Masters 2024: Scottie Scheffler leads, Tiger Woods scores worst round at Augusta National

American world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler maintained his lead on an eventful third day of the Masters, where Tiger Woods recorded his worst score in a major.

Scheffler, who has been attracting the most attention at Augusta since Woods, who flourished in the 2000s, shot a 1-under 71 and improved to 7 under and 1 lead over Collin Morikawa.

Morikawa shot a 69 at 6 under, followed by Max Homa (73) at 5 under.

Bryson DeChambeau, who shared the lead overnight, shot a 75 to go 3 under, while Woods shot an 82 to go 11 over.

DeChambeau, a home favorite along with Scheffler, Morikawa and Homa, rekindled his motivation on what was a testing day at Augusta National by hole-out from the 18th fairway for a birdie.

The 30-year-old moved into fifth place on the leaderboard, one stroke behind Swedish debutant Ludwig Aberg, who shot a 70 with two bogeys in his final four holes.

Aberg, 24, only turned professional 10 months ago and, like his European Ryder Cup teammate Nikolaj Hejgaard, is aiming to become the first man to win the Masters on his major debut.

Denmark's Højgaard briefly led Saturday, but his card fell apart after five consecutive bogeys in the second half, finishing with a 2-under 74.

England's Tommy Fleetwood is 1 under with a 72 to lead what has so far been a somewhat underwhelming challenge for home golfers.

Playing in his final pairing with fellow overnight leader Homa, DeChambeau's magical moment was the final twist of a slow day at Augusta.

For a long time, there was little sign of drama unfolding, even though the major players were nearing their turns.

DeChambeau's early bogey spared Scheffler from punishment for his early mistakes and put him in the lead, ahead of Homa, who made 17 pars, including his only bogey on the 12th.

A birdie on No. 1 was the perfect start for the 2022 champion, who added another birdie with a monster putt on No. 3 after being allowed a free drop after a wild drive.

At that point, it seemed like Scheffler, who had won two of the past three tournaments, would be away from the field.

However, he missed a 2-foot putt and hit a curve ball with double bogey on the 10th and then bogey on the 11th, allowing his partner Heugaard to take the lead.

Hodgegaard had never even played in a major, let alone played in a major, until three consecutive birdies around the turn completely changed things.

However, it turned out to be a short lead. While Heugaard was sluggish, Scheffler bounced back with an eagle on the 13th and a birdie on the 15th.

A bogey on No. 17 dropped Scheffler alongside Morikawa, but a final birdie re-established the 27-year-old's lead and ultimately maintained his impressive form.

Morikawa, the 2021 British Open champion, got off to a strong start with three birdies in the first three holes, finishing with 10 consecutive pars, despite chaos all around him.

The US Ryder Cup teammates will compete in Sunday's final draw, teeing off at 19:35 BST.

Woods, who has qualified for a record 24th consecutive year, was 1 over at the halfway stage and, as we've seen many times over the years, was bullish about his chances this weekend.

The five-time Masters winner is aiming to equal Jack Nicklaus' long-standing winning record and said after the second round that he was “right there.”

However, it turned out to be too optimistic and fell off the leaderboard.

The 48-year-old American struggled to find the fairway, hitting just 5 of 14 shots, but it was only his third time scoring 80 or higher in a major.

Back-to-back double bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8 were the most damaging, and Woods added six more bogeys in the second half.

Woods had barely played before competing in the Masters as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a February 2021 car accident.

The 15-time major champion has limited his schedule following a life-threatening accident that led to numerous surgeries, including on his foot and ankle.

Considering his lack of competitiveness, even making it through the weekend on one of the toughest courses in the sport was a creditable accomplishment.

The former world number one for many years looked increasingly lacking in energy on Saturday.

When asked what he learned about his game, Woods said with a laugh: “It's rusty. I've just never played golf, especially competitively.”

every time Rory McIlroy Coming back to the Masters carries even more of the weight of history that has seemed to weigh on it at times over the past decade.

McIlroy won four majors between 2011 and 2014, winning the PGA Championship twice, as well as the British Open and the U.S. Open.

This leaves the Masters as the stage he needs to become the only sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam.

The 34-year-old Northern Irishman's game this week was not at the level needed to ultimately win at Augusta.

He shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday with three overs left, but was once again too far behind to make a real challenge on Sunday.

But the world No. 2 said he would be willing to go out and “give it a try.”

“If the conditions stay the same and I can hit sixes and fives, I'll be on the leaderboard. I'll do my best to finish this week on a high note,” said McIlroy, who has finished in the top 10 six times. Told. A place that remains in golf history.

defending champion Jon Rahm Although he made it through with just one shot, he entered the weekend without being able to hit the low score needed to chase the lead.

In a smooth round, the 29-year-old Spaniard suffered a bogey on the seventh, but birdied the 17th to take his level par to 72, taking his total to 5 over for the tournament.

He said it was a “painful feeling” not being able to challenge for the title on Sunday.

“In the worst case scenario, I will also be taking part in the ceremony,” added the LIV golfer, who will follow tradition by donning the green jacket to the eventual champion.

There will be live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app from 20:00, with live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app starting from 18:30.