AUGUSTA, GA. (AP) - Experience sure matters at Augusta National. Fifty-five-year-old Bernhard Langer is contending at the Masters after starting the final round with three straight birdies. The two-time winner has pushed his score to 5 under, three strokes behind co-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day.
_ Paul Newberry, www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
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G’DAY!
A G’Day so far. Australian Jason Day is off to quite a start at the Masters, surging to a share of the lead on the first two holes. He made a birdie at No. 1 and an eagle at No. 2, where he holed a shot out of the front bunker. Day is now at 8 under and tied with Brandt Snedeker, who also birdied the first hole. Snedeker is playing in the final group with 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera.
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IMPERFECT 10
Kevin Na put up a 10 on the Par 3, 155-yard 12th hole known as Golden Bell. The picturesque hole can be treacherous with Rae’s Creek in the front and three bunkers, one in front and two in the rear, surrounding it.
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TIGER TEES OFF
Tiger Woods has teed off for his final round on a cloudy day at Augusta National. The rest of the leaders will begin their rounds in the next 25 minutes. It’s raining about 145 miles West of here over in Atlanta, so we might get a few showers before the day is done. But nothing serious expected.
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LOW SCORES
We’re seeing some low scores among the early finishers, perhaps an indication that the greens aren’t as tough as usual on an overcast day. Michael Thompson shot a 5-under 67, Ryan Moore and Ryo Ishikawa posted 68s, and Keegan Bradley turned in a 69 _ 13 shots better than the day before. Get ready: It could be quite a shootout among the leaders.
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MISERABLE MICKELSON
It was a forgettable Masters for Lefty. Phil Mickelson closed a tough week with 1-over 73 in the final round. That leaves him at 9-over 297 _ his second-worst score in the 20 times he’s made the Masters cut. The only year he went higher was in 2007, when Mickelson shot a 299 in much tougher conditions.
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BACK TO SCHOOL
It’s back to homework for 14-year-old Guan Tianlang. After closing with a 75 for a 12-over total at the Masters, Guan says he’s got some studying to do, including math, science, history and English. As for his first Augusta experience, he says “the whole week was great for me. I really enjoyed it and had fun.”
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GUAN FINISHES 12 OVER
Guan Tianlang has made history. The 14-year-old eighth-grader from China, who is the youngest player to make the cut at the Masters, shot a 3-over par 75 on Sunday and finished the tournament 12 over.
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