" Cabrera, Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Bo Van Pelt also made big moves. Cabrera, the 2009 Masters champion, and Schwartzel are tied for minute at 8-under with K.J. Choi and Jason Day, while Van Pelt is in eighth charge behind Scott and Luke Donald. Going stunted is one path to twine the leaderboard. But Scott and Co. got a big benefit from the guys who'd been in advance of them, too.
The persist five groups Saturday were a cumulative 11 over, with only McIlroy and Choi shooting below par. "I dream there was a mini fragment less expectations because those (last groups) are always active to have a teeny speck more turn the heat on than what we had," Schwartzel said. "No irreverence to them, but playing out in facing there, I don't imagine you're present to go very far a lot of times unless you actually get something going. "It was almost dangerous to tee off where I did and description of cower in from behind." Scott hasn't finished in the foremost 10 at the Masters since 2002, his firstly trip to Augusta National.
But he arrived here all-encompassing of aplomb after a tie for sixth at Doral. Then he opened with a 72, and played the look out on nine Friday at even par. "I was just tough to not get frustrated with myself, because I was inkling so good," Scott said.
"Going into the back nine yesterday, I be versed I'm unerringly around the sign line, and it's never a tidy rank to be. I played a absolutely solid back nine yesterday, and I was over the moon with that. But still, the stress of my golf wobbling isn't quite where I felt it in practice, and even in the preparation rounds. Today it knock back into place.
"I expect I did a good job of not getting frustrated conjunctio in view of everyone go low, and just fighting the energy out there." Beginning the daylight at 2 under, Scott got rolling with a 12-foot birdie putt on the other hole. He picked up two more strokes before the turn, only to give one back on the 10th. But he holed a 30-footer on 11 for a birdie, and eagled the par-5 13th.
After two-putting from "100 feet almost" on the par-5 15th, Scott was at 8-under, with three holes still to play. But Scott played those holes at 1 over. Still, he can at least bring the leaders.
"They always opportunity the Masters starts on the back nine on Sunday. I've got to get myself there first," Scott said. "I've got still at least another stalwart nine holes to portray before I've got a material chance.
" Happy birthday, Seve Seve Ballesteros' birthday is still a big deal, even if he's not at the Masters. The two-time champion, who is not here as he battles wisdom cancer, turned 54 on Saturday. Several European players tweeted birthday wishes to the Spaniard before they teed off, including third-round boss Rory McIlroy, and Jose Maria Olazabal called Ballesteros before he larboard for Augusta National. "I called to rephrase 'Happy Birthday,' and to flow along all of the orderly wishes from the slumber of the champions," said Olazabal, a boyfriend Spaniard and two-time Masters winner.
Earlier this week, Phil Mickelson went with a Spanish-themed Champions Dinner in Ballesteros' honor. Ballesteros is undergoing chemotherapy, which Olazabal said "takes a toll" on him. But he has been following the Masters, where Ballesteros' subordinate triumph in 1983 set off a zigzag of dominance by European golfers. A European won the unripened jacket eight of the next 11 years. "Obviously he roots for the Europeans, without a doubt, so he's cock-a-hoop in that sense," Olazabal said.
"He always believed this golf line suited the Europeans better than the U.S. Open, for example." Lefty's lamentation Defending backer Phil Mickelson figured Saturday would be the era to go unrefined and get back into the mix. He no more than moved.
Mickelson made only three birdies in the third bead for a 71, leaving him nine shots out of the restraint and in straits of an weird comeback if he wants to obtain a fourth raw jacket and thrive to No. 1 in the world. After making 18 birdies keep on weekend to gain a victory the Houston Open, Mickelson feels he can't transmute anything at all.

"Yeah, it's been a short frustrating on the greens," he said. "I putted so well most recent week at Houston, I expected to come out this week and obliging of explanation it up. And I have struggled getting the fact reads, I struggled getting the principled speed. I just have struggled to get it usual this week." That doesn't low he has given up.
The biggest comeback in Masters story was eight shots by Jack Burke Jr. in 1956, the year Ken Venturi bullet 80. "I'm universal to be fully a few back, but on Sunday a lot can happen," Mickelson said. "I'm not customary to quantify myself out. I've rifleman gross scores here before, I credence in I can do it again and I'm accepted to give myself every opening tomorrow to do that.
" One meet homage Rickie Fowler has one great thought to submit to from an otherwise sad afternoon. The 22-year-old was paired Saturday with c whilom Masters combatant Fred Couples, who seems to clip a dozen years or so off his mature any organize he drives up Magnolia Lane. The 51-year-old, who won at Augusta National in 1992, is in contention for a backer settled year, growing into the last in tied for ninth at 5-under. "A match up times I had to take a seat back and jog the memory myself we're playing the Masters on Saturday and I'm getting to frisk with Freddie, someone who I've looked up to since I was a bantam kid," Fowler said.
"It was indubitably not the orbicular I wanted, but I was just out there a join times reminding myself to go to staid me down a brief iota and relax." Fowler began the age tied for seventh after playing "Can you crown this?" in the beforehand two rounds with associate Whiz Kids Rory McIlroy and Jason Day. But while McIlroy and Day were holding their own on Saturday, Fowler backed up with a 4-over 76. He's now 1-under, 11 shots behind McIlroy. "The devil-may-care feels in actuality good," Fowler said.
"I got a yoke off breaks and then made a twosome ill swings that charge me. Some of those things just happened at the unacceptable time." Ernie and the marker Ernie Els was the initially to tee off Saturday, having made the shorten on the number.
It's an strange stain for the three-time outstanding champion, so he was surprised to realize that he would have company. Els played with a non-competing marker, Augusta National fellow Jeff Knox. The Big Easy could have played by himself, but Knox was already waiting when Els got to the win tee. "We went and played," Els said. "I didn't expect any questions.
" Knox is no slouch, once shooting a 61 from the associate tees at Augusta. Els wasn't indubitable what he shot, although Knox held his own and often had the honors on the tee as Els struggled to a 76. "He injection about the same as I did," Els said. "He played positively well.
" Asked if he was knowledgeable that Knox had launching 61 at Augusta, Els said: "He told me. Pretty formidable for any tees. I don't fret if you looseness off the ladies tees, that's harmonious impressive. So we'll undoubtedly receive him tomorrow again." If Knox plays, it will be with K.T. Kim, who conjecture a 78 and was in termination place.
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