At 19, Hideki plays remarkably good

This is the home diet that Rory McIlroy grew up on and it is pretty evident in all his takes. His responses are completely natural, he is not trying to create an image of what he is not, he has got nothing to hide, no problem with eager autograph seekers, handles all the very considerable media attention without turning a hair and does not mind admitting that he got ticked off by a neighbour three days ago for noisily throwing around an American football on the street after hours. By the way, which top golf professional would chance injuring himself (imagine if he mishandled the ball and hurt a finger) at the start of a major — certainly not Nick Faldo (another story!). He is just a kid, having the kind of fun that college boys his age have and, yes, golf is very important but you cannot do that 24 hours. That’s the attitude he’s taken to this tournament. He has attacked with full commitment when he had the opportunity and held back when wisdom called for it. When his playing partner, Jason Day, caught up and overtook him within the first five holes, drawing up visions of a repeat performance of Friday, he was not fazed, kept his composure, kept patient and plodded along manfully. The result: Three bogies in three rounds and a leader by four. A worthy leader, indeed, of whom it was thought that he still lacked the maturity to string together three good rounds. Well, he has done it and, if he can add a fourth good round, along with the rest of Ireland and good Irish men all over the word, I will raise a glass of Guinness to Rory McIlroy.

 

But wait! NOBODY was even dreaming that Angel Cabrera (affectionately known as El Pato, or the Duck, because of his waddle of a walk) could become a contender. Stealthily, he crept up the leader board to emerge as Rory’s playing partner in the final pairing for Sunday. Twenty years Rory’s senior, he won the Masters a couple of years ago when he was two shots off, standing on the 17th tee in the final round. “Birdie for me, bogie for him and I can win,” is what he related in the subsequent interview with him, the eventual champion. He is a terrific fighter, will out-drive Rory by a bit, is a creative and aggressive shot maker and will take no prisoners. Further, while content to be quiet during play, Rory will be inhibited in his natural friendly temperament of chatting because of Cabrera’s lack of English. If Rory can survive him, despite Cabrera being four shots back, he will surely have arrived.
 

LEADER BOARD ROUND THREE
Pos	Player	Today	Total
1	R Mcllroy	-2	-12
T2	A Cabrera	-5	-8
T2	C Schwartzel	-4	-8
T2	K Choi	-1	-8
T2	J  Day	E	-8
T6	A Scott	-5	-7

While Phil Mickleson simply did not get going after the first three holes on Saturday, and is now completely out of it, Tiger Woods is in utter shock. For a change, the roars were coming from the pair behind Tiger, causing him distress (witness the three putt on 15, the poor drives on 16 and 17, and the dreadful second shot to 18 from the middle of the fairway, resulting in a nightmarish bogie. Not the way to win a championship!) Rather, the other way round.

Tiger did not rise, McIlroy did not fall, and several other players put themselves in contention. Tiger dashed off to the range for remedial treatment; the fact is that on Saturday he lost to himself, quite unlike Friday.

The South African contingent seemed to fade out after Goosen’s early promising start ended in disaster, but the youthful Charles Schwartzel kept the flag flying and, even if he does not win, will surely bring credit to himself and his countrymen (they need this after their early departure from India in the recent World Cup!).

Australia, one of the strongest sporting nations in the world, lack a Masters title to their tally of major championships. Greg Norman faltered twice at the brink, and now, perhaps, the burden of history rests heavy on Jason Day’s young shoulders, and also those of the more experienced Adam Scott, lying four and five paces back, respectively. Each has the capability of matching the course record and redressing the balance, particularly if the playing conditions are as favourable as they have been for the first three days.

Hideki Matsuyama, the sole amateur survivor, at 19 years, did not merely survive but played remarkably good and aggressive golf to produce a round that put young Ishikawa in the shade, not to speak of dozens of highly rated players, including Green Jacket owners, several of whom missed the cut. He will be a worthy recipient of the silver trophy awarded to the lowest scoring amateur. We expect to see a lot of him in the coming years.

The scene is set for the traditional high drama that is on the menu on Sunday at every Masters, when nobody knows until the very end who will be left standing. Let’s see.