Bubba Watson held off a spirited charge from young Jordan Spieth on the front nine, and cantered home from there to win his second Masters title
12.14am BST
And so another Masters draws to a close. Not one of the classics, if the truth be told, but Bubba Watson won't care. He was head and shoulders above everyone else this week, even if he did suffer a strange wobble on the back nine yesterday. A deserved winner, and given the way he plays and the length he hits the ball, you wouldn't put it past him to join Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson in the three-up club sometime soon. Meanwhile in Eurocentric news, it's been a strange week for Rory McIlroy, who recorded his best-ever finish at the Masters, without ever once working his way into contention. He'll have learned a little more this year. Next time, maybe. Mind you, next time, Tiger will be back. Anyway, thanks for putting up with my witterings for the past four days, and please come back to the Guardian for the US Open at Pinehurst. See you then! Nighty night!
12.08am BST
"We should keep switching back and forth," suggests Bubba, before Scott drapes the jacket over his shoulders. "I've never loved green so much." Yes, this idea of liveblogging the Butler Cabin hasn't really worked, has it.
12.07am BST
Billy Payne of Augusta National and Jim Nantz of CBS host some hot chat with top amateur Oliver Goss, then welcome 2013 champ Adam Scott along with Bubba. How did you do it, Bubba? "I don't know." More please, CBS!
12.05am BST
Hot Butler Cabin action coming up! Bom chikka bow wow.
11.58pm BST
This is how it finished, then. A second Green Jacket for Bubba (well, he'll be presented with the one he's already got, but you know what I mean). A second-place finish for 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. A fourth-place spot for 50-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez. And top-ten finishes for the 1985 and 1993 winner Bernhard Langer, and despite a very strange week, Rory McIlroy!
-8: B Watson
-5: Blixt, Spieth
-4: Jimenez
-2: Fowler, Kuchar
-1: Westwood
E: Langer, Walker, McIlroy, Senden, K Stadler, Bjorn
11.53pm BST
Bubba dribbles his birdie putt up to the hole, then taps in for par. BUBBA WATSON IS THE 2014 MASTERS CHAMPION!!! He's in tears again, of course, the soft-hearted son-of-a-gun. He picks up his wee boy, then bear-hugs his wife, and capitulates into guttural sobs. But it's not long before he's high-fiving the punters lining the green. What wonderfully warm scenes!
11.51pm BST
Spieth has the Sandy Lyle putt facing him. A birdie effort that'd give him sole ownership of second place. Not bad for a 20 year old. He doesn't read it well, though, and pulls it to the left to boot. But that's a par for a level-par 72, and a share of second with Blixt at -5. He'll be back, he'll be back.
11.49pm BST
Bubba's in tears walking up the fairway. It's what he does.
11.48pm BST
Bubba sends his wedge over the flag. It bites, and spins back a little. He's got a 15-footer for an icing-on-cake final birdie. Spieth's shot shape is similar, and he's probably a little bit inside Bubba. The pair walk up the last to wild applause. No great drama this year, the main exchanges were played out on the 8th and 9th holes, and since then it's been pretty much a procession.
11.46pm BST
Blixt chips up aggressively, looking to hole out, just in case something daft occurs behind him. Fair enough. The ball whistles six feet past. That'll be a tricky one for par. Bogey for Kuchar at the end, and he signs for a 74, tied fifth with Rickie Fowler at -2. A second miserable Sunday for him in a row on the PGA Tour, after finding water up the last to gift the Houston Open to Matt Jones. Blixt knocks his ball in for par, and he signs for a one-under 71, and is currently tied for second place. A brilliant effort by Blixt, who really knows how to scrap in the majors, it seems.
11.41pm BST
Bubba wallops a 3-wood down 18. Spieth, calm now, as he knows the jig is up, hits a smooth drive up the track. Spieth taps Bubba on the shoulder with his driver, an affectionate gesture. The young man's been brilliant, let's not forget that. And it's not as though time's against him.
11.39pm BST
Spieth plays a stunning bump-and-run up onto the green. The thing's going in! It's going in! Eh, no, not quite. It stops one turn in front of the pin. That'll be a fine scramble for par, though. Bubba's chip bites four feet past of the hole. He's left with a tricky downhiller for par. But he puts it in, and he punches the air and screams YEAH! as it drops. He knows that's it. On 18, Blixt leaves his second short of the green, just before Bubba's putt dropped. A club short. Criminal mistake, given the last-roll-of-the-dice circumstances.
-8: Bubba (17)
-5: Blixt (17), Spieth (17)
-4: Jimenez (F)
11.32pm BST
Spieth's still behind a tree down 17, and can't hook his second back round to the green. It stays out right, where it injures a few punter-patrons. Bubba also behind a tree. He can't make the green, but sends his ball to the front of it, and will have an uphill pitch-and-putt for par. "As much as I admire Monty, his reaction to Watson's aggressive second at 15 - 'strange course management strategy, given he's three ahead' - perhaps gives an insight into why he, despite many notable triumphs, did not get over the line in a major while Bubba is on the verge of his second green jacket?" asks Radio 2 listener Simon McMahon. "Sorry, this being serious business must be catching. I'm sure I'm talking nonsense anyway. How about some McGuinness Flint?" I agree totally. See also Mickelson v Westwood here in 2010, and Mickelson v Westwood last summer at Muirfield. Am I arguing that Westwood's the new Monty? Yes.
11.29pm BST
Kuchar sends his chip up onto 17 from the back, his ball flying past the cup and only just staying on the other side of the green. Blixt is down a large bank to the right. He chips lamely, the ball only just reaching the putting surface. The pair face long putts for par. Kuchar's slips by - he's -3 now - but Blixt knocks his in, and remains at -5. You've got to hand it to Blixt, he never gives up. Back down on the tee, Bubba wangs his drive into the punters down the left. Sorry, patrons. Spieth hammers his drive down the left too, but not as spectacularly poorly. Up on 18, Jimenez taps in for par, signs for a 71, and ends the tournament at -4. If only he hadn't shot 76 on Friday! What could have been.
