US Masters / Bill Elliott / 11 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Betting.betfair.com's golf correspondent at Augusta, Bill Elliott, on Tiger feeling the strain of the course, Garcia's stern test and why Jim Furyk could be the man making moves on day three.

Good news again...the US Masters has reverted to its old, crazy self. What a day that was yesterday. Chad Campbell staying on top of the leaderboard and being joined by Mr Tubby himself, Kenny Perry; Tiger Woods firing on three cylinders; Padraig Harrington clinging on to his Augusta dream and, of course, Rory McIlroy setting himself up for the sack after kicking the sand at the last.

Mind you, the Belfast teenager had kicked himself in several places anyway after dropping five shots over his last three holes. Now he needs to sit down and read the rule of golf very, very carefully. Hopefully, he will learn his lesson. But that was yesterday so it's time to move on.

And what we can say now is that this is turning into one of the most open Masters of my lifetime. The biggest leaderboard here is interesting but only interesting in that 'gee whiz, imagine that guy being up there' sort of way. Notably absent of course is Mr Woods. Tiger is displaying many qualities here this week but the most reassuring one is that he is indeed
human.

Clearly he is still pulling himself properly together after all that surgery and it is showing under the spotlight that is Augusta National. This game calls for more subtlety than it does power despite the popular myth that only muscle can win a green jacket. Believe me it takes much more than that.

Which is why I suspect the smart money is saying that the eventual winner of this Masters is not yet on that big leaderboard. For me, Jim Furyk is the class guy up there at present but he needs help from the weather if he is to make further progress and no-one seems sure what Augusta is going to get over the next 48 hours.

Lurking around of course are the likes of Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson, anyone of whom is capable of making a serious move forward now. Certainly they will be throwing a lot of caution to the winds now. Second place means nothing to these guys so expect them to be aiming closer to those pins today, a strategy that, naturally, invites disaster as well as triumph.

Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, is trying very hard to prove those cynics wrong who say he cannot win a Masters - I'm one of them by the way - because of the potential fragility of his putting stroke. Fair play to Garcia for getting himself somewhere towards the sharp end of things here this weekend but can he hang on? Do you really need to ask?

And, finally, Gary Player. The old boy played his 52nd and last Masters yesterday when he missed the cut. So - thank someone's god - that is it. At least he blew out of town with a quote that will either make you smile or make you squirm.

Asked how he felt yesterday, he said: "A man is never taller than when he is on his knees and right now I am on my knees giving thanks for the talent I was handed."

Altogether now, aaaah. Or should that be aaaargh?

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