After a busy moving day, we have the results of the LeanTossup Masters after the third round – and oh boy is Sunday shaping up like a doozy. There’s so many takeaways, so let’s dig in:

Erik van Rooyen, Welcome To The History Books

Whether he wins or not, Erik van Rooyen is in the history books as the 54 hole leader at Augusta. Will he go down as Rory in 2011 did, a 54-hole leader who self-combusted, or as Patrick Reed in 2018, who held on to win? We’ll have to see, but either way, the European Tour star has played extremely well through three days. The only of the three 36 hole leaders to shoot under par today, van Rooyen’s 71 was good enough to see him alone in first at -9.

Tommy Fleetwood – Always The Bridesmaid?

After a solid 69 to get to 8-under, Tommy Fleetwood finds himself in the final group at a major, and hoping to break his history – admittedly, US Open history – of being close, but losing. For Fleetwood, his lack of PGA Tour wins counts against him in some people’s minds, but he is a staple of good leaderboard positions and of the European Ryder Cup team. The last time an Englishman went out in the final group at Augusta, he lost, so hopefully Fleetwood can break that tradition, for his sake.

Low Round Of The Day… Tony Finau

Tony Finau has one of the best stories in Masters history – after dislocating his ankle during the Wednesday Par 3 contest, Finau played the tournament anyways – and would end up in a tie for 10th, when all things were done. This week, his struggle hasn’t quite been so bad, but after an opening round 77, he clawed his way back with a 68-66 next couple of days to sit at -5, in the pack that is lingering. With the only 66 on the board this round, Finau made his move, aided by the fact that none of the leaders went low. From a 77 to 4 strokes back going into Sunday? What a recovery.

Watson and Poulter Fall Back

Bubba Watson, the 36-hole co leader, managed to blow it all with a 4-over 76 on Saturday, moving as he was supposed to – just in the wrong direction. For the former champion it’s surprising – Bubba usually likes Bubba tracks, and this kind of implosion at a course Bubba loves is unexpected. As for Poulter, he wasn’t a favourite to win after Friday, but he was in the pack at 5-under, and his 75 catapulted him out of that range. For the two of them, low Sunday’s might be enough, but they’ll be looking at strokes they should have had back on Saturday if they come up short.

Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy Highlight The Chasers

For Westwood, a -4 day puts him in the hunt, tied with Finau at -5, lurking in his quest for his best major. A true legend, Westwood was a winner on the European Tour earlier this year, so this form shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. That he is still competitive at Augusta is quite impressive. In terms of Rory, a 70 keeps him in play, and he closed the gap by a stroke. While McIlroy’s Augusta history is less than auspicious, he is still the greatest golfer in the world, and if he pulled a Jordan Spieth and went low on Sunday I wouldn’t be shocked. Bryson DeChambeau also decided to show up on Saturday with a 68 to get to -4. If he can repeat the trick he could be live, but it’s probably too little too late for the suddenly jacked Bryson.

Fowler Leading The Baker’s Bay Trio

For Rickie Fowler, bearing his Par-3 Contest playing partners has to have some value – the friendships he has with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are well documented – and there must be some happiness for Fowler that his 68 leapfrogged the other two, as he sits at -3. Jordan shot a 71 to sit at -1, and will play with Tiger Woods on Sunday, whereas Justin’s 70 was good enough to get him back to even for the Tournament. If none of them are going to win the actual prize, there’s no doubt some bragging rights will be on the line on Sunday.

Leaderboard

Worst Round Of The Day

Collin Morikawa took an 80 on Saturday, and is currently sitting in last place. A promising young golfer, Morikawa’s game has been trending to a win all season – and hopefully this round doesn’t suggest it won’t. A 70-73-80 card for the youngster isn’t deadly, however – there’s at least some sign he belongs.