11.25pm BST
Kuchar's second into 17 sails through the green, and well left of the flag, too. Blixt clips a tree, and ends to the right of the green. These two are done. Spieth is pretty much gone, too, his birdie putt ends up an inch to the left of the cup. He thinks about launching his putter into the lake, but thinks better of it, calms down, and taps home. You can understand the young man's frustration. This won't be the last time he competes down the stretch at a major, I'll be bound. Bubba nearly knocks in his birdie, which would have necessitated the signing of the peace treaties. But it stays out. A lead of three, with two to play.
11.21pm BST
Blixt and Kuchar both bomb drives down the right of 17, Blixt possibly into a little trouble with the trees. We'll see. Back on 16, Bubba clips a wonderful iron into the heart of the green, taking no chances, yet leaving himself a 20-footer uphill for birdie. Spieth follows him in, but cries in frustration upon contact, knowing that he really needs better now. Up on 18, Lee Westwood signs for a 73. He's -1, guaranteed to end in 7th place at worst.
11.18pm BST
Spieth has the chance to close the gap on Bubba, but pushes his short birdie effort past the hole. Par. That is probably that, tell the truth. Bubba taps in for his par. Three holes to go, three shots between leader and the second-placed Spieth and Blixt.
-8: Bubba (15)
-5: Blixt (16), Spieth (15)
-4: Jimenez (17), Kuchar (16)
-2: Fowler (17)
11.15pm BST
Pars for Blixt and Kuchar on 16, the former happy as his second putt thought about staying out after a 360-degree tour of the rim, the latter pained at a short miss. Spieth chips to 12 feet, giving himself a decent chance for birdie. Bubba duffs his chip up the hill, then putts from off the green to three feet. This hole isn't over. Jimenez has a birdie chance on 17, but his 25-footer dies to the left before it reaches the cup. "Hard to see all these jumpsuits and not think of Pete and his preferred clobber," riffs Grant Tennille.
11.09pm BST
Blixt's tee shot at 16 is short, in the middle of the green. He needed to get close there. Kuchar manages to knock his to eight feet, but it's behind the hole and hardly a gimme. Back on 15, Spieth sends his approach wide right of the green. His eye is out now. That sand shot on 6 seems an awful long time ago now. Bubba, three ahead, decides to try to clear the water from a tight angle on the left anyway. And just about makes it, his ball just making it over the drink before taking a flyer through the green and down the back.
11.05pm BST
Kuchar's bunker shot on 15 is not great, skittering miles past the cup. His birdie putt stops a couple of feet short, too much to ask. Par. Blixt can't get up and down from the back for birdie, though he's an inch to the left away from making his putt. Back up the hole, Bubba is tight down the left near the pines. Spieth is that side of the fairway, too, but not in the second cut like the leader. Jimenez makes his birdie on 16, and suddenly he's -4! If only he hadn't started with those three bogeys in the first five holes.
11.01pm BST
Jimenez draws his tee shot into the heart of 16, and is nearly rewarded with a hole in one as it curls down to the left and an inch past the cup. Such a shame. Such a brilliant shot. A 75 for Fred Couples, whose race was run at 11. He ends the tournament at +2. Kevin Stadler ends birdie-bogey-bogey and finishes level par. Dad Craig taps him on the shoulder as he walks off the green, but there's no schmaltzy embrace. Which is a shame, I like those.
10.58pm BST
Kuchar into the bunker to the right of 15 with his second. Blixt has to draw his around a tree, and it bounces through the green to the back. Blixt is in the better position on the leaderboard, but needs something quickly. Back on 14, Spieth nearly drains his 40-footer, but really needed it to drop, and it doesn't. Par. Bubba doesn't knock in his short birdie effort, though - probably half the distance of the 15 feet I'd initially gone with - and makes do with par. It's not over quite yet. It surely would have been had Bubba's birdie putt dropped.
10.54pm BST
Speith hits into the heart of 14, but he'll have a long putt. Bubba is pin high, with a 15-footer for birdie. A sense that this will be over quite soon, possibly as early as the 15th. Possibly already, actually. Meanwhile Simon Farnaby is concerned about Spieth, but it's nothing to do with his probably missing out here: "I always worry when such a young man putts cackhanded. Give him a few years and he'll be doing The Claw (see Garcia)."
10.49pm BST
Drives down the middle of 14 for both Bubba and Spieth. Pars for Blixt and Kuchar down on the green. This is in danger of turning into a procession. Which would slightly negate what Mac Millings is about to say, but since he's trying to make a serious point for once, and it's one that stands despite Bubba closing in on the title, let's hear him out anyway: "Watching ESPN over on this side of the ocean, you'd think nae Tiger meant nae golf, and that the USPGA ought to pack up its desk and take an indefinite leave of absence. But from where I'm sitting, this slugfest right here between men and course is what the Masters (and Major Championship golf in general) is all about, and staying up into the wee hours as a teenager to watch the same sweet punishments exacted again and again by Augusta National is what pulled me, unresisting, into the game of golf all those years ago. Sorry for the seriousness. I'd originally intended an email that said something along the lines of 'There's many a Spieth Blixt Couples and lip', but, as you can see, I couldn't quite get it to work."
10.45pm BST
Bubba doesn't really hit his 30-foot eagle putt. He's left it six or seven feet short! That's appalling, and a callback to the nonsense he was serving up on the back-nine greens yesterday afternoon. Spieth can't put any pressure on by knocking in his birdie putt, though, and having settles for par, watches Bubba go three clear with five to play as he makes sure of his birdie. "Just noticed that Jonas Blixt's caddie is sporting a Steal Your Face t-shirt under his Masters' onesie," writes the eagle-eyed Adam Levine. "The Steal Your Face logo is the Grateful Dead icon with the blue and red skull split by a lightning bolt. I was really rooting for Spieth but having spotted the t-shirt and being an old dead head myself I have to get behind Blixt now. Plus there's every chance that if the caddie's a dead head there's probably a couple of blunts stashed away somewhere in that Ping bag."
