Golfer awarded prizes after using 6-iron to hole out from 193 yards

? Brad Faxon had to work hard for those crystal goblets.

Faxon made the shot of the day in the third round of the Masters, holing out a 6-iron from 193 yards for eagle at No. 11 Saturday.

Faxon was one of just four players who scored in the 60s during a soggy round, pushing him to 1 under par for the tournament.

“It was a great shot,” said Faxon, who carded a 69. “Hit it solidly, flew in the right direction and took a great kick. It’s worth a goblet.”

Make it two  Augusta National awards a pair to anyone who makes an eagle during the Masters.

Faxon started at No. 10 after rain pushed back the start of the third round to early afternoon. He rolled in a 30-footer to save par at his first hole, then needed only two shots to conquer the 490-yard 11th.

“That was a nice way to start,” he said. “I drove the ball great. Yesterday was my bad day.”

Faxon struggled to a 75 in the second round and barely made the cut.

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TV signals: CBS doesn’t want rain to get in the way of its expanded Masters coverage.

The network will go on the air at 12:30 p.m. CDT Â an hour earlier than originally planned when Augusta National let the network expand today’s coverage to 18 holes.

Tee times were moved up a half-hour, as well. Rain has plagued the tournament, and the extra time will come in handy if another storm halts play.

By starting an hour earlier, CBS also builds in extra time to cope with a delay.

“It’s just a precaution,” Augusta spokesman Glenn Greenspan said.

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Money game: The money stays the same.

Augusta National announced a purse of $5.6 million for this year’s Masters, including $1.008 million to the winner.

Those are the same amounts paid out when Tiger Woods captured the green jacket in 2001.

This is the first time since 1977 that the winner will get the same amount as his predecessor. Tom Watson received $40,000 for winning a quarter-century ago, duplicating the winner’s check to ’76 champion Raymond Floyd.

The Masters purse has risen dramatically since it went over $1 million for the first time in 1988.

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Crenshaw’s caddy: Ben Crenshaw is one of the few golfers who still uses a caddie provided by Augusta National.

Carl Jackson was on the bag for Crenshaw’s two Masters victories, and he’ll keep getting the call as long as the 50-year-old Texan plays the tournament.

“He’s such a good man and he knows me so well,” Crenshaw said. “We’ve had some wonderful experiences together. I owe him a lot. He’s helped me on and off the course.”

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Crooked card: In a week where the back nine is playing about a stroke easier than the front nine, Bernhard Langer is all turned around.

Through three rounds, the two-time Masters champion is 6 under on the front and 8 over on the back.

“I’ve messed up on the par 5s back there, and there’s really no other explanation for it,” Langer said.

Langer has made double-bogey twice on No. 15, which played as the easiest hole on the course.

He also has a pair of bogeys on No. 14 and No. 18, a hole that has been lengthened by 50 yards this year and is playing even longer because of the soggy conditions.

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Difference of opinion: Fred Couples wasn’t joking when he said he thought conditions were “nice” Saturday. But he was almost alone in his opinion.

On a day when almost every player complained about mud on the ball, standing water on the course and a number of other rain-related problems, Couples wasn’t complaining.

“It didn’t rain, the greens were soft, it wasn’t bad,” Couples said.

It didn’t help the 1992 Masters champion, however. He shot 76 and heads into the final round at 6 over.

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Blurry: Mike Weir shot 71  a nice round considering he couldn’t see the ball for about five holes. Weir had Lasik surgery about 21¼2 years ago and experienced troubles Saturday.

“This has never happened before,” he said. “I’m going to see the doctor.”

He had trouble seeing on Nos. 9-13, but still managed two of his three birdies in that stretch.