ball
after saving par on the first hole during the second
round of the Masters golf tournament Friday, April 8,
2016, in Augusta, Ga.
McIlroy roars back
into contention
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Ga. —
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fortunes can change in the
Masters.
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behind Friday and headed to
the scariest par 3 at Augusta
National in tree-shaking
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on the 12th green. He did
just that, made his par and
began an important climb
back into contention.
With birdies on the par
5s and a bonus birdie from
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him one shot behind Jordan
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“The most comfortable
thing for me on this golf
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back, things can change
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from you.”
A green jacket is all
that keeps McIlroy from
the career Grand Slam.
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from redemption. The
Masters doesn’t really get
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But it’s clearly on his
mind.
“I sort of feel that
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get something that I should
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Those birdies on the
par 5s — a good chip from
behind the 13th green, a
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And the putt on the 16th to
the toughest pin signaled
that his fortunes indeed
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“I started it ... maybe 6
feet left of the hole and just
got it up there really, really
high,” McIlroy said. “And
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2 or 3 feet of the hole. And
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dropped.”
On Thursday, McIlroy
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last three to fall four shots
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hit a poor pitch that didn’t
reach the green on No. 5
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missed a 5-foot par putt on
the 11th.
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round, and he did.
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happy,” he said.
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birdie on the 16th, he had
to get out of the trees right
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then pitched to 6 feet and
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on this day.
McIlroy said after
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leaders did on the back nine.
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at the electronic leaderboard
in the press center. At the
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tom
Watson thumped his hands
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thanking the thousands of
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deep, craned their necks and
stretched onto their tiptoes
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best play the 18th green at
Augusta one last time.
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the tears that accompanied
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— to become, at 66, the
oldest player to make the
cut in tournament history.
Not a tragedy, Watson
insisted.
“I’m a realist,” he said.
“If I could still play this
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retiring.”
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teeing it up against “the
young guys.”
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his last British Open, at St.
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Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal Constitution via AP
Tom Watson salutes the gallery on the 18th green during the second round of the
Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 8, 2016, at Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.
Watson missed the cut in his final appearance as a competitor at the event.
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that the kids hit the ball too
hard,” Watson said. “This
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difference.”
Yes, Watson said, hitting
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shot on No. 18 takes its toll
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course has left him behind
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to gauge his approach shot
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back to his ball. On that
hole, and so many others,
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from huge distances into
greens he could barely see.
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approaching and asked his
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Nobody asked that back
in the day.
At one point, Watson
made 21 straight cuts here.
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for 15 straight years starting
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He hasn’t made the cut
since 2010, though. When
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time to reminisce.
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glimmer that he might be
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phone calls he made to
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club pro Stan Thirsk and
Byron Nelson, from a cabin
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jacket.
About his friendships
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changed that dynamic.
“Before that time, Arnold
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and Watson’s contribution
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the back nine, and heard
chants of “Thank You,
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By JIM LITKE
Associated Press
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elson rolled a 22-foot birdie putt
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last miss on a day packed end to
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many missed cuts as green jackets.
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opening round and looked like a
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breeze and gusts up to 30 mph
and that touched off a series of
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began piling up — a ball left in a
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into the drink at Nos. 15 and 16
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double bogeys. That set up a frantic
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I just made a lot of poor shots in
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managed myself around this golf
course.”
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tied for second behind Jordan
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bit more relaxed heading into this
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anything.
“I feel I’ll able to put the ball in
play a lot easier,” he added. “And as
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I feel is the strength of my game,
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At No. 15, he laid up and left
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hit the ball just 65 yards and into the
pond fronting the green.
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like I did shot a big number. So it
happens.”
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Phil Mickelson reacts after missing a putt
on the 10th green during the second round
of the Masters golf tournament Friday, April
8, 2016, in Augusta, Ga.