-8: Bubba (13)
-5: Blixt (13), Spieth (13)
-4: Kuchar (13)
-3: Jimenez (14)
10.42pm BST
Spieth is in Mickelson Country, where Lefty creamed one into the green in 2010 to do for Lee Westwood. But Spieth is not a reckless gambler, not yet anyway, and lays up. He leaves himself a 90-yard chip, and knocks it pin high. He'll have a ten-footer for birdie. He'll probably need to make it, though, as Bubba is on in two. On 14, Blixt finds the top-right corner of the green with his second, and has a 15-footer uphill for birdie. Kuchar is on the green too, but miles left of the flag. He looks a bit spent.
10.37pm BST
Kuchar, having found Rae's Creek down 13, was playing three into the green as opposed to Blixt's two. Bad Guardian, naughty Guardian. Both players get up and down rather brilliantly from the back, and Blixt's birdie brings him into a share of second place! Perhaps a first European win for 15 years isn't out of the question after all! Back up the hole, Bubba bombs a huge one round the corner, but Spieth is in a spot of bother up on the right. Meanwhile on 14, Fowler and Jimenez both pick up a shot! This really is hotting up!
-7: Bubba (12)
-5: Blixt (13), Speith (12)
-4: Kuchar (13)
-3: Jimenez (14)
-2: Stadler (16), Bjorn (15), Fowler (14)
10.29pm BST
Spieth holes his bogey putt! What a fantastic effort! That was down a treacherous green, but slipped straight into the middle of the cup! How's that for limiting the damage! What moxie he's shown there! Bubba taps in for par, and has a two-shot lead. But that could have been worse for the young man, whose hopes for a second looked to have drowned in the creek along with his ball.
10.27pm BST
Spieth drops his ball 50 yards from the water, and lands a high wedge into the heart of the green. He'll have a 12-footer for bogey. Bubba putts up the slope and onto the green, judging it almost perfectly. He's left with a three-footer for par. Up on 13, Blixt fires his second shot over the water, but into the fringe back left of the green. He'll have a tricky two putts, or a chip and a putt, down the slope for a birdie. Kuchar: ditto, pretty much.
10.24pm BST
Adam Scott finishes this year as he did the last: by raking in a monster on 18! This one's only for par, and a round of 72 that sees him finish +1. No Green Jacket for him this year, but he greets the audience with a huge smile, and he's given the warmest of receptions in return. What a fine champion he's been.
10.22pm BST
Yep, Bubba and Blixt are the cooler players of the leading quartet right now. Kuchar hits a big draw into trouble down the left of 13. Too much. He might be in Rae's Creek, but time will tell about that. Blixt's is straight down the middle. Back on 12, Spieth hits a heavy wedge into the bank - and it dribbles back into the water. Aw no, what a shame for the young man. Bubba up next, and perhaps spooked by Spieth's misfortune, he sends his ball over the back right of the green. He's not in the thicker stuff, and will have a chance of getting up and down for his par.
10.18pm BST
Two putts for Blixt on 12. And two for Kuchar, as well. The latter will be the more disappointed. Back on 11, Bubba takes his two putts for par. Spieth should be joining him at -7, but he doesn't hit his putt, the ball always likely to die on the left-hand side. A sense that the nerves are kicking in for everyone. I'd say Bubba and Blixt look the cooler in both pairings, which almost certainly means they'll be the pair to blow up. If Bubba puts his tee shot in the drink at 12, I'm going to start practising voodoo.
-7: Bubba (11)
-6: Speith (11)
-4: Blixt (12), Kuchar (12)
-2: Bjorn (14), Jimenez (12)
10.14pm BST
Kuchar and Blixt both find the heart of 12 with their tee shots. Actually, Kuchar does a little better, leaving himself a 12-footer for back-to-back birdies. Back on 11, Spieth creams a stunning approach to 12 feet, while Bubba also finds the dancefloor, perhaps half as far away again, a little more maybe. Both will have makeable putts for birdie.
10.12pm BST
A birdie for Bjorn on 13. He's -3. Not out of this, but a sense that this could be too little, too late. He certainly could have done without bogey on 9, the only blemish on his card today. Ah, hold on, he's handed it back on 14. Kuchar taps in for birdie on 11, while Blixt bumps an exquisite chip to a couple of feet to scramble his par. Jimenez pops his birdie putt in on 12. It was a double-bogey on 11 for Couples, by the way, and birdie on 14 won't soothe the pain. He's -1, and the pipe dream is over. It's all happening!
-7: Bubba (10)
-6: Speith (10)
-4: Blixt (11), Kuchar (11)
-2: Bjorn (14), Jimenez (12)
10.05pm BST
Up on 11, Kuchar hooks his drive into the trees. Then bumps his second all the way down the hill and onto the green to three feet! He'll have practically a tap-in for a birdie on this immensely tricky hole! Blixt sends his second down into Mize Country. Up on 12, Jimenez - who bogeyed 11 - looks to get the shot back immediately with a tee shot arrowed to six feet.
10.03pm BST
Here comes Amen Corner, then. Welcome to our coverage of the 78th Masters Tournament!
10.02pm BST
Spieth is made of special stuff, though. He splashes out of the sand, and sends a gorgeous effort to six feet, below the hole. That's a real chance to save his par, and a gauntlet thrown down to Bubba, who is in a bit of bother up a little hillock over the back. Bubba bumps a delicate chip down towards the hole, but it skitters hysterically past, and nearly goes off the other side of the green. He nearly drains the return, but that's a bogey. He's back to -7. Spieth's left with a big putt now. If he makes this, he regains a little bit of momentum, a mental boost, that's probably worth even more than the shot he'll gain on Bubba. And it's in. What a par scramble!
