Due to inclement weather, the third round of the Masters 2023 tournament was officially called off at 3:15 PM ET on Sunday. Almost all day, it rained heavily and the temperature felt much colder, barely reaching the 50s with strong winds. As a result, the tournament had to suspend play and half of the holes still need to be completed before the final stage.
Viktor Hovland expressed, “It’s challenging. You understand that nothing will be handed to you and you’ll need to strike excellent shots repeatedly.” “Nobody will successfully hit every fairway today, so it creates a highly competitive match. You’ll still need to sink some putts and chip the ball.”
Koepka extended his advantage amidst the tumultuous circumstances. The runner-up position is securely four strokes behind – he’s currently at 13 under par – and the game was temporarily halted by the sound of the horn when he had completed six holes in his third round. The nearest contenders, Rahm, who is nine under par, and amateur Sam Bennett, who is six under par, are playing in the same group as him.
The trio will come back to complete the seventh hole, a par-4, when play resumes on Sunday morning.
The forecast for Sunday includes temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s, with winds blowing at approximately 13 mph. There is a slight chance of rain, less than 10 percent, after 7 a.M. The weather conditions are expected to be partly cloudy. The positive aspect of the forecast is that there is no significant chance of rain.
The final round is expected to begin at 2-7 p.M. With the same pairings that were broadcast live on CBS. Play will resume on Sunday at 8:30 a.M. On CBS.
Completing the last one and wrapping up the third round shouldn’t be an issue anymore. A bit of golf was played on Saturday, which held significance, at the very least.
After a brief 21-minute suspension on Friday afternoon, play was once again suspended at 4:22 p.M. For approximately 90 minutes. The suspension on Friday was caused by strong winds and rain, which followed a day of play stoppage due to fallen trees or a couple. This led to the suspension of Saturday’s play.
He wasn’t joking. Gary Woodland mentioned that the late/early Thursday/Friday group got a “massive stroke of luck” with the allocation because of the weather. On Friday, thirty-nine players who hadn’t completed their second rounds began again at 8 a.M. On Saturday morning, struggling with intense rainfall and challenging circumstances in contrast to the opposite side of the allocation.
Today, a few individuals hit the forest. Occasionally, athletes utilize wedges on the 18th hole. After leaving only 214 yards remaining, Rahm drove the ball a mere 241 yards, which is 52 yards shorter compared to Thursday. He concluded his second round in damp weather conditions, resulting in minimal distance covered on the fairway. Let’s consider the par-4 18th hole on Saturday as an illustration.
“Completely distinct,” Hovland expressed.
Starting at 11:30 a.M., The third round commenced with players teeing off from both tees. Bennett, at a score of eight under, Rahm, at a score of 10 under, and Koepka, leading with a score of 12 under, finished the second round by 10:51 a.M.
Beginning the third round, Koepka promptly extended his advantage. He birdied the par-5 2nd hole and maintained a series of pars throughout the remainder of the round, steadfastly refusing to relinquish any ground as his lead expanded due to the mistakes of his competitors.
Koepka expressed, “It’s clearly extremely challenging.” “Staying stationary is the ball’s predicament. With the agreement to rain, you have it, and the cold weather makes it freeze. It’s not simple to make it effortless. You have to put pressure on some putts. You know it was going to be a tough day. You just have to try to salvage something and persevere through the grind.”
Patrick Cantlay is currently positioned below five other players on the leaderboard. Matt Fitzpatrick is ahead by 11 strokes, Patrick Cantlay by 13 strokes, Collin Morikawa by 7 strokes, and Viktor Hovland by 7 strokes. Additionally, Bennett bogeyed holes 1 and 2, while Rahm made birdies on holes 2 and 4 but also had 5 bogeys.
Bennett will need to convert par saves from seven feet and Koepka from 11 feet, while Rahm will have a birdie opportunity with a nine-footer when they return to the 7th hole on Sunday morning. Rahm and Koepka were the most consistent players in the group, with Bennett playing the fewest holes. However, there is still a lot of golf to be played. Koepka could potentially claim his fifth major title with a win.
Koepka said, “I’m pretty sure I’ll be up for considering it, given that it’s part of the Masters. However, I’m not too concerned about playing 29 holes or the many holes we’ve got left.”