Third round putting problems have dropped New Zealand golfer Danny Lee eight-shots off the pace at the US Masters.
Kiwi Lee carded a third round 79 today to fall from tied third to tied 23rd on a day when he was outstanding off the tee and with his approach play, but struggled desperately on the greens.
Teeing off in the penultimate group ahead of superstars Rory McIlroy and defending champion American Jordan Spieth, there can be no doubt Lee's swing held up to the pressure of a late tee-time in a major championship.
However, with the greens at Augusta National devilishly firm and fast, the 25-year-old said he has never encountered surfaces so brutal in his life.
"My ball striking today was phenomenal, I just made so many silly three-putts," Lee said.
"I've just never putted on greens like this before, if that's an excuse. It was so fast, I didn't even know what to do out there. It was like putting on ice.
"Probably my Dad could have putted better than that, but, it's good experience and hopefully I'll put up a better number tomorrow."
Five dropped shots over the first six holes included three three-putts for the New Zealand No1 -- a start which put a major dent in his hopes of pulling off a shock win this week.
To his credit though, Lee battled on to post birdies on the eighth, 10th and 12th on his way to a seven-over par 79.
Lee enters tomorrow's final round on five-over par, eight shots adrift of Spieth who leads by one on three-under after blowing a four-shot advantage with a bogey, double bogey finish. American rookie Smylie Kaufman is second on two-under while the tie for third a further shot back includes Japanese Hideki Matsuyama and, incredibly, 58-year old German Bernhard Langer, the 1985 and 1993 champion.
American Spieth's late stumble has also opened the door to a raft of other players tomorrow, including a dangerous trio on even par of American Dustin Johnson, Aussie Jason Day and Englishman Danny Willett.
Meanwhile, Northern Irishman McIlroy's hopes of completing the career grand slam have taken a hit, scoring a five-over par 77 today to be five shots behind.
Despite today's disappointment for Lee, he still has a huge amount to play for in tomorrow's final round - where a top 12 finish would earn him an automatic invitation to next year's Masters.
"That's very important and I'll be very happy to finish high up there. But I want to go out there and just learn how to putt on these kinds of greens," he said.
"I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself, I just want to learn. I gained a lot form that experience today, I've definitely learned I can compete in majors.
"There was a lot of stress out there. I'm mentally pooped right now."
- By Simon Plumb of the New Zealand Herald at Augusta National Golf Club
