3 Aussies hope to end Masters jinx

Australians began the third round of the Masters tournament holding four spots among the top 13, the most of any nation except five players from the U.S. That included leader Jason Day and one of the players tied for second, Marc Leishman.

When the round ended Saturday, an Aussie no longer held the lead after Day bogeyed his last two holes for 73 and Leishman stumbled to a head-spinning 72, with five birdies and five bogeys. Adam Scott was the only one to break par, with 69.

But Day, Leishman and Scott are still in position to end the streak of a player from their country never having won the Masters because they’re among the five players tied for fourth or higher. Scott is alone in third, one shot behind co-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera, and Leishman and Day are tied for fourth at 5-under, two back.

Scott and Leishman will be paired together today in the next-to-last group. Day will play a group ahead of them, with Matt Kuchar.

“Hasn’t happened before ... no one’s won it yet, so this is our best chance,” Leishman said.

Ah, yes ... the Aussie jinx at Augusta National. No one needs to tell Day, Leishman or Scott anything about it because they’re never allowed to forget. Greg Norman had close calls in 1986 and 1987, and Day and Scott tied for second in 2011, sharing the clubhouse lead until Charl Schwartzel blew past them with four closing birdies.

Other Australians, including Robert Allenby, David Graham, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington, were shut out at Augusta despite success elsewhere.

When the current three hopefuls did their post-round interview sessions, the Australian goose egg at Augusta came up in the third question to Scott, the fourth question to Day and the fifth question to Leishman.

Is it fair that the current crop of young Australians carry the burden for countrymen of another generation, when Day is only 25, Leishman 29 and Scott 32? After all, they’ll have plenty of chances.

“It’s just a fact,” Scott said about the lack of an Australian winner in the Masters despite numerous close calls. “You can’t not deal with it. We’ve got another great chance. A couple of us had a look at it a couple of years ago, and three of us are right there knocking on the door tomorrow. There’s no better time to ever have to deal with that question again, than if you go out and play good tomorrow.”

Scott was the most solid of the three in the third round, making only one bogey and hitting 15 greens – despite missing nine fairways.

“The course was tricky,” Scott said. “The greens were firming out and getting faster. You had to be careful where you attacked. I drove it fairly well, but a couple of steps in the (second cut). I had to be cautious out of the (second cut), and that wasn’t a bad way to play today.”

Day, who made 12 pars in a row, birdied No. 13 to regain the lead, but let it slip with two closing bogeys, also agreed that the burden needed to be looked at as a wide-open window.

“It’s a great opportunity for all of us to be the first,” Day said. “There have been some great, so many Aussies in the past that have an opportunity to win the Masters, and fell a little bit short. If it happens tomorrow, that’s great. If it doesn’t, then we’re going to keep plugging away.”

Leishman began the day at 5-under. He got his score to 6-under four times, then gave it back each time.

“I think 72 is a pretty good score,” he said. “It’s not an awesome score, by any means, but I have a really good chance tomorrow.”