The dawn of the highly-awaited Masters Sunday is right around the corner. Standing just a few steps away from the final day of the first major of the year to arrive, the days that led up to it are also worth mentioning, especially, Day 3. More than anything else, golf is a game of consistency and perseverance, a fact that powers all the components of a tournament and gives it a somewhat equal footing. But why is it so that Round 3 is so special?

Well, this is because Round 3 of the 2024 edition of the event saw it all: from an unforgettable finish by Bryson DeChambeau, and Tiger Woods falling from graces and dropping down more than 30 places on the leaderboard, to an impressionable stance revealed by Scottie Scheffler demonstrating the World No. 1 golfer’s list of priorities, as well as Shane Lowry’s history-curating eagle on Chinese Fir, it was a round full of a rollercoaster of ups and downs.

1. Bryson DeChambeau’s birdie on Holly that left everyone stunned

The Scientist’s calculative moves on the Augusta National Golf Course, made it possible for him to shoot an unexpected birdie on the par-4 Holly, which left patrons and analysts shocked as he only recently doubled-bogeyed at the par-5 Firethorn and bogeyed at the par-3 Redbud. What was more interesting, however, was DeChambeau’s response after his memorable final hole birdie.

Describing his experience on Holly and key takeaways from Round 3, he said, “And a hole out on the 18th. I just figured it was easier than putting. Joking, obviously. But I am going to look back on this one and learn how to putt well on these greens. Control speed a little bit more.”

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DeChambeau continues to perform exceedingly well as he approaches the last few steps of his 2024 Masters rite of passage, having been on top of the leaderboard for the first two rounds and scoring 3-over-par in Round 3, but still remaining in contention for the Green Jacket as he continues to be in 5th place. Considering the perfectionist and intellectually driven athlete that he is, he recognizes that there is always scope for improvement, and he does not shy away from taking the right steps.

2. Tiger Woods’s fall from graces at the Masters after two incredible days

The shift in Tiger Woods’s mindset was readily visible in his game this time around. He came with the objective to not just meet the cut but also to achieve much more. The first two rounds he played were demonstrative of this fact. On the windiest second day, when the majority of the field concluded the round standing over par, Woods finished it at par despite winds and the slowplay problem, leading to talks of a possible resurgence.

But Day 3 shattered all these dreams that the TW loyalists had, as he dropped down the ranks from Friday’s T22 to 52 on Saturday. The round started amicably, but trouble started as matters got worse and Woods started scoring almost back-to-back bogeys in the par-3 Flowering Crab Apple, the par-3 Juniper, and the par-4 Carolina Cherry; and double bogeys in par-4 Pampas and the par-5 Yellow Jasmine.

He momentarily recovered only to go through another bogey streak in the par-4 Chinese Fir, the par-5 Firethorn, the par-3 Redbud, and the par-4 Nandina. He finished the round with a score of 10-over-par, thus making his total score 11-over-par.

3. Shane Lowry and his historic eagle on Chinese Fir

The Irish professional golfer made history as he scored an eagle at the par-4 Chinese Fir. This was special because it was the first eagle at the difficult 14th hole in 8 years. The Chinese Fir is the only bunker-less hole at the Augusta National Golf Course, which necessitates the players to take a terraced putting surface from left to right to excel on its grounds.

It is famously known as a hotbed for hole-outs, therefore, it requires extreme attention and precision to excel on its greens, something Lowry seems to have clearly mastered. The hole has a history of having had only a remarkable 20 eagles in the past, making Lowry’s eagle on the bunkerless par-4 14th the 21st. Nick Price holds the record for carding an 8 in 1993 on Chinese Fir.

This was the highlight of his otherwise less-than-expected day, where he carded a score of 3-over-par, making his total 6-over par and dropping him to T36. While Lowry cannot change the past, he remains hopeful for the future. Talking about his Round 4 goals, he said, “I’ll have a goal of going out there and maybe breaking 70 tomorrow. If I do that, I’ll be pretty happy.” It remains to be seen if Lowry will make a massive jump up the leaderboard or not.

4. Scottie Scheffler makes his choice between family and Masters career

The 27-year-old’s wife, Meredith Scheffler, is pregnant with their first child and can go into labor anytime now. Scheffler has made it clear that if a situation like that were to arise, he would put no thoughts in WDing from the 88th edition of the Masters (where he has a fair shot of winning) and go back home to Dallas to his very pregnant wife. Scheffler is currently at the top of the leaderboard with a total score of 7-under-par. He started the Masters week by climbing to the runner-up position just one shot behind the lead of DeChambeau on Day 1, climbed up to take the lead on Day 2, and has remained on top since.

In his words, “I’m sticking to my word. Fortunately, I’ll be here at the Masters for quite some time. And I think you only have your first child once. I’d rather be home if that’s going to happen.”

Clearly, Scheffler has made his choice based on the importance of the life-changing event of being a father and has no intentions of missing out on the birth of his first child, even if he is at the top of the leaderboard when his wife makes such a call.

What do you think about everything that has happened on Day 3? Share your views in the comments section below.