England’s Eddie Pepperell was able to enjoy another Masters tradition on his tournament debut as he got the third round under way on Saturday.
The odd number of players making the cut meant Pepperell was playing alongside marker and Augusta National member Jeff Knox, who famously outscored Rory McIlroy in the same situation in 2014.
Knox holds the course record of 61 from the members’ tees but started by three-putting the first from long range while Pepperell made a par to remain three over.
? Rory McIlroy
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) 13 April 2019
? Sergio Garcia
? Bubba Watson
? And now Eddie Pepperell
Masters marker Jeff Knox will have some stories to tell his grandkids. pic.twitter.com/YvvVCY2e4N
For the first time in tournament history there was a five-way tie for the lead after 36 holes as Francesco Molinari, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen all finished a sensational second day on seven under par.
All five players have won at least one major but Scott is the only one to already own a green jacket, while Koepka is seeking a remarkable fourth major title from his last seven starts.
However, most eyes were likely to be on the 1405 local time (1905 BST) pairing of Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter as Woods tried to remain on course for a fifth Masters title, his first since 2005 and a first victory in any major since the 2008 US Open.
Woods compiled a second round of 68 either side of a 30-minute delay due to a thunderstorm on Friday afternoon, the 43-year-old escaping unhurt after a bizarre incident on the 14th.
Some of Saturday's best pairings at the Masters. ?
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) 13 April 2019
Tee times: https://t.co/EAbsx3vHTD pic.twitter.com/tJsKMSDz0T
For the second day running, Woods pulled off a superb recovery shot from the trees on the par four, only for a security guard to run in to try to control the crowd, slip on the wet ground and slide knee-first into Woods’s right ankle.
Woods limped away grimacing in pain but there appeared to be no lasting damage and after holing from 15 feet for birdie, the 14-time major winner also converted from twice the distance on the par-five 15th.
Further good chances went begging on the 17th and 18th but left Woods sharing sixth place with Dustin Johnson, Justin Harding and Xander Schauffele, with Poulter and Jon Rahm a shot further back.
“Accidents happen, we move on,” Woods said. “Other than having four knee surgeries and four back surgeries I’m great.
“It’s all good. I’ve had galleries run over me (before). When you play in front of a lot of people things happen.”
