Today’s final round at the Masters will see a repeat of the 2016 Ryder Cup epic when Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy go head-to-head at Augusta.
The duo played a memorable singles match at Hazeltine in the Ryder Cup two years ago and golf fans around the world will be hoping to see more of the same this evening.
Reed maintained his overnight lead and will go into today’s round with a three-shot advantage over McIlroy, who shot a 65 yesterday.
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McIlroy, who is aiming to complete a career major Grand Slam, told The Daily Telegraph he is excited to be in the final group.
He said: “It’s massive to be in the final group for the first time here since 2011. I feel like I learned an awful lot that day and hopefully I can putt that into practice tomorrow.
“I’m really excited to show everyone what I’ve got, to show Patrick Reed what I’ve got and all the pressure is on him. He went to Augusta State and has a lot of support and I’m hoping to come in here and spoil the party.”
Masters leaderboard after three rounds
- -14 Patrick Reed (US)
- -11 Rory McIlroy (NI)
- -9 Rickie Fowler (US)
- -8 Jon Rahm (Spa)
- -7 Henrik Stenson (Swe)
- -6 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Marc Leishman (Aus), Bubba Watson (US)
- -5 Justin Thomas (US), Jordan Spieth (US)
- -4 Dustin Johnson (US)
2018 Masters final round tee-times (all times UK)
- 3pm: Vijay Singh
- 3.10pm: Ian Poulter, Brian Harman
- 3.20pm: Chez Reavie, Phil Mickelson
- 3.30pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Doug Ghim
- 3.40pm: Martin Kaymer, Kyle Stanley
- 3.50pm: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Xander Schauffele
- 4pm: Bryson DeChambeau, Branden Grace
- 4.10pm: Rafael Cabrera Bello, Tiger Woods
- 4.20pm: Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples
- 4.40pm: Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson
- 4.50pm: Ryan Moore, Jhonattan Vegas
- 5pm: Adam Scott, Daniel Berger
- 5.10pm: Haotong Li, Paul Casey
- 5.20pm: Adam Hadwin, Hideki Matsuyama
- 5.30pm: Satoshi Kodaira, Russell Henley
- 5.40pm: Kevin Kisner, Francesco Molinari
- 5.50pm: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Si Woo Kim
- 6pm: Charley Hoffman, Tony Finau
- 6.20pm: Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar
- 6.30pm: Jason Day, Bernd Wiesberger
- 6.40pm: Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen
- 6.50pm: Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith
- 7pm: Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth
- 7.10pm: Bubba Watson, Marc Leishman
- 7.20pm: Henrik Stenson, Tommy Fleetwood
- 7.30pm: Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm
- 7.40pm: Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy
2018 Masters Tournament event guide
- When: 5-8 April 2018
- Where: Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia
- Defending champion: Sergio Garcia
- Official website: masters.com
What time does the Masters final round start?
The United Kingdom is five hours ahead of the US state of Georgia meaning the final round will tee off today at 3pm British summer time. Radio Times reports that strict coverage restrictions mean that UK viewers will not be able to watch the whole tournament live.
Why do the caddies wear white overalls?
Caddies at the Masters are easy to spot - keep an eye out for the guys in the white boiler suits and green hats. But why do the Masters caddies wear this uniform? Golf Monthly explains: “Until the 1983 US Masters tournament, all the caddies at the Masters were provided by the host club, Augusta National. Players were not allowed to bring their own caddie. When it changed this policy, the Masters Tournament Committee still required all visiting caddies to wear the traditional uniform of the club’s own caddies. This uniform thus became a tradition - and Augusta National does like its traditions.”
2018 Masters predictions: who will win?
Mike Stachura, Golf Digest: “The winner of the Masters this year will be a familiar face. A man on the comeback trail, a man recovering from injury and personal turmoil, a man with a hot start to 2018. By now you know who I’m talking about, a real feel-good winner to this year’s Masters. That’s right: Paul Casey.”
Josh Sens, contributing writer, GOLF: “Justin Rose. He’s in great form and has a great track record at a course where past performance means so much. We’ll end up looking at last year’s painfully close call as the necessary prelude to his getting it done at 11 under.”
Dylan Dethier, associate editor, GOLF.com: “We’re not going to see the old Tiger Woods, but we’ll see the new one will his way around the course to victory.”
Jeff Ritter, digital development editor, GOLF.com: “I’ve also been on [Justin] Rose for a while, but now that we’re here, I have this funny feeling about [Rory] McIlroy. He’s had terrible mojo at Augusta ever since his crackup on Sunday in 2011, but at some point he’s bound to win on a course that plays straight into his strengths… isn’t he?”
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, GOLF: “I am recusing myself because once you make a pick you have to keep rooting for it to come true, no matter what else is happening. There are so many great storylines I just want to let myself get swept away in the excitement.”
Alec Brzezinski, Sporting News: “Tiger Woods is again relevant on the PGA Tour, but he will not win the 2018 Masters. He shouldn’t even be listed among the favourites. Guys like Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama are also more likely to win the Masters this year than Woods.”
Craig Middleton, National Club Golfer: “This is one of the toughest years to pick a Masters winner, but I’ll go for [Justin] Thomas - he’s the best player in the world right now.”
James Savage, National Club Golf: “Rory McIlroy. It’s different this year and he’s still the best player in the world when on top form.”
How to watch the Masters final round on TV
Sky Sports and the BBC will have live coverage from the 2018 Masters final round. The action from Augusta will be shown live on Sky Sports at 6pm and on BBC Two at 6.30pm.
2018 Masters betting odds
Who will win this year’s Green Jacket? After three rounds, here are the latest Masters prices according to Oddschecker (as of 8 April).
- Patrick Reed: 5/4 fav
- Rory McIlroy: 15/8
- Rickie Fowler: 17/2
- Jon Rahm: 16/1
- Henrik Stenson: 35/1
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