Masters 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Saturday Leaderboard Scores

A potential duel is developing at the Masters with Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm sitting first and second, respectively, after play was suspended Saturday due to inclement weather.

Koepka is at 13 under, while Rahm is four shots back. 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett sits solo in third at six under, while Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland are at five under.

However, Rahm has a chance to make up some ground. When play was suspended, he faced a nine-foot putt for birdie on the seventh hole, while Koepka was staring down an 11-foot par putt. Rahm can pick up two shots with a make and a Koepka miss.

The Masters will resume at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday with third-round action. The fourth round will start at 12:30 p.m. with pairings teeing off on the first and 10th holes.

Until then, here's a look at three instant scoreboard reactions following Saturday's play.

Koepka's Old Major Form Reappears

From 2014 to 2021, Koepka had 15 top-10 finishes at majors, including four titles (two U.S. Open, two PGA Championship). He could have been a Masters champion in 2019 as well If not for a double bogey on the 12th. Tiger Woods won that tournament by one stroke over second-place finishers Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.

However, injuries piled up for Koepka over the past few years. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in 2019 and a labrum injury in his left hip in 2020. Koepka then suffered a dislocation of his knee after falling at home in 2021 before shattering his kneecap after trying to put his knee back into place. He also suffered a medial patellofemoral ligament rupture.

There was reason to be skeptical about Koepka's chances. He's only played in three tournaments this year and failed to finish in the top half of the 48-player field in the first two.

On the flip side, Koepka entered the Masters healthy and was coming off a win at LIV Golf Orlando on April 2.

He's been dominant so far, with his irons particularly shining. Koepka is No. 1 in the field in strokes gained on approach, and that's in sync with his tremendous putting, which is second behind only Phil Mickelson.

It remains to be seen if Koepka's irons and putter stay hot for 30 more holes, but his dominant major form is clearly on display this weekend.

Rahm Lurking

Despite being down four shots, Rahm (+125 to win) notably isn't far behind Koepka (-115) on the odds ledger, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The potential to gain two strokes on Koepka when play resumes Saturday is certainly a factor. It's also possible that Rahm, who is ranked third in the latest official world golf rankings, simply takes over down the stretch against Koepka.

Per Data Golf, Rahm is second in total strokes gained per round over the past three months among all golfers in the Masters field. He's above average to great in every category, and that well-rounded form has appeared this week.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the cream rises to the top and Rahm, who shot seven under in the first round, ends up slipping on the green jacket.

The issue is that Koepka's putter is scorching hot. He made par save after par save in the second round, and he simply isn't making any bad putts. If that continues throughout Sunday, then Rahm simply may not be able to make up enough ground in time.

Still, there are plenty of holes at the Masters that can feature multi-shot swings, including Amen Corner, No. 17 and No. 18. Rahm can put up a fight here, and he can get off to a good start on that front by drilling his birdie putt to start Sunday.

Putter Fails the Masters Champ

Scottie Scheffler leads the field in strokes gained tee to green, but he's tied for 14th place due to a putter that simply hasn't cooperated all tournament. The reigning Masters champion sits dead last in strokes gained putting among all golfers who made the cut.

Scheffler notably had a 17-footer for eagle on the 13th hole but three-putted from there for par:

It was remarkable that Scheffler was able to make the cut by five strokes despite having the worst putter in the field:

Despite all this, it's not impossible to see Scheffler rally for a top-three finish. Seeing him somehow win this event is probably farfetched considering that he's 10 strokes back of Koepka, but if the putter starts to cooperate, then he could have a blazing finish to his weekend.