dom furore
nick faldo: It’s like the
highlight reel of the last 40
years of things going wrong.
Those guys make a mess of 12.
Tiger had hung with them and
then basically outplayed them
for those last six, seven holes.‘AT LEAST SEVEN
WITH A LEGITIMATE
CHANCE TO WIN’
tiger woods: All of a sudden
it seems like there are four
guys tied for the lead. You
know, Brooks makes an
eagle [at 13]. I make birdie.
Francesco makes birdie.
I think [Patrick] Cantlay had
just made something up ahead
of us [an eagle at 15]. DJ’s
making a run. Bubba just got
to 10 [under par] quickly.
And so it went from a one-
horse race with all of us kind
of chasing Francesco. There
are at least seven with a
legitimate chance to win the
tournament. I’m like, OK, the
next board I see is not until 15.
So, I get a good understanding,
see where they all are, look at
what holes they’re on in case
I hear any roars, who that
might be.
joe lacava [on Woods’ two-
putt birdie at the par-5 13th]:
I looked up, and Cantlay had
the lead. Well, I can do the
math. I know he’s already
played 13, 14, 15. We had 8-iron
in there at 13, [161 yards], a
beautiful 8-iron, pin-high left,
which is exactly where you’re
trying to hit it. No need to go at
it. He’s obviously smarter; he’s
been there.
patrick cantlay (after his
eagle at 15): I knew those guys
behind me had all the easy
holes to play, but I felt like if
I could play the last three holes
one under par that I’d either
win or be in a playoff. [Cantlay
bogeyed 16 and 17 and finished
three back.]
padraig harrington: Tiger
was a different person over
the last five holes—he was
the Tiger I used to know. His
instincts took over. He forgot
all about his swing and how
it was feeling. He was playing
golf. All he did was hit the
shots that made winningmost likely. He hit a cut off
the 14th tee. He did the same
on the 15th, a hole where the
temptation is to try for a big
drive. He was pragmatic. Gone
was the guy trying to hit shots
just to show the world he could
hit them. He was just trying
to get the ball in the hole.
Aesthetics went out of the
window.
joe lacava: Fourteen, not a
very difficult putt, but never
had a chance. I’ve got no
problem making par, but when
you hit it there, I’m thinking,
Let’s not give anybody a
chance. But he’s smart; he
doesn’t want to hit it three feet
by. Fifteen, great drive down
the right. Five-iron from 227.
Not an easy two putt, but got it
down [for the lead at -13].
curtis strange: I watched
the last round in my hotel
room. I had finished my
television duties earlier.
[Wife] Sarah was rooting forMolinari because he’s such
a nice-looking young man.
[Laughs.] She was almost
crying when he hit into the
water on 15.
francesco molinari (on
making a double bogey at 15):
Not a very good swing off the
tee. If I had the chance to hit
another shot again, it probably
would be the lay-up. Trying
to go for the flag from the
left side [on the third shot],
it was obviously close to the
branches of the tree, and we
never know, if it doesn’t clip
the branch, it might go close to
the hole. But I probably should
have gone middle of the green
and just wait for the last three
holes to try to make something
happen.... When I look back,
the biggest swing was 15,
really, more than 12. Even
if you go through 12 two
shots ahead, you have two
par 5s coming the next few
holes. Anything can happen.peter kostis: For the longest
time, it seems like Tiger got
every break in the book.
If he hit a tee shot earlier
in his career, he would always
get a lie or have a swing if
he was off line. Then he would
pull off the shot and make
a par or a birdie. Subsequent
to the scandal, he lost that
mojo. He walked into the
woods or the rough with
his head down. The body
language had changed.
But my thought at Augusta
was, Wow, he’s got it back. The
breaks were back. On the 15th
hole, Molinari’s third shot hit
a pine cone and fell into the
pond. Tiger’s second shot at
18 also hit a pine cone, but the
ball dropped in front of themolinari’s last hope▶ Francesco Molinari made a double
bogey at the par-5 15th after his third
shot clipped a tree and found water.