9.57pm BST
Bubba sends his approach at 10 wide right of the green, and nearly breaks the legs of about 40 different spectators, lined up on stools, their bronzed shins glistening in the sun. What a xylophone trill that would have sounded. Spieth follows him over that side, perhaps in sand, and buries the hosel of his club into the verdant turf. He was looking ice-cool less than an hour ago, but now the heat is rising. This is Masters golf, young Jordan. I wonder if Rory is watching this in the clubhouse, wishing the poor chap God speed?
9.54pm BST
McIlroy ended the day by scribbling his name on the bottom of a 69. Even par for the tournament. He's currently in the top ten, so this will probably end up being his best finish at the Masters. But it won't feel like that. Fowler can't capitalise on that magical chip at 9; he's bogeyed 10 and is back to -2. John Senden is currently -2 too, after birdie at 13. And Jimenez has birdied 10 to move back up to -2 too. A fair bit of shoogling around down the leaderboard, then, but it's all really about the top four of Watson, Spieth, Blixt and Kuchar. Right now it is, anyway. And on 10, Blixt and Kuchar make do with pars. These lads are slowing up a bit. Behind them, Bubba and Spieth are having to wait around on every hole.
9.49pm BST
What a putt by Bubba Watson! This birdie chance is only about ten feet from the hole, but there's a massive right-to-left break on it. He sends it out wide, and it's always curling back into the cup, a perfectly judged effort! All of a sudden, he's carded four birdies in six holes! And he's -8! Poor young Spieth, however, races his putt up the hill six feet past, and is left with a tricky downhill tiddler. His putt dips as it skates the right lip, and considers dropping, but buggers off down the slope instead. Spieth's left with a tricky four-footer coming back up. To his immense credit, he takes a deep breath and sinks it. But what a swing over the last two holes. On the 8th tee, Spieth was two in front. Now he's two behind. Here's how it looks:
-8: Bubba (9)
-6: Speith (9)
-4: Blixt (9)
-3: Kuchar (9)
9.43pm BST
Spieth is currently wobbling a little for the first time. After the three-putt bogey and two-shot swing at 8, his approach to 9 finds the green, but topples back off it and away down the fairway. A tricky two shots up the slope to save his par. Bubba meanwhile has his tail up, and hits his pin high. He'll have a ten-footer for birdie.
9.41pm BST
Kuchar, trying to read a baroque roadmap on the 9th green, does marvellously well to get up and down in two. Bogey, which might feel like a par, sort of. He's back to -3. Blixt has a similar putt, a huge right-angled right-to-left break down the slope. His is for par, though. He's -4. "When I was 20, I was drinking cheap wine in my bedroom, writing poor poetry, working part time in a job I didn't enjoy, and generally tooling around," reminisces Matt Dony. "I hate Jordan Spieth."
9.37pm BST
Bubba nearly knocks in his chip from the back of 8. He's got one coming back up the hill from four feet for birdie. And it's in. He's -7, and level with Spieth, who can only find the heart of the green with his pitch, and is left with a 40-footer for birdie. He leaves a nervy six-footer for par - which he misses. A terrible three-putt. On 9, Kuchar tries to send a low fizzer through the gaps in the trees, but clips a branch. He'll have a difficult third into the green. He'll have a 90-degree-breaking 30-footer for par. Oh me, oh my. That four-putt on 4 really took the wind out of his sails after a birdie-birdie start.
-7: Spieth (8), Bubba (8)
-4: Kuchar (8), Blixt (8)
-3: Fowler (9)
-2: Bjorn (10)
9.30pm BST
Rickie Fowler started with a birdie, but handed the shot straight back at 2, and that stalled any potential charge. He's been pars all the way to the turn, but the way he made four at 9 might just get him going again. Off the back in three, he bumps a chip into the heart of the green and sends it looping round to the left and into the cup from 40 feet! If Augusta had a roof! He slaps hands in celebration with Jimenez, the old boy genuinely happy to see his friend sink that one and keep his hopes alive. Fowler's still -3, and not out of this.
9.26pm BST
Spieth sends his second at 8 up the right, and it doesn't hook back round. He's way off piste, a bank between his ball and the green. Bubba sends his straight through the green and down the slope at the back. Blixt has his tail up, and clatters a drive straight down 9. Kuchar whistles his into trees down the left. More from Mac Millings: "Goodness gracious, I misread the opening to your 9.06 entry as 'Jose Maria Olazabal died', and became the second Millings in short order to flee the room in a flood of tears and snot."
9.23pm BST
Disaster for Couples, whose challenge looks to be over. After three-putting 10 and dropping a shot, he pulls his approach at 11 into the drink. Ach. He's -2 right now, but not for much longer. The banks of Amen Corener weren't in the mood to save him, 1992-style, or indeed Friday style, there. Par for Kuchar at 8, the latest player to be fooled by the slower green. He leaves his birdie effort well short. Par. But Blixt gets up and down from off the back for birdie! The Gunslinger's not giving this up yet! He joins his playing partner at -4. "I thank you for your continuing coverage, especially as my kids are currently dominating the box, but could you ask 8.55pm's Simon McMahon to watch his potty mouth?" asks Mac Millings. "I'm a simple man, and have to read your MBM aloud to achieve full comprehension. Two of the kids have their hands over their ears, while the third ran out of the room in a flood of tears and snot."
9.17pm BST
Amen Corner to come, of course. But even so. The quality of golf so far. He's 20!
9.15pm BST
Jordan Spieth, though. He's 20!
9.14pm BST
McIlroy makes an awful bollocks of 15. He's down the back in two, and takes four to get down. In the hottest of hot funks, he plucks his ball from the cup and in one smooth motion sends it whistling behind him into the lake. The crowd "ooooh" as though they're waving imaginary sarcastic handbags. McIlroy then flings his putter with some force into his bag, before stomping off to 16 - and hitting his tee shot to six feet. Birdie. Ah the ups and downs of professional sport.
