Expect an epic finish at Augusta National
We are set for an epic finish today at Augusta National.
Jordan Spieth will try to become the first player to ever go wire to wire for back-to-back major wins, and the fourth player to win back-to-back green jackets.
We have 12 players within five shots of the lead, including world number one Jason Day, who sits three shots back, and world number three Rory McIlroy, who is five behind. The best story of the weekend might be 58-year-old Bernhard Langer, who only two shots back.
One storyline, however, that doesn’t seem to be getting much coverage is the extremely slow play of our leader Spieth, and how it might be affecting his playing partner. On Saturday, it was McIlroy who dealt with the backing off, constant chatter, and jittery energy coming from the Spieth. Earlier in the week, Spieth was put on the clock for slow play but not penalized.
Back in 2013, 14-year-old Chinese player Guan Tianlang was penalized on the Friday, which almost derailed the feel-good story of the weekend.
Today it will be rookie Smylie Kaufman playing with Spieth in the final group, forced to deal with the disjointed flow that is presented as the additional challenge of being partnered with the world number two.
I’m not suggesting that I want to see the Masters decided on a slow play penalty. That would be unfair to the field and to the fans glued to their sets around the world. However, if it continues it could escalate, considering the size the historic moment at hand, and if it does, that should be considered equally as unfair.
