The 2023 Masters looks to have turned into a two-horse race, and those horses will now have to complete 30 holes Sunday -- and wind up atop the leaderboard, of course -- if they wish to don a green jacket. Play was suspended at Augusta National Golf Club at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday as inclement weather battered the course for the second straight day.
The field struggled in the cold, rainy conditions Saturday morning, though Round 2 was completed without a stoppage. Moving to threesomes and split tees in the afternoon, most groups completed their opening nine holes, though the leading group is through just six holes.
Brooks Koepka (-13) holds a four-stroke lead over his chief challenger, Jon Rahm (-9). One of only a few golfers to go below par while finishing their second round early Saturday, Rahm sat two strokes back of Koepka only for consecutive bogeys on the 4th and 5th to push him back twice as many. Kopeka is 1 under through six in the third round, while Rahm is 1 over.
There is a combined 84% chance that either Kopeka or Rahm, who hold five of the last 17 major championships between them, wins this Masters, according to Data Golf. Koepka is seeking his fifth career major overall, which would see him pass Byron Nelson, Peter Thomson and Seve Ballesteros. He would also join world No. 2 Rory McIlroy in the race for the career grand slam with only an Open Championship left to secure. Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, is looking to win his second career major.
Amateur Sam Bennett performed admirably Saturday and still finds his name on the first page of the leaderboard with those of major champions Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick and an inspiring Phil Mickelson.
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Here is the breakdown of the leaderboard heading into the final day at the 2023 Masters.
1. Brooks Koepka (-13): The more difficult, the better for Koepka. If it was up to him, I am sure he would have much preferred to stay out and finish the third round. Coming into the day with a two-stroke lead, the four-time major champion doubled it through six holes. He's doing everything right at the moment: attacking the par 5s, playing to the center of greens and picking apart this golf course. His fifth major victory looks inevitable.
2. Jon Rahm (-9): The world No. 3 is the only professional within a touchdown of the lead and will be Koepka's lone challenger on Sunday. If there's a player up for it, it is Rahm. He made a pair of sloppy bogeys on Nos. 5-6 and watched his deficit double in a blink of an eye. Rahm has been one of the best putters in the world the last three months, and even though he was on the wrong side of the weather draw that amounted to two strokes, he is still in the hunt for his second major.
3. Sam Bennett (-6): The amateur's demise was always forthcoming, but to his credit, he has steadied the ship. After opening his third round with back-to-back bogeys, the Texas A&M product made par on his next four holes to sit in solo third. The green jacket may be out of reach for the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, but history is still within his grasp.
T4. Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland (-5): There's just something about horrible weather and playing golf that is attractive to Fitzpatrick. At 3 under through 11, Fitzpatrick is in the midst of the round of the day and will aim to put a bow on his third round Sunday morning. He came into the week having battled a neck injury all year and without much form. This performance serves as a nice reminder the current U.S. Open champion is a major championship-caliber player.
T8. Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, Jason Day (-4): At one point in Round 3, just three names were higher than that of Mickelson on the leaderboard. He has been absolutely dreadful on LIV Golf in 2023 but somehow, some way, the 52-year-old continues to get up for Augusta National and the Masters. He played his first nine in even par and is certainly a threat to finish inside the top five by tournament's end, which would be his best finish since his victory at the 2021 PGA Championship.
54. Tiger Woods (+9): After valiantly making the cut, Woods finds his name at the bottom of the leaderboard. Following a quick turnaround and having to march through a soggy Augusta National, the 47-year-old had just about every card stacked against him. A couple of firsts happened in Tiger's third round -- none of the good variety. Six over for his first seven holes, Woods carded back-to-back double bogeys with the second coming on the par-3 16th -- the first of his career on a hole that was crucial in a pair of his triumphs.
Well, it's about time. It's not dangerous conditions, but the rain is continuing to dump. As it stands, Brooks Koepka is still in the lead at 13 under but will face an 11-foot par putt on the 7th green when play returns to action. Jon Rahm is his nearest pursuer at 9 under while Tiger Woods is struggling and 6 over thru 7.
Jon Rahm is the only player within six of Koepka right now, and the latter can pretty much put this tournament away over the next few hours if he continues to par with everyone fading all around him. Big time gut check time for Rahm right now. I think he's the only guy with a chance.
