Moving day on the Masters was principally about everybody leaving.
A chilly, relentless rain was an excessive amount of for Augusta National to deal with, resulting in one of many earliest finishes for a Saturday — simply quarter-hour after CBS got here on the air — and establishing a marathon end for Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and anybody in a position to catch them.
Koepka, who started the third spherical with a two-shot lead over Rahm, prolonged it to 4 photographs when the Spaniard made consecutive bogeys. They made it to the seventh inexperienced, already full of tiny swimming pools of water, earlier than play was suspended for the day.
The spherical was to renew at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, adopted by one other two-tee begin.
Tiger Woods was relieved to make the lower — his twenty third in a row on the Masters, tying the match file — after which regarded as if he couldn’t get off the course quick sufficient after making back-to-back double bogeys for the primary time ever at Augusta National. He was in final place, 22 photographs behind.
Koepka was at 13-under par and confronted a 10-foot par putt on the seventh inexperienced. Rahm was at 9 below and had about 8 ft for birdie. There was an extended strategy to go.
“I’m not too concerned about playing 29 holes or however many holes we’ve got left,” Koepka stated. “It’s part of the deal. I’m pretty sure I’ll be up for it considering it is the Masters. So I don’t think anybody should have a problem with that.” The lasting picture was 1000’s of spectators below their green-and-white Masters umbrellas shifting slowly in unison towards the exit.
There was loads of leisure within the quick window of golf, most of it within the morning when the second spherical was accomplished.
Temperatures didn’t fairly attain 50 levels Fahrenheit (10 levels Celsius). The rain and wind made it really feel worse, and enjoying situations have been so extreme that hardly anybody may attain the par 5s. Some gamers have been hitting fairway metallic on the par-4 18th.
Rahm did remarkably nicely to shut the hole on Koepka, attending to inside one shot when he holed a birdie putt from simply off the again of the seventeenth inexperienced. But he got here up in need of the 18th with a 4-iron — he hit 8-iron into the 18th gap in heat climate on Thursday — and made bogey for a 69.
“Those two holes at the end, 17 and 18, were two absolute monsters,” Rahm stated.
Cameron Young summed it for some three dozen gamers who have been compelled to deal with the rain, the chilly and a course that performed longer than it ever has on Saturday morning.
“It’s basically impossible,” Young stated. “I really don’t know what you’re supposed to do.” Players misplaced tee photographs to the suitable due to water on the face of the membership — even after wiping it dry earlier than they hit. Shots have been skidding throughout rain-soaked greens. The ball was going nowhere.
Koepka was among the many lucky who completed his second spherical within the heat breeze on Friday earlier than the dangerous climate moved in and altered the whole lot.
While it was the primary time on the Masters that two gamers completed 36 holes at double digits below par, this felt extra like survival.
No one paid the value fairly like Justin Thomas. He returned to the course at 2 below for the match and started dropping floor rapidly, with a shot into the water on the eleventh for a double bogey, a tee shot over the again of the inexperienced on the par-3 twelfth and a three-putt bogey on the par-5 fifteenth from 45 ft.
Woods had his personal points. He was hovering across the lower line — he had by no means missed the lower as a professional at Augusta — when he completed bogey-bogey to fall outdoors the highest 50 and ties. He wanted both Thomas or Sungjae Im to bogey one of many final two holes to make it.
Both obliged, however Thomas wound up making bogey on Nos. 17 and 18. He needed to hit 5-wood into the 18th, pulled it into the gallery and missed a 10-foot putt for a 42 on the again 9 and a 78, matching his worst rating within the Masters.
There was a quick respite within the rain, after which out got here the umbrellas not lengthy after the third spherical started.
U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett, who at 8-under 136 had the bottom 36-hole rating by an beginner since Ken Venturi in 1956, promptly bogeyed his opening two holes.
“It was brutal out there,” Bennett stated. “I think they honestly could have called it about 45 minutes earlier, but they tried their best.” Koepka and Rahm every birdied the par-5 second gap, however then Rahm bought out of place on the par-3 fourth for bogey, and three-putted from lengthy vary on the fifth. But he ended his day with two good swings after which was executed for the day.
Having to finish the third spherical on Sunday morning just isn’t uncommon. The final two occasions for climate delays on Saturday (2005 and 2006), play resumed and was stopped by darkness. This time it was 3:15 p.m., an abrupt and early finish.
The forecast for Sunday ought to permit for the Masters to complete as scheduled. But whilst rain clears, it’s certain to depart a softer Augusta National that may be attacked.
“It looks like it’s good weather tomorrow — so we’re going to have good weather conditions and most likely a soft golf course,” Rahm stated.
Patrick Cantlay and U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick have been 3 below for the second spherical, the perfect of scoring on this depressing day. They have been tied for fourth, together with Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, nonetheless eight photographs behind.
Phil Mickelson additionally was within the combine. The three-time Masters champion had two early birdies earlier than giving them again. He was within the group at 4-under par and headed to the again 9 when play was stopped.
Woods ended Saturday morning with two bogeys and began Saturday afternoon — he was within the final group on the again 9 — with one other one. But it actually bought ugly on the finish. His wedge to the fifteenth spun off the inexperienced and into the water. And on the par-3 sixteenth, with a entrance proper pin, he went nicely left and into the water.
But in solely his fourth match since final 12 months’s Masters, he was nonetheless enjoying. He joined Fred Couples and Gary Player within the Masters file ebook along with his twenty third straight lower made. Couples carved out his personal spot within the ebook. At age 63, he grew to become the oldest participant to make the lower on the Masters.