9.13pm BST
Mind out, everyone, superstar coming through! Bubba watches the wind take his high-flighted approach at 7 into a bunker front right. He's plugged, and has to punch out. But he uses his misfortune to his own advantage, landing his ball 20 feet behind the flag and using the slope to guide the ball back to five feet. Par. But never mind that! Spieth sends his approach at 7 over the flag, leaving a 12-foot downhill right-to-left dribbler. He sends a careful birdie putt down the green, perfectly weighted. It uses its last drop of energy to fall into the cup. Spieth fistpumps. He's -8, and two ahead again. That's two birdies on the bounce, four birdies in the first seven, and we could be watching the arrival of a new superstar here!
9.06pm BST
Jose Maria Olazabal birdied the last today, incidentally, signing for another excellent weekend 73. He ended the tournament +6. And he's likely to end it as the last European winner of this event, still, isn't he? 1999, though. A long time ago.
9.04pm BST
Bubba rattles in his birdie. And Spieth follows him in. A pair of 2s. The pair nod at each other in appreciation. What sportsmanship! Speaking of which, Andy Bull reports that Spieth "calls everyone older than him 'Mr' and will be calling Bubba 'Mr Watson' during their round. 'That's fine,' Bubba said when he heard, 'when I'm hitting it past him.'" The latest leaderboard after Kuchar saves par on 7 with a steady 12-foot saver while Blixt drops one after an errant drive...
-7: Spieth (6)
-6: Bubba (6)
-4: Kuchar (7)
-3: Couples (9), Bjorn (8), Fowler (7), Blixt (7)
-2: Furyk (7)
8.57pm BST
If Rory is to regret his 77 on Friday, then Jimmy Walker will have nightmares about yesterday's 76. He's just banged in back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14, to move to -1 for the tournament. He's -3 for his round today, too little, too late. Shame shame shame. Ah well, at least he gets to sleep under the stars.
8.55pm BST
Shot of the day by Spieth. He is relentless, with a jaw-dropping ability to shrug off mishaps. He's sent his tee shot at 6 straight at the flag, to four feet. A simple uphill putt for his birdie. That's made Bubba's excellent tee shot, using the tilt at the back right of the green to gather a shot to within ten feet of the flag, look distinctly average. This is just silly. "Sorry Scott, I don't think I've ever swore on the MBM before, but like the Four Tops, I can't help myself," writes Simon McMahon, who has moved on from Gallacher & Lyle to the early work of Edwyn Collins and friends. "This is bloomin' magic. And it's not even nine o'clock."
8.51pm BST
Kuchar hits his tee shot at 6 pin high, 12 feet from the flag. But not for the first time today, he leaves his putt up left. He'll remain at -4. Bubba gets up and down to save his par at 5. Spieth's par putt is all over the place, but he rattles in the four-foot bogey putt confidently enough. The lead's down to one: Spieth's at -6. Up on 16, Donaldson can't convert his superlative tee shot into a birdie. Shame. He stays level. And on 14, the possibly demob happy Rory McIlroy, unconcerned by his troubles at 13, clacks his approach to six feet and rolls in the birdie putt. He's level par! Five birdies in the last eight holes. He's going to look back at his 77 on Friday with some regret.
8.47pm BST
A stroke of luck for Spieth, who splashes out of the sand and nearly sends his ball toppling off the top shelf of the green, where the pin is, and all the way back down to the front. But it stays put, and he'll have a 20-footer for par. Not ideal, but it could be a whole load worse. McIlroy bogeyed 13, and he's back to +1. But Jamie Donaldson's been going well: birdies at 7, 9 and 10 took him to +1, and after sending his approach at 15 over the water and onto the green, another birdie has taken him to level par. And now he's sent his tee shot at 16 to within eight feet of the flag!
8.44pm BST
Couples leaves his 60-foot eagle effort on 8 a good 15 feet short. Hm. And he can't make the birdie effort. On Sky, Mark Roe is understanding, suggesting that the green is playing up a wee bit, fooling everyone, the ball running significantly slower here than almost everywhere else. But even so, that's a terrible waste. He remains at -3. Back on 5, Speith comes down to earth with a bump: he fizzes a drive down the left, then sends his approach into a greenside bunker down that side. What a test he's got to save his par. Across the fairway, Bubba is hitting out of the second cut, and he whistles his approach towards the same bunker. It stops just short, but he'll have quite a poser for par, too. This Masters is twisting and turning with extreme prejudice.
8.39pm BST
Couples creams a long fairway wood into the heart of 8. He'll have a long two-putt for birdie. Up on 13, McIlroy's been on a bit of a charge: birdies at 7, 8, 9 and 11 taking him to level par, and a booming drive down 13. But with a wedge in his hand, he finds Rae's Creek. He so nearly pitched that on the front of the green, near the flag, where an eagle would have been within his grasp. But now it's likely to be bogey, and any strange notions of posting a testing clubhouse figure are gone. He's just not been consistent enough this week, tee to green. And let's not mention that putter.
8.35pm BST
I've not really mentioned Thomas Bjorn yet. He birdied 3, and has been otherwise staunch and steady. Now he's clattered his approach into the heart of 7, the ball curling back round and down towards the hole. He'll have a glacial ten-footer for birdie. But wait for this! Spieth bumps his ball out of the bunker, and sends it scampering straight into the cup! That was clearly going straight into the hole from the moment it landed on the putting surface! This is astonishing! There wasn't even that much in the way of green to play with there! But a lot of sand stretching out in front of him. He's -7 now, though only two in the lead, because Bubba knocks in his short birdie putt. This is shaping up to be a stunning battle. Don't go away. I know you're not going to go away.
8.32pm BST
Mind you, things change mighty fast at Augusta National. Bubba responds by sending his iron on 4 straight at the flag. He'll have an uphill putt from six feet for birdie. Spieth meanwhile is in a bunker at the front. These two could easily be tied again soon enough. Kuchar is still on a downer, though, slicing an awful drive into the trees down the right of 5.
8.30pm BST
Kuchar can't knock in the bogey putt. Four putts, and that's a double bogey. Coupled with Bubba's bogey a couple of minutes back, Spieth (20!) is suddenly two clear of the field!
