Cabrera, Perry move clear at Masters
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 US Masters | Round Three | 12 Apr 2009
Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera have established a two shot lead after round three of the 2009 Masters but there is still much intrigue as to how far back a potential winner could still be.
Eighteen players are with seven of the lead and many in that group will still feel they have a chance tomorrow. They will certainly need something special and their chances will also be determined by those in or near the lead who face the prospect of contending for their first Masters title. The first nine players on the leaderboard are looking for their first Masters title and that alone might well play its part.
When asked in his post round press conference how it would feel to put the green jacket on tomorrow night Perry made it clear that he knows it is far from over.
“Well, I’m not going to answer that question until it actually happens. I mean, for me, I don’t want to look there, because I just – I just don’t want to go there, because to me, I’ve got to stay in the moment. I’ve got to stay ready. This golf course is very difficult and very demanding, and any other tournament, whenever I’ve looked into the future and thought about winning, going in on Sunday, if I do that, I’ve not had much luck. I’ve not had much success.”
“But you know, tomorrow, somehow, I need to get through that front nine with a decent score. It’s going to be a big test for me tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing what I got. You know, you don’t get – I don’t get – this may be my last time to have this kind of opportunity.”
“So I’m going to enjoy it, for sure. I’m looking forward to it. But I’m not – I’ll answer that question tomorrow night if I actually get that jacket put on.”
Perry will create history if he is able to get the job done tomorrow as he will be become the oldest player ever to win a major championship.
Chad Campbell, who had battled for so much of the round with Perry, is alone in third place while Jim Furyk is one shot further back at 8 under.
Perry shared the lead with Campbell into round three and although Perry broke clear early with birdies at the 2nd and 4th holes and led by one at that point they both made the turn at 11 under for the tournament.
Perry went ahead again with a birdie at the 10th but consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th saw him relinquish the lead to Campbell. A two putt birdie at the 13th had him back in the lead and the pair traded blows until the 16th where Campbell short sided himself in the right hand greenside bunker and took double bogey.
While all this was going on, two other players were emerging as potential challengers to the lead, Jim Furyk and Angel Cabrera. Cabrera bogeyed the first but by the time he walked to the 14th tee he was within one of the lead. A three putt bogey at the 14th dropped him two back but a birdie at the par five 15th saw him within one and when he made a ten footer at the 17th he had grabbed a share of the lead. He then produced a brilliant shaped shot from the right rough to save par at the last.
“It was a great round today, despite that I made three putts on the first hole,” said Cabrera. “I was able to be patient and keep the concentration going and finish up a good round.”
Probably the most pertinent comment Cabrera made was when he responded to the question of what the win the 2006 US Open had done in regards to his chances tomorrow.
“What I learned is that I can win; I can win big tournaments.”
Furyk did not appear likely to challenge the lead until a run of three consecutive birdies at 13th, 14th and 15th had him within two. Furyk bogeyed the 17th but he is well placed to improve on his previous best of 4th in this event and possibly win his second major championship.
Pre-tournament favourites Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are at 4 under and seven behind and much will depend on how quickly they start their final rounds tomorrow in order to place the maximum pressure on those playing behind them by the turn. Woods and Mickelson play together one hour before the final pairing of Perry and Cabrera. That match up in itself offers much interest for a range of reasons.
The Australian challenge has all but disappeared with Geoff Ogilvy’s round of 73 leaving him 9 shots behind. Aaron Baddeley is one shot further back in 25th position, Stuart Appleby is 32nd and Robert Allenby 37th.
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