Tournament restarts after weather delay

A weather warning was issued and play was suspended just before 4 p.m. Saturday at the Masters, sending golfers and patrons to shelter.

Heavy rain started falling shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club in the first weather delay of the week.

The tournament was restarted around 5:15 p.m. with a finish projected between 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.

Justin Rose remained in front at 7-under par through seven holes of the third round.

Sunday’s forecast looks pretty good: There’s a 20% chance of rain through 1 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Otherwise the forecast calls for mostly cloudy, then sunny, skies with a high near 81.

Masters scores, leaderboad

Leaders as of 4 pm weather delay Saturday. Or click here for the latest full Masters leaderboard.

Watch the Masters today: TV and stream

▪ Saturday: 3-7 p.m., CBS

▪ Sunday: 2-7 p.m., CBS

Masters.com and the ESPN app also will stream the ESPN/CBS coverage along with channels devoted to featured groups, Holes 4, 5 and 6, Amen Corner and Holes 15 and 16. That coverage will begin at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and 10:15 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Corey Connors hole in one

Corey Connors was 6-under par and in second place through eight holes Saturday, including this ace on No. 6.

Moving day

Saturday is “Moving Day” at the 85th Masters, and a cadre of golf’s highly ranked players are poised to make upward surge on the leaderboard and take a place in the championship conversation.

The big names who played Friday afternoon — Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed and their ilk — took solace in the knowledge that first-round leader Justin Rose predictably had “come back” a bit.

They could foresee getting back into contention. Some did. But big names like Johnson and McIlroy struggled and missed the cut.

Story continues

In an opening 65 on Thursday, Rose played his last 11 holes in an incredible 9-under par. Couldn’t do that again, could he? Nope. He posted three early bogeys Friday and the race toward the green jacket took on a different look.

Rose did not exactly pull a “Mike Donald,” a pro who opened the 1990 Masters with an 8-under-par 64 — “the round of my life,” he said then — and followed with a forgettable 10-over 82.

In fact, Rose did not play badly Friday. He rebounded from the sloppy start to shoot even-par 72 Friday for a two-day total of 7-under 137.

However, there’s a posse in his rear-view mirror — 10 players are within three strokes of the lead — and the game is on for “Moving Day.”

The 2021 experience is different, but the hope the Masters provides is very real

WHO WILL RISE TO THE CHALLENGE?

Tony Finau. Justin Thomas, Marc Leishman, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris and Bernd Wiesberger led the charge Friday and 20 players moved under par by day’s end. Another 11 finished at even, certainly within striking distance with 36 holes to play.

Are back-to-back outstanding rounds in the future? Or will they, like Rose on Friday, looking at rounds closer to par.

Conspicuous by their absence among that number were defending champion Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy.

And what about the Big Bomber, Bryson DeChambeau? Dismissed from serious consideration after an opening 76, he birdied the final two holes, posted a 67 and climbed within seven shots of the leader.

Dustin Johnson misses 2021 Masters cut five months after winning green jacket

HOW LOW CAN THE MASTERS SCORES GO?

The Augusta National course that yielded only 12 sub-par scores in Thursday’s first round proved to be much more friendly Friday with red numbers plentiful on the leaderboards.

That happens with the best players in the world competing with less wind and more receptive greens. Why, the player actually had to replace ball marks on the greens Friday _ a rare occurrence on the “firm” putting surfaces in the first round.

Tournament officials almost certainly watered the greens a bit overnight to avoid the risk of making them unplayable. For reference, check with the USGA blunders in the U.S. Open, especially at Shinnecock Hills.

Will they turn on the sprinklers Friday night? Or will Mother Nature step in and play a role in determining the course setup?

One thing the tournament can’t control, even with the sub-air system that can reduce moisture in the greens, is the weather. See the November Masters’ scores for reference. And that leads to a question: are the players planning a rain dance?

Will Zalatoris is likely in the final group of the Masters on Saturday. Who is he?

Wolff disqualified

Matthew Wolff shot rounds of 76 and 79 and would have missed the cut by eight shots anyway.

Instead, his 2021 Masters appearance will go down as a disqualification.

Wolff made a bogey on the par-4 17th, and the scorecard that he returned said he made a lower score. Signing for an incorrect score led to the disqualification.

— The Associated Press

AND THE SATURDAY NIGHT LEADER WILL BE …?

Ah, the beauty of a stacked leaderboard.

There’s Thomas, No. 2 in the world and fresh off his victory in the Players that featured a 64-68 weekend.

There’s Spieth, who suddenly is playing like the Spieth of a few years ago and his credentials include a Masters title.

There’s Finau, who owns a string of high finishes and yet still searches for his second PGA Tour win.

There’s DeChambeau and Leishman and newcomer Will Zalatoris and … the list goes on and on.

Said DeChambeau: “I don’t think you can ever figure this place out. There’s so many things going on around here. The wind makes it diabolical. It’s flying around through these trees and bouncing off the trees and making it feel into the wind when it should be downwind, and vice versa. I don’t think you’ll ever be able to figure it out. …”

Hang on for a wild ride. It’s “Moving Day” at the Masters. The possibilities are exciting.

Saturday Masters tee times

9:40 a.m. Ian Poulter, Paul Casey

9:50 a.m. Adam Scott, Sebastian Munoz

10 a.m. Billy Horschel, Phil Mickelson

10:10 a.m. Jason Kokrak, Francesco Molinari

10:20 a.m. Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

10:30 a.m. Jim Herman, Joaquin Niemann

10:40 a.m. Matt Wallace, Louis Oosthuizen

10:50 a.m. Patrick Reed, Jose Maria Olazabal

11:00 a.m. Charl Schwartzel, Harris English

11:20 a.m. Tyrrell Hatton, Scottie Scheffler

11:30 a.m. Kevin Na, Gary Woodland

11:40 a.m. Jon Rahm, Martin Laird

11:50 a.m. Abraham Ancer, Bubba Watson

Noon Henrik Stenson, Brendon Todd

12:10 p.m. Matthew Fitzpatrick, Michael Thompson

12:20 p.m. Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood

12:30 p.m. Mackenzie Hughes, Robert MacIntyre

12:40 p.m. Stewart Cink, Viktor Hovland

1 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones

1:10 p.m. Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners

1:20 p.m. Ryan Palmer, Cameron Smith

1:30 p.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele

1:40 p.m. Si Woo Kim, Cameron Champ

1:50 p.m. Tony Finau, Justin Thomas

2 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Bernd Wiesberger

2:10 p.m. Brian Harman, Marc Leishman

2:20 p.m. Justin Rose, Will Zalatoris