2019 Masters Sunday tee times https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html
2019 Masters leaderboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
Mother Nature has decided this year there will be no roars on the back nine late on Sunday afternoon this year..... No, that's right, they will be early...
With the severe thunder, lightning, rain and heavy wind moving in some time after noon, the Masters committee had to move tee times up off split tees, paired in threes rather than face a Monday morning finish.
Weather today: Rain tapering off around 7am, returning late morning and intensifying around 1pm, so the leaders will be right in it the worst of it at the end of their rounds. The wind at 11kph from the south will steadily increase to 28kph as the day goes on. There will be thunder and lightning in the area.
7.30am on the 1st and 10th is the new start time, with Frankie Molinari (66 -13) leading Tony Finau (64 -11) and Tiger (67 -11) off the 1st in Group 22 at 9.20am in the final pairing.
As you know if you follow my posts I picked Francesco to win on Wednesday so it's no surprise to me that this transformed 36-year-old from Turin, who caddied for his brother Edoardo here in 2006 is in the lead.
He shot a -6 66 to finish 54 holes at -13, 203 and he's done it in the same fashion as he did when he won the Open eight months ago, where he played the last 37 holes without a bogey at Carnoustie. This time he has played 43 of Augusta's toughest without a blemish.
At 43,Tiger is playing very good, at times spectacular golf, not as steady as Francesco who beat him at Carnoustie, then of course the drubbing as a team at the Ryder Cup where Tiger was 0-5. However this is different and given half a chance he may just write another chapter in the Augusta handbook, and pick up his first major since 2008.
Long hitting Finau got hot yesterday right out of the gate where he tied the front nine score of -6 30 in just his seventh outing at Augusta National, finishing with a -8 64, -11 total. It's tough to follow a really low round, and although he's completely capable, I don't expect him to win today.
Now this is not just all about the final three. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, starts play this morning in 4th at -10, 206 after a 69.
Corey Connors 70 71 71 -4 has a great pairing as he develops as a pro, Jordan Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood in Group 15 at 8.03 off the 1st.
Ian Poulter is at -9, Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Justin Harding are all -8 and guys like Mickelson, Fowler, Thomas and Rahm will have to come from a long way back.
So as I mentioned yesterday, Mother Nature may have the last laugh today, we'll see, but this will be the most difficult scoring conditions of the week, which usually favours the best players.
This will be a full on Tiger show today, but don't expect Francesco to be at all intimidated. Under coach Dave Alred he has been through these pressure packed situations again and again, he has a game plan and has executed with great success.
Tiger or anyone else will have to play very well to beat him.
Bryan Angus
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