Ryan Moore’s third-hole double bogey derails Masters bid

Puyallup’s Ryan Moore experienced a new feeling Sunday at the Masters starting the final round in contention for his first major championship.

Then it all gave way to a familiar pull-your-hair-out feeling at the third hole at Augusta National Golf Club.

Moore made a double bogey on the shortest par-4 hole on the course, knocking him down the leaderboard. He ended up finishing with a disappointing 2-over-par 74 in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday.

Not all was lost — Moore, the Cascade Christian graduate, registered his best career Masters showing, finishing tied for ninth at 2-under 286.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia won the Masters in a sudden-death playoff on the first hole over England’s Justin Rose after the two golfers finished regulation at 9-under 279.

For Moore, the momentum from an early birdie came to a halt at hole No. 3.

Moore rolled in a 12-foot putt at the second hole to climb to 5-under for the tournament and just two shots off the lead.

The third hole is a straightaway par 4, measuring 350 yards with an unforgiving green complex that severely shifts at a diagonal — with run-offs at all corners of the putting surface.

The prudent strategy is to lay way back off the tee, which Moore did.

But his second shot from 140 yards hit the left-side apron and took a bounce into the greenside bunker.

With little green to work with, Moore blasted his third shot 30 feet past the hole.

But his first putt crept 8 feet away, and he missed the second putt as well, leaving with a double bogey.

It has been a hole that has cost Moore over the years. The 16 times he has played No. 3, he had made bogey or worse 10 times.

On the next hole, a long par 3, Moore’s tee shot landed in the front greenside bunker.

His second shot retreated off an embankment and stopped some 35 feet away.

Moore made bogey and walked off the fourth-hole green at 2-under for the championship.

He got a stroke back at No. 7, hitting a 9-iron right next to the hole for a tap-in birdie.

But Moore gave the shot back after three-putting from 60 feet for bogey at the 11th hole.

Moore is taking next week off, but is expected to return to action at the Valero Texas Open starting April 20 at TPC San Antonio.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Ryan Moore’s third-hole double bogey derails Masters bid."