-6: Spieth (3)
-4: Kuchar (4), Blixt (4), Watson (4)
-3: Couples (7), Bjorn (6), Fowler (3)
8.27pm BST
Freddie Couples is one dimple away from knocking in a 30-foot downhill right-to-left breaker on 7 for birdie. The crowd make loud sounds of disappointment and displeasure, but Fred looks content enough. He knows he's playing damn well. Imagine if he does this! meanwhile on 4, Kuchar is pin high, 12 feet away, putting for par. It stays out on the left, then takes a right turn down the green. He'll have a tester just to record a bogey, but ta-ra to that lead for now.
8.25pm BST
News of Jimenez, who has started in very uneven fashion: bogey, birdie, bogey. He's now +1 for the day through 4, and -2 for the tournament. Rose drains a 15-footer on 6 to save par; he's +1 for his round right now, but that might steady the ship. Level par. On 8, Poulter misses a tiddler for par: +1. I'd suggest his race is run. And on 3, Bubba drops a shot after missing a short par putt. He's back to -4. He really hasn't looked that happy this weekend. Very strange, considering the form he was in for the opening two rounds. He's not a big fan of front-running during tournaments. Spieth pars to remain at -6. A very steady start by the young man.
8.20pm BST
A final round of 76 for Oliver Goss, the only amateur to survive the cut. The 20-year-old, born in Surrey and runner-up in last year's US Amateur, wins the silver cup. He ends the tournament at +10, a magnificent effort.
8.18pm BST
One of the rounds of the day so nearly completed by Stewart Cink. He's picked up strokes at 7, 13, 14 and 16. He's coming up 18, and par will give him a 68 and set a clubhouse mark of +1. McIlroy hits what is probably the approach of the week at the prohibitively difficult 11th. He lands his ball a yard behind the stick, and it comes spinning back to a foot or so. Birdie, and he's -3 for the day, and level for the tournament. Where has this form been hiding? Too little, too late. What a terrible shame.
8.15pm BST
Scrub that about Spieth being out alone up front! Kuchar, who escaped from 15 yesterday with chip of the year, has just bundled one in with his wedge from the back of 3! He's -6, and this could be his time. He's been sniffing around long enough, after all. Speaking of longevity, Couples rakes in a par saver from the fringe at 6! Stunning! Here's how we stand:
-6: Kuchar (3), Spieth (2)
-5: Watson (2)
-4: Blixt (3)
-3: Couples (6), Bjorn (5), Fowler (4)
8.12pm BST
Back on 2, young Jordan Spieth takes sole ownership of the lead by sliding in a 12-foot left-to-right birdie putt. He's -6, and out on his own for the first time this week. He's not been driving particularly well so far, but that should settle the early nerves. Couples in a spot of bother at 6, finding thick, lush grass at the back right of the green and failing to reach the putting surface with his chip back
8.10pm BST
Thanks to Dan there. And no need to apologise re Jimenez! Nobody will be happier than me to see him in the Butler Cabin just after midnight, trying to put on a Green Jacket with glass of red in one hand and lit Cohiba in the other. A little do-si-do with Billy Layne and Jim Nantz, prime-time CBS entertainment at its best. A birdie finally for Ian Poulter, on 7, and he's back to level par. The news isn't so good for Lee Westwood, who is up to his old tricks with the putter. After bogey on 3, he's just taken three putts from five feet at 4, and that's a double bogey. He's back to +1, and bye bye bye.
8.02pm BST
Birdie for Kuchar, who is now tied for the lead after an easy short birdie putt. Fred Couples is only two off the lead and looking very cool. He rolls in a third straight par at 5 to follow on from two birdies on the opening holes. I'm still cheering Jimenez on though, sorry Scott Murray.
Speaking of Scott Murray, he's back! Hope you didn't all miss him too much. Bye folks!
7.59pm BST
Blixt has a tough shot here at 2. He's in the bracken to the left but plays a decent shot on to the green; it doesn't bounce forwards though and there will be no birdie here I imagine; it's a good 30ft short. Bjorn, cool as you like, has found the cup with a par putt from the fringe and McIlroy has just fallen short with a long-range birdie putt at 10, which has been a bit of a nightmare hole for him on days 1-3. Kuchar hits one of the shots of the day with a nice lob on 2, which goes just to the right of the hole and I think gives him a shot at a birdie. Blixt is too high with a long-range birdie putt that breaks miles left to right.
7.54pm BST
Westwood is unlucky not to save par here at 3. His approach was poor and sliced off to the right of the green, but an excellent chip on gave him a chance to save par. It's not an easy putt, breaking hard from left to right from 8ft or so, but it brushes the edge of the hole on its way past. I say unlucky, but it's his fault for being off to the right in the first place I guess.
7.52pm BST
Fowler can't make it birdie putt and it's a tricky-ish one for par from four feet. Oh he's hit the rim and is left with another four-footer for bogie. He makes it, but that was a bit of a mess. Jimenez has tapped in for a birdie at 2 to go back to even par for the day, while just behind him Spieth can't make his birdie putt. Bubba has a similar lie, pretty flat, just a little closer. 12 feet I'd say. Ah shows what I know: there's a soupcon of turn to the left and he too settles for par.
"I just hope the pressure doesn't turn Spieth in to a basket case," writes Green Day fan Matt Dony, "or cause him to burn out. He's probably taking the long view, and thinking 'when I come around the to the last holes, I might get a welcome to paradise. And Bubba can FOD.'"
7.48pm BST
This doesn't look pleasant for Jordan Spieth, who is under the trees with a tricky lie on the left. It's a good recovery though, low on to the green where it gets over the first ridge and then comes back down the second to lie level with the pin. Watson's tee shot wasn't as good as I thought, ending up as it did in the bunker rather than above it. His recovery is wonderful though and leaves him with a 12ft putt for a birdie. More bad luck for Poulter as he can't get it over the ridge on the sixth green and it trickles back down the slope.
