Spieth sets Masters pace as Rose, Mickelson chase on final day

Jordan Spieth takes a four-stroke lead into Sunday's final round of the Masters with a chance to rewrite the Augusta National record books but two major champions are in hot pursuit.

The 21-year-old American stands on 16-under par 200, the lowest 54-hole score in Masters history, with England's Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open winner, second on 204.

Left-hander Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner and five-time major champion, was another stroke adrift with unheralded 38-year-old compatriot Charley Hoffman, who snapped a five-year win drought last year in Mexico, fourth on 206.

World number one Rory McIlroy, seeking his third major win in a row to complete a career Grand Slam, and 39-year-old Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner ending a two-month layoff to fix various shotmaking woes, were in a pack sharing fifth on 210.
But they would need the greatest comeback in Masters history to stop Spieth, surpassing the record eight-shot rally by Jack Burke in 1956.

Spieth, who squandered a front-nine Masters lead on Sunday last year and settled for sharing second behind Bubba Watson, is the man to beat for the top prize of $1.8 million at the $10 million event.

"Last year definitely left a bad taste in my mouth," Spieth said. "Looking at trying to get some revenge. I've got a long way to go still."

The spotlight belonged to Spieth, who could break Woods' 1997 tournament record of 18-under 270 by shooting 69 in the final round.

If he wins, Spieth would become the second-youngest winner in Masters history, five months older than Woods when he won his first major in 1997.

Spieth could become only the fifth wire-to-wire winner in Masters history, joining Craig Wood in 1941, Arnold Palmer in 1960, Jack Nicklaus in 1972 and Ray Floyud in 1976.
Spieth is the first player since Greg Norman in 1996 to own the outright Masters lead after each of the first three rounds, but Norman squandered a six-stroke lead in making the greatest last-day collapse in major golf history and lost by five to Nick Faldo.

No player in Masters history has ever reached 19-under at any stage of the tournament but Spieth flirted with it Saturday, making four birdies in five holes to stand 18-under before a double bogey at 17 and a 10-foot par save at 18, and could threaten again Sunday.

With 22 birdies through 54 holes, Spieth broke Woods' record of 21 in 2005 and is on pace to shatter Mickelson's Masters 72-hole birdie total record of 25 from 2001.

- Second-oldest winner -

But Spieth has not made the Masters a runaway as Rose, who closed with five birdies in the last six holes Saturday, tries for a second major crown 22 months after his breakthrough at Merion.

And Mickelson could become the second-oldest winner in Masters history after Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won in 1986.

Mickelson has only one top-10 in his past 31 starts but it was a runner-up effort at last year's PGA Championship.

Mickelson won the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters, as well as the 2005 PGA Championship and 2013 British Open.

Should he win Sunday, he would match Faldo and Lee Trevino as six-time major champions.
Source: AFP