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Five things to watch in today's third round
Five things to watch today in the third round of the Masters Tournament:
1) Can Jordan Spieth set another Masters record? Spieth opened with 64-66 to break the Masters' 36-hole scoring record previously held by Raymond Floyd (131, 1976). Next up: The tournament's 54-hole record of 201, set by Floyd in 1976 and matched by Tiger Woods in 1997. Spieth can tie the mark with 71 or set a new record with a score of 70 or better.
2) Will Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods play nice today? The two rivals have a long history with each other, and they're not going to be best friends any time soon. This SB Nation story sums up their feud well: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2013/5/29/4362162/tiger-woods-sergio-garcia-feud. Garcia and Woods go off together at 1:15 p.m. today.
3) Will the greens play firm and fast today? Woods complained after the second round that the greens were too receptive and were actually playing fairly slow. Will the famous Augusta National greens finally show their teeth?
4) Will Augusta National member (and non-competing marker) Jeff Knox beat Steve Stricker? Last year, Knox famously defeated Rory McIlroy in the third round. McIlroy took it in stride and went on to win the British Open and PGA Championship. Maybe losing to Knox wouldn't be a bad thing for Stricker, especially if Stricker can finally win a major (say the U.S. Open) in a few months.
5) Will someone come out of the pack to challenge Spieth? The young Texan holds a five-shot lead over Charley Hoffman. But Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson are lurking, seven shots back. And three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson is eight back -- and he's been known for his third-round theatrics before. A challenger will probably have to go low and post 65, 66 (if not lower).