Looking for the impossible? "Look, I'm going to need something basically around 61, (or) 62 to have a real chance . . . I'm not sure that's going to happen, we'll see," observed Rory McIlroy, the world number one, of chasing down runaway 54-hole leader Jordan Spieth in this 79th edition of the Masters.
Maybe even that won’t be enough! Not the way Spieth has played, as if this hallowed course was made for him.
Spieth, the 21-year-old Texan with a wise head on his young shoulders, continued to be the main man as he set another new record for the tournament. His third round 70 left him on 200, 16-under-par, which bettered the previous best 54-hole total of 201 established by Raymond Floyd in 1976 and matched by Tiger Woods in 1997.
On a beautifully sunny day, with barely a hint of a breeze, and with receptive greens, Spieth’s quest to become a wire-to-wire winner continued with his sights set on a green jacket; although a wobble on the 17th, where he suffered a double bogey to prove his fallibility, meant Spieth leaked shots to allow those chasing take some encouragement that the pursuit is not entirely a futile one.
However, Spieth showed his mental strength - and imaginative short game - to full effect on the 18th where, after pushing his approach into the gallery right of the bunker guarding the green, he played a beautiful lob pitch to four feet to save par.
At 16-under, he will go into Sunday’s final round with a four shot lead over Justin Rose who is seeking a second Major win after his US Open in 2013.
Spieth reached the 54-hole mark with four shots to spare over Rose, who finished strongly, with Phil Mickelson a shot further back. Charley Hoffman, who birdied the last for 71 for 206, was six shots adrift.
How big was the putt on 18? “It was huge, just to see one go in after the disappointment on 17 . . . I don’t ever recommend hitting it there, it was maybe one in five (chance) to make the putt,” said Spieth.
“Last year (when he finished second having tied for the going into the final round) left a bad taste in my mouth and I have been looking to get back to get a little revenge, but there is still a long way to go,” he said, as he attempts to follow in Tiger Woods’s footsteps as a 21-year-old winner of the Masters.
A year ago, Spieth fell victim to Bubba Watson’s charge; but he will have learnt from the experience, and also carries an impressive streak of 1st-2nd-2nd in his last three tournaments coming in here.
“I think the good thing for him is that he has already experienced it once,” said McIlroy of Spieth leading into the final round. “It didn’t quite happen for him last year, but I think he’ll have learned. All that put together, he’ll definitely handle it a lot better.”
Rose refused to let a poor start affect him. After two bogeys in his opening five holes, the Englishman responded in some style and caught fire on the back nine. He reeled off four successive birdies from the 13th and made it five in six when he rolled in a lightning fast 18-footer for birdie on the 18th, to sign for a 67 for 204, 12-under-par.
As the main pursuer, Rose - four shots behind - has got into the best position to challenge but knows better than anyone that he needs to improve on his front nine play. Still, with 20 of the last 24 champions coming from the last pairing, Rose has got into the main challenging position. He will have a close-up and personal look of Spieth to see if any frailty is evident.
For McIlroy, who came here chasing the career Grand Slam, a third round 68 for 210, six-under-par, moved him into the tied-fifth - on the same mark as Tiger Woods.
Although he made an impressive charge on the front nine, which he covered in just 32 strokes, McIlroy’s challenge - for what it was - came undone with bogeys on the 16th, where the momentum was broken, and again on the 18th.
The Northern Irishman - who won the two closing Majors of last season, the British Open and the US PGA - dismissed any suggestion that the great expectations placed on his shoulders as he went in search of the missing link to complete the Slam had militated against him.
“I’ve really just tried to treat it like a normal golf tournament, (to) treat it like any other year. Any other year I’ve come to the Masters, I have done the same things. I wasn’t approaching it like I was trying to win the Grand Slam. I was approaching it like I was trying to win another golf tournament. I don’t think it’s had any impact on the way I’ve played this week,” said McIlroy.