7.45pm BST
Jonas Blixt, whose name reminds me of a Bond villain, saves par with a tricky-ish 6-footer on the first. That's more than Justin Rose can do though, as he dribbles a very weak putt short, breaking right to left on the third, which means he'll drop back to even par.
7.42pm BST
Here come the leaders. Jordan Speith is first up and is that nerves? He's hooked that left into the pine needles and it doesn't look like the easiest of lies. You can't blame him: he wasn't born when Dookie came out for crying out loud! It's a good drive from Watson and he's just above the bunker, 100 yards or so from the green. Poulter has just missed a birdie putt, which won't please him.
7.40pm BST
Rickie Fowler didn't really look like being much of a contender on days one and two at least I don't recall anyone really talking about him but a birdie on the opening hole has seen him take a share of second place at -4 (1). McIlroy now has three birdies on the spin and comes in +1. Here's the leaderboard:
-5 Jordan Spieth
-5 Bubba Watson
-4 Rickie Fowler (1)
-4 Matt Kuchar
-4 Jonas Blixt
-3 Fred Couples (3)
-2 Lee Westwood (2)
-2 Jim Furyk (1)
-2 Thomas Bjorn (1)
-2 Miguel Angel Jimenez (1)
7.35pm BST
Thanks Scott. My hands tend to hurt enough after a session of the OBO, so quite how the marvellous Mr. Murray has been handling these epic shifts is a thing of wonder. Still, I'll try and keep up the standard as best I can.
Fans of Rory McIlroy which I understand many of you are will be pleased to know that he's recorded back-to-back birdies at 7 and 8. Fans of Rory McIlroy will still be grumbling though as he's seven shots off the lead and in need of a Kim Jong Il-esque round to have a hope today. It's not going to happen. Meanwhile Ian Poulter is about to drop at least one shot at the fourth.
7.30pm BST
A long par putt for Poulter on 4, the result of finding sand at the front right of the green. He's back to +1, and doesn't appear to be in any kind of mood for a charge. He's in a kind of mood, though. Back on 1, Jimenez leaves his approach short of the green, and utters some colourful words in a romantic European language. Fowler however hits his ten feet past the pin for a birdie chance. Hardly a gimme, as it's downhill, but decent enough. Senden prods an uncertain par putt on 3 wide of the cup. He's back to -1.
And with that, I'm off for a bowl of - you know the score - Hamburger Helper. Try and get the jingle out of your head.* The glove chases me in my dreams. Anyway, Dan Lucas is your man for the next half hour or so. See you soon!
7.24pm BST
Jimenez and Fowler are out. Either man would be an extremely popular winner. The Spaniard wangs his opening drive down the left, the American down the right. Down on the green, steady pars for Jim Furyk and Lee Westwood. Meanwhile up on 2, Couples makes it two birdies in a row, splashing out from the bunker to 12 feet, then stroking in a tricky left-to-right downhill putt. Already a sense that things are slowly simmering up. We should be at a rolling boil by 9pm UK time, which is 4pm in the local measurement.
7.21pm BST
An early contender for round of the day, from a man in the opening pairing. Joost Luiten - who ruined 1970s Radio 2 listener Simon McMahon's day at 5.28pm - birdies the last, and signs for a 67. That's only been matched this week by Rickie Fowler, and bettered by Miguel Angel Jimenez. He ends the tournament at +4, and for what it's worth is the current clubhouse leader. Eh?
7.17pm BST
More trouble for Poulter, this time in a bunker to the side of the 3rd green. But he hits the flag when splashing out. Par. Back on 2, Senden takes up Scott's Antipodean slack, with birdie at 2: he's -2. A shocking start yesterday, three bogeys and a double in the first seven holes, but Senden simply refuses to go away. The 42-year-old is really coming into form towards the end of his career.
7.11pm BST
Birdie for Freddie Couples on 1! He rolls in a 25-foot left-to-right curler from the back of the green. He's -2! And so the charge of the superannuated swingers begins. Come on Freddie, come on Miguel Angel. Meanwhile a birdie for Sandy Lyle on 16! He's +7, what a fine week he's had. He eagled 13, by the way. Alexander Walter Barr Lyle. I like typing that. Alexander Walter Barr Lyle, who hit the greatest shot, and winning putt, in Masters history. Only two majors, but a legacy as good as any, huh?
7.05pm BST
Poulter makes his par. That's not ideal, but at least he's got out of a badly played hole without any serious damage. "Come on Rory!" shouts a wag in the crowd, perhaps taking the painfully unfunny "Come on Tim" schtick Andy Murray has to put up with at Wimbledon as his comedy template. Probably best to workshop that one a little while longer. Another godawful start by Adam Scott, meanwhile, with bogeys at 2 and 3. He's +3, and won't be joining the select group of back-to-back Masters winners: Jack Nicklaus, the criminally underrated Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Australia's charge this year is down to John Senden, then, who has opened with a par and stays at -1.
7.00pm BST
Poulter is making a bit of a mess of the 2nd hole, sending his third shot from the second cut short right of the green. With a bunker in between ball and hole, he's got a job to save par. This could already be a serious blow to his already slim chances of doing something today; this hole has been offering up plenty of birdies to the field. A really good fourth shot, a chip bumped up the green and swung round towards the hole, left to right, and he'll have a six footer to save par. He can't afford to give up birdie opportunities like 2, never mind drop a shot. Jason Day, a wee bit earlier, showed how it's done; his birdie there takes him to +1 overall. How Day must rue that mini-collapse around the turn on Thursday, when five shots went between 8 and 11. Par golf there, and he'd be in with a chance of another second-place finish.
6.47pm BST
Oosthuizen's just creamed a gorgeous approach into 7, and will reclaim the shot he gave back to the field at 6. It's into the heart of the green, the ball breaking round to the right and creeping to the back of the hole, two feet away. He's +1 overall again. Back on 1, Poulter doesn't hit his uphill 25-footer for birdie, but that'll be an opening par, and he'll stay at level par for the tournament.
