Joaquín Niemann was clouded in the third round of the Augusta Masters. The Chilean golfer achieved an opaque performance in the major that is played in Georgia and signed a +5 card, leaving the cumulative +4 which places him, for the moment, in 27th place, 16 strokes from the north- American Scottie Scheffler, who leads with -11.

Joaco had just come out of a day of fighting. One in which he had to fight with a wind that made it difficult for all golfers who took to the course on Friday with the mission of overcoming the cut. The Chilean was among those who settled in the last two rounds of the tournament, after winning the rooster on one of those days that demand a little more demand than usual. Despite the double bogey he suffered on the last hole, a -1 rating allowed him to stay in the competition, placing in the top 10 of the contest, with his lead still in sight.

This Saturday the cold also hit the course where Niemann, who accompanied by the Englishman Danny Willett, started the course at hole 1, with the big task of improving his numbers to stay on the lookout for the top. His debut, however, was less than ideal. The national remained even until the fourth flag. He signs his first stumble of the day there: a bogey which hits him from the start, which will be a foretaste of what will happen.

Because later the panorama was even more complicated for the Chilean on the fifth hole, where he again recorded a shot above par. The margin for error, after that moment, was minimal and recovery was key. The last Genesis Invitational champion did not sit idly by and improved his work with the putt on the sixth hole, where he made his first birdie of the day with a superb shot that drew applause and allowed him to take some oxygen.

The challenge was not to give up and, of course, to reduce a blow to the field, so as not to give up a greater advantage with their opponents. However, Niemann continued without finding his way and on the last hole of the first pass he missed again. A new bogey left him looking at the lead from further away.

The final nine flags were do or die for Joaco. The only option left was not to expect a last-lap miracle. But her hopes in the contest were growing dim. New bogeys, in holes 10 and 12, testified to the nervousness of the Chilean, who displayed a level very far from that of Friday. His card was +4 and the landscape was very dark.

Actualization was urgent for Niemann, difficult as it was. And, once fully focused, he got his revenge. Two birdies in a row put him back in the game for now, bringing him closer to the top 10 and keeping him on the lookout for the leaders. However, just like Friday, the shutdown was a nightmare.

The streak ended for Joaco on the 17th hole. A new blow to the pair again takes them away from the Top 10. Unfortunately for the national, another double bogey at the last flag, as was the case in the second round, concludes a dark day.

The one who didn’t have a good time was Tiger Woods, who fell 22 places in the table to 41st, with a +6 card. The American continues to add days to his return to the PGA Tour, after the accident he suffered in February 2021.

Niemann will play the fourth and final round of the Augusta Masters this Sunday. Despite the fact that the title looks very far, the man from Talagan will seek to climb as many positions as possible. One last revenge in a lot that brought him a lot of headaches.