Mother Nature has been unable to stall Brooks Koepka. Next, a test of endurance. If the 32-year-old is to don a Green Jacket for the first time, he will have to survive a marathon Sunday at Augusta National after play was stopped shortly after 3pm on day three because of flooded putting surfaces. Koepka, who will resume on the 7th green of his third round, leads Jon Rahm by four. Thirteen under plays nine under. With a further three strokes to the outstanding amateur Sam Bennett, this has the hallmarks of a two-horse race. Koepka is firmly of a mind to halve the number of runners. His mojo has returned.
“I’m not too concerned about playing 29 holes or however many holes we’ve got left,” Koepka said. “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.
“It was obviously super difficult. The ball is not going anywhere. You’ve got rain to deal with and it’s freezing cold. It doesn’t make it easy. You’ve got to make some pressure putts. You knew it was going to be a difficult day. You’ve just got to grind through it and try to salvage something.”
Koepka’s birdie at the second sits alongside five pars. Rahm encountered a more dramatic start, also picking up a stroke on two before bogeying the 4th and 5th. However, he will return to a 9ft birdie putt on the 7th.
For the first time in Masters history, two players had reached double digits under par after 36 holes. Rahm had been among the group forced to finish their second round early on Saturday morning. He added a 69 to an opening 65.
“When you’re in the position we’re in, adrenaline kicks in,” said Rahm of what lies ahead. “We are going to have good weather conditions tomorrow and most likely a soft golf course. I am feeling good, feeling strong and want to keep it going.”
History points to Rahm, who would claim the Masters on the birthday of his fellow Spaniard, the late Seve Ballesteros. Yet Koepka, who now plies his trade on the LIV circuit, has a clear point to prove. His switch to the breakaway tour triggered no shortage of assertions that his time as a top-level competitor were over.
Bennett, the 23-year-old Texan, is enjoying the time of his life. He scoffed when asked whether these were the most testing weather conditions he had experienced. “No,” Bennett said. “College golf, you play through it all. I’m just trying to enjoy it. I feel comfortable out there.” Bennett is two over through half a dozen holes of round three but he attributed that to matters of a technical nature rather than nerves.
Matt Fitzpatrick has quietly propelled himself to minus five after 11. He has Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa for scoring company. Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson are among those at minus four. Conditions had deteriorated rapidly after lunch but Masters officials remain fully confident they can close this major as scheduled on Sunday. To the winner, $3.24m and a well-earned rest. The Masters has not required a Monday finale since 1983.
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At three under Scottie Scheffler needs something miraculous to defend his title successfully. Jordan Spieth slid backwards in the squall, playing eight holes in three over to drop back to minus two. Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama are on the same aggregate. Dustin Johnson imploded, taking a triple bogey seven at the 11th on a run which saw him cover 13 holes in six over par.
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Tiger Woods survived the cut by a stroke, at three over, but soon gave the impression he wished he had not. Woods, who started round three on the 10th, double bogeyed both the 16th and 17th to sit last in the field when play was halted. Woods is six over for his round and plus nine for the tournament. Is this all really worth it? The scale of his physical distress becomes more apparent with every shot. Saturday morning saw emotional Augusta farewells for Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle. It is hardly an exaggeration to point out Woods is rapidly heading towards enforced retirement.
Fred Couples made Masters history by qualifying for rounds three and four. As Couples, now 63, ploughed on there were early exits for Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau. Thomas threw away two strokes on the closing two holes, which sealed his fate. Rory McIlroy’s missed cut was, as expected, confirmed. McIlroy has little time to stew; he is in the field for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town from Thursday. By then it is almost certain a new name will sit on the Masters roll of honour.