6.45pm BST
Bad news for the overnight leaders. Angel Cabrera was the last man to be at the top of the tree after 54 holes at the Masters and remain there at the reckoning, and that was back in 2009. Since then, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Peter Hanson and, last year, Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker have all failed to convert their ideal positions into wins. Some really poor final rounds in there too: Rory's humiliating 80, a 75 for Snedeker last year, and a fairly stodgy 73 for Hanson two years ago. God speed, Bubba and young Jordan!
6.41pm BST
Langer's back on it, with birdie at 5. He's back to level par for the tournament. There's nobody out on the course on a better mark. But all the leaders will be out within the hour. It's slowly beginning to warm up. Poulter - red shoes, incidentally - clips his second into the heart of the 1st. That should be an opening-hole par, unless he does something amazing or very stupid with the flat stick.
6.38pm BST
Ian Poulter tees off. He pearls his opening drive straight down the middle. He's in a splendid ensemble of blue shirt, blue, red and white checked pants - more tartan than gingham, I'd say, though I'm prepared to be corrected by the fashionistas - and a neon orange peaked cap. It works better than it sounds. "If there are scoring opportunities, there must be 15 or so in with a shout, probably down to Poulter," argues Seamus Devlin, not without reason. "If Ryder Cup Poults turns up, who knows?" Indeed. Meanwhile, Stricker and Kirk have both birdied 2: they're +1. Oosthuizen drops a stroke at 6; he's back to +2. And wanderin' stargazer Jimmy Walker, who was in hot form until his 76 yesterday, birdied the opening hole and is +1 overall through the first four holes.
6.29pm BST
Nobody threatening to do a Woodland, Jimenez or Fowler as of yet. The defending champion Adam Scott, who looked to be the major threat this week after his opening day 69, stumbled to a 76 yesterday. He's out and about already, far too early for his own liking. Par on the opening hole. Also with steady starts down the first: Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Steve Stricker and Jason Day. Rory McIlroy, who has been a bitter disappointment this week, his putter a risible piece of metal nonsense, has opened with three pars, but he's hit his tee shot at 4 fat, and will do well to get up and down from behind a bunker.
6.17pm BST
Case in point, Bernhard Langer, who has just followed up his birdie-eagle start by dropping one at 3. He's back to +1. A quiet start to the day. The calm before the storm, I'll be bound.
6.13pm BST
So much for Bowditch's flying start: he's double-bogeyed 4, and is back down at +3. Augusta National can be stripped naked of shots if you're feeling frisky. However, it can also handcuff you to the headboard and run off with your keys, wallet, trousers and shoes.
6.04pm BST
A blistering start by 2012 runner-up Louis Oosthuizen. He's birdied 1 and 2, and is +1 overall, six off the lead. He'd need to post something really daft, and the greens would have to be baked into concrete later this afternoon, so hard as to cause multiple golfing nervous breakdowns near the top of the leaderboard. But he's clearly decided he's not going to go away wondering. The same applies to the 1985 and 1993 champ Bernhard Langer, who has just eagled 2 and, three under for his round already, is level par overall! Now, let's be honest, all of this will probably have little significance unless one of the great tales is about to be told. But if nothing else, we're learning that scores are certainly out there, which augurs well for some preposterous drama later. It's on!
5.56pm BST
A lot of talk about how this week has been lacking a little without Tiger Woods. Undoubtedly golf's biggest star and greatest talent has been greatly missed, but I wonder if the biggest hole at Augusta today is Phil Mickelson shaped? Lefty loves nothing more than making ridiculous charges through the field on Masters Sunday, but this year he missed the cut for the first time since 1997. It's not quite the same without him bothering the others at the top of the leaderboard, or standing in the trees with a confused look on his face, realising the run of six birdies he's just made was all in vain now he's needlessly winged a shot under the azaleas. With an era nearer its end than its beginning, this is the first taste of what life will be like after Tiger and Phil have gone. Golf will prevail, of course, but the thought furrows the brow nonetheless.
5.48pm BST
Here, in that roll call of ageing former champions I forgot to mention Vijay Singh. He's had a pretty steady week, the highlight his 71 on Friday, and he's opened well today, with a birdie at 3. He's +3 overall for the tournament. Langer, who I did remember, has birdied the opening hole to move to +2.
5.43pm BST
Steven Bowditch started the day at +4, so even if he shoots something daft like 64, you suspect he's too far back to make any real difference. But he's the first player to come properly flying out of the traps: the Aussie has eagled 2, and followed it up with a birdie at 3. He's suddenly +1 overall, and no doubt an inspiration to quite a few of those chaps who'll be teeing off around the level-par mark.
5.38pm BST
Mind you, Simon McMahon's right. Gallacher and Luiten doesn't roll off the tongue so well, does it? A real mouthful, like Sunderland Brothers & Quiver, or Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (a group which would surely pick up more than its fair share of citations for slow play). Luiten's one of the few chaps out on the course in red figures at the moment, -1 for his round through 10, though +8 overall. His partner Gallacher is back to his old tricks, though, double bogeying 10 for the second day in a row. This hole has cost Scotland's finest five shots this week. Seeing he's only +7 overall, that's been pretty costly for him.
5.28pm BST
It might be getting a wee bit much for the local hero Mize today, but his opening rounds of 74 and 72 were damn fine, and some of the other old champions have been putting in a good shift this week, too. Fred Couples is obviously the standout turn - more of him later - but two-time winner Bernhard Langer starts the day at +3, Mike Weir is one under for his round today through 8 holes, Sandy Lyle shot a level-par 72 on Friday and is only +2 for his round through 8 today, and the last European to emerge victorious here, Jose Maria Olazabal, has birdied 2 and is +4 overall. Hats off to all of these good men and true. "I was hoping that Gallacher and Lyle would be paired together today, and that they both might breakaway from the chasing pack," quips superannuated pop kid Simon McMahon, crafting hit-parade-based