AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Thomas, who began the day at 4-under, same as Hideki Matsuyama, had a nightmarish third round, with a triple bogey on the par-5 13th hole.
He shot 75 and is 1-under, 10 shots out of the lead held by Hideki Matsuyama.
“I was playing great before the [weather] delay, and then I didn’t afterwards’’ Thomas said. “It’s just a shame. I was really playing well.’’
The 13th, where he hit a wedge into Rae’s Creek, was the most damaging blow.
“I just chunked it,’’ he said. “I just have to forget about it and try to do something historic tomorrow.’’
Corey Conners had a hole-in-one on the sixth hole, jarring an 8-iron 182 yards. He was the sixth player ever to make a hole-in-one at the sixth in the Masters and the first since Jamie Donaldson in 2013.
One of the wonders of this year’s Masters has been Jose Maria Olazabal.
The 55-year-old Spaniard, who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999, had not played a round of tournament golf since the November 2020 Masters and yet he made the cut for the first time since 2014 and stands at 5-over par after his third-round 75.
“I went from Masters to Masters,’’ Olazabal said.
Olazabal called Friday “a special day’’ because it was the birthday of his idol, Seve Ballesteros. That made the significance of making the cut even more powerful.
Asked what the reaction was that he got for making the cut, Olazabal said, “I think they were all in a state of shock. Nobody expected it.’’
Phil Mickelson called it “pretty cool’’ to see.
“His short game is one of the best that’s ever been,’’ Mickelson said.
Reed, who played with Olazabal, said, “Man, the short game is unbelievable.’’
Asked if he knows how much longer he plans to play in the Masters, Olazabal said, “The game will dictate. It’s as simple as that. The game will tell you when you have to stop.’’
