Day 3 Masters roundtable: Will Tiger win his fifth green jacket?

AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’ll be a different Sunday at Augusta National, with early tee times and threesomes off two tees. But it could also be quite a day with Tiger Woods firmly in the mix. PGATOUR.COM’s writers tackle the big questions going into the final round at Augusta National.

Let’s get right to it: Is Tiger winning his fifth green jacket Sunday?

BEN EVERILL (Staff Writer): Dare to dream! My head says no because Molinari is an iceman but the heart says yes, yes, yes! Maybe the massive roars can shake the Italian’s granite-like demeanor.

SEAN MARTIN (Senior Editor): No. Molinari was seeing Sunday red at Carnoustie and look how he performed. The Molinari family already has wins at Merion and Carnoustie. They’ll add Augusta National to the mix on Sunday. The brothers Molinari are a combined Hogan.

MIKE McALLISTER (Managing Editor): No. Perhaps if it was anybody but Molinari at the top, I might be inclined to say yes. But Frankie seems unflappable, and that two-shot lead seems huge. But a Tiger win wouldn’t be the worst thing for golf.

CAMERON MORFIT (Staff Writer): Number of Tiger Woods majors when trailing heading into final round: 0. Now, I'm not saying he has no chance, but Molinari doesn't seem likely to falter, given how he won while playing Tiger eye-to-eye at the Open Championship.

If Molinari wins, how would you sum up his last 12 months?

EVERILL: Phenomenal. Sensational. Pick your own superlative. I was trying to think what it loosely reminded me of. Then I remembered Padraig Harrington’s golden run of three majors in quick time. If Frankie wins tomorrow, I’m not prepared to say the run won’t continue.

MARTIN: Incredible. The transformation he’s undergone should serve as an inspiration to any TOUR player. He was a consistent presence in the top 50 of the world ranking, but now he’s a world-beater. The 36-year-old has won as many titles in the past 12 months as he did in his first 12 years as a pro.

McALLISTER: Grandezza. I have no clue if that’s the proper use of the Italian definition for greatness (I probably should know; I took two years of Italian in college) but it certainly seems apt if he wins. Two majors, two more PGA TOUR wins, one other European Tour win … oh, and a 5-0-0 record at the Ryder Cup.

MORFIT: A stunning transformation. He changed so much about his putting stroke he compared it to starting over again left-handed, and has gotten 20 yards longer since realizing he just couldn't compete with the likes of Rory and D.J. A lot of guys try to revamp their games, but how many are this successful? You can count them on one hand.

If it’s not Tiger or Molinari, who do you like?

EVERILL: Brooks Koepka. He has not had his best stuff the last two rounds yet there he is, just three back. Nothing will worry him Sunday, not Tiger, not anything.

MARTIN: I think you have to look at Koepka. He’s only three back and always a threat in major championships.

McALLISTER: Given that seven of the last eight Masters winners were first-time major winners, I’m partial to Finau. Might be asking a lot with this loaded leaderboard, but he’s certainly got the game for it.

MORFIT: I agree, Mike. First of all, he fits the mold of a Masters winner with his huge game and towering drives and approaches. Second, he's due. And third, there might be some of that Masters mojo at work as he's reportedly carrying around one of the late Billy Casper's golf balls in his bag.

Earlier tee times and threesomes on Sunday. Does that make any kind of impact?

EVERILL: Plays right into the hands of a Tony Finau type contender. No long wait to tee off. Just get up and go!

MARTIN: I think it helps Finau the most because he doesn’t have to wait around all day for the last tee time. The quick turnaround gives less time to stew about what’s at stake.

McALLISTER: It’ll help the players who are the most nervous, or perhaps the most inexperienced in these situations. Less time to sleep on and think about the pressure that awaits.

MORFIT: I'm guessing it will speed up play a little, and cut down on Netflix time for the leaders. Otherwise, I don't think it'll make much difference. The course will still be soft, as it's been all week.