Golf Channel on NBC Analyst Mark Rolfing is in Augusta, Georgia for the 76th Masters Tournament. In his opinion, the most impressive moment from Saturday’s third round was Phil Mickelson’s flop shot on the 15th hole. But equally impressive was the way that Peter Hanson finished his round to start Sunday with the lead. Sunday will be tough for Hanson and he will need to extend his lead on the first nine if he will have any chance to win.
Hanson will really have to manage his environment and deal with the fact that almost all of the patrons will be supporting Phil Mickelson in the final round. He has to figure where to walk and how to handle himself because the support will not change no matter how well Hanson plays.
He has a feeling about Bubba Watson in the final round because he has been in the position recently at Doral where he started very nervously but relaxed on the back nine. Also, the fact that he and his wife Angie have adopted Caleb after a long process has put Bubba in a very good place and that calm will almost certainly help him during the final round.
Rory McIlroy turned three fives into sixes during the third round and you cannot make even one six at Augusta National. When he gets out of position, Rory tends to fall back on his feel and at Augusta National you have to go back to routine in order to reverse the slide and he did not do that. As a result, Rory shot 77 on Moving Day.
While putting is always important in The Masters, the most important key to success in the final round will be driving the ball. The person who drives the ball the best in the final round will likely end up with the Green Jacket at the end of the day.
