The third day of the 87th Masters Golf Tournament took place at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA on Saturday, April 8.
The day started off with the continuation of round two, and the conditions were just as poor. Rain and wind were a problem the whole day, eventually leading to play stoppage. The stoppage occurred so early that none of the players left in the field completed their third round.
Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods finished his second round with a bogey on the 18th hole, ending at three over par. With the cutline at two over par, Woods looked like he would break his streak of cuts made at the Masters, but not all hope was lost. For the cutline to drop to three over par, the last group of golfers on the course needed to shoot over par on the last few holes.
Luckily for Woods, they did just that. Justin Thomas bogeyed hole 17 and 18, dropping to four over par, surprisingly missing the cut and ending his tournament early.
The relief of continuing his Masters run did not last long for Woods. Starting with the back nine, Woods dropped an early bogey on hole ten before putting together a tough streak of bogey, double-bogey and another double-bogey on his last three holes before play was suspended. Woods hit multiple balls into water hazards, culminating with a score of nine over par, the worst score of all those left in the tournament.
Of the 18 LIV Golf players that made it to the Masters tournament, 13 of them made the cut, led by tournament leader Brooks Koepka. Rain and terrible playing conditions made the course harder than ever for everyone but Koepka, who gained some distance between current runner-up Jon Rahm after Rahm posted two early bogeys. With a four-stroke lead over Rahm, Koepka looks to be in complete control of this tournament with a round and a half left to be played on Sunday.
The final day will come down to a battle between these two, with Koepka representing LIV Golf and Rahm representing the PGA Tour.
Amateur golfer Sam Bennett continued to shine with solid play in spite of the rain and wind. He became the only amateur to make the cut Friday, which earned him a spot in the final group with Koepka and Rahm. However, Bennett then posted two early bogeys, dropping him down to six under. He currently sits in solo-third place.
Fred Couples made history on Saturday morning, becoming the oldest player to ever make the cut at the Masters. At the age of 63 years, six months and five days, the golf legend ended at four over par before play was suspended on Saturday.
Couples, a two time major champion, won the Masters Tournament in 1992, forever cementing his name as a green jacket winner.
The final day at Augusta National is projected to have better playing conditions. The grounds crew have a tall task ahead of them, draining the course of puddles and removing all debris brought down from the storm. Fair weather and cool temperatures should line up for a great day to crown a new champion.
Evan Marks is a Sports Intern for the spring 2023 quarter. He can be reached at ecmarks@uci.edu.