TG Blog: Moving day
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By Kit Alexander, Features Writer
Saturday 9th April
Saturday is known as moving day and while some players posted good scores from the middle of the field, it was Rory McIlroy’s move further ahead of his competitors and Tiger Woods’ fall back into the pack that will grab all the headlines.
It was a slow day in many of the later groups and there wasn’t quite the buzz around Augusta that there was yesterday until pretty late in the afternoon.
With Tiger Woods misfiring on the greens, the buzz was generated when McIlroy caught fire with a fantastic approach to the par-5 13th. He made birdie there, and at the par-5 15th before provoking the biggest roar of the day with a stunning putt for a three on 17.
The patience McIlroy showed and ease at which he was able to switch gears later in the round were very impressive. If he can replicate that tomorrow, I don’t think he can be caught.
As I said, the morning was quite a sedate affair as the early pairings went through the motions without making much impact on the leaderboard.
I took this opportunity to visit Amen Corner and watch the very early action sat next to the 12th tee. There were only eight birdies here all day – none of which I had the pleasure of seeing – but it was fantastic to watch a large bird of prey gliding and swooping above the green before catching multiple meals out of the pond that guards it.
While I’m glad to see a Brit in such a commanding position at the top of the leaderboard, in some respects it’s a shame that it isn’t a bit closer.
Four shots is a decent lead, particularly the way McIlroy is playing right now, but it will be intriguing to see if any of the players on the truly international leaderboard can chase him down.
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