Brooks Koepka has positioned himself for the chance to win his first green jacket.
After they each finished the third round early Sunday by shooting 1-over 73, Koepka at 11-under held a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm entering the final round at the Masters, and the duo are the final pairing that’ll tee off at 2:33 p.m.
Viktor Hovland sat three shots back of Koepka at 8-under.
It won’t mark the first time that Koepka, who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, has contended in the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, as he finished in a tie for second in 2019 when Tiger Woods, at age 43, won his fifth Masters title.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Koepka has held a share of the lead or held it outright entering the final round at three other majors in his career — the 2018 U.S. Open, the 2018 PGA Championship and the 2019 PGA Championship.
He won all three events.
Koepka had a four-shot lead over Rahm entering Sunday, though he only played 42 holes and needed to complete the other 12 in the morning after rain suspended play on Saturday.
He hit three bogeys and a birdie — including one on the first hole that snapped a stretch of 29 consecutive holes without a bogey, per the PGA Tour — as Rahm cut his deficit in half and continued his quest for a fifth top-10 finish in seven Masters.
Rahm began Sunday with two consecutive birdies, but a pair of bogeys across the final six holes prevented him from closing Koepka’s lead — or erasing it altogether — even more.
In addition to his second-place finish in 2019, Koepka finished second in 2020 and 11th in 2017, and he missed the 2018 Masters due to a wrist injury.
Across the three rounds, Koepka has shot a 65, 67 and 73, but Koepka said that he didn’t think about his lead entering the third round “at all.”
“I’m glad we stopped,” Koepka said Saturday. “I think it was spot on. I’m OK with it.”
Patrick Cantlay shot 4-under in the third round to get to 6-under overall, five shots back of Koepka.
Russell Henley and Hideki Matsuyama began the final round at 5-under while Collin Morikawa and standout amateur Sam Bennett were each at 4-under.
Sunday began with Tiger Woods withdrawing, unable to finish the Masters due to his aching right leg.
Credit: Source link
