Masters Payout 2017: Latest Projections for Top Prize-Money Earners

Golf fans couldn't have asked for a more perfect Sunday setup at the Masters. 

While Rickie Fowler, Charley Hoffman, Sergio Garcia and Thomas Pieters were tied for the lead at four under following the conclusion of Friday's second round, moving day afforded several big names a chance to vault up the leaderboard. 

A pair of former green-jacket winners in Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott did just that with their sights set on more glory in Augusta, Georgia. Although they entered the day at even par, Spieth and Scott fired rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, to keep the pressure on co-leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia, each of whom are sitting at six under: 

In other words, those decorated major winners have put themselves in prime position to strike Sunday with another green jacket on the line. They could also take home some serious cash, as evidenced by the following breakdown of the $10 million purse, courtesy of Golf News Net.

In addition to a prize-money overview, you'll find updated projections for top finishers with the final round on the horizon: 

Place	Projected Finisher	Prize Money
1	Jordan Spieth	$1,800,000
2	Justin Rose	$1,080,000
3	Rickie Fowler	$680,000
4	Sergio Garcia	$480,000
5	Adam Scott	$400,000
6	Charley Hoffman	$360,000
7	Ryan Moore	$335,000
8	Lee Westwood	$310,000
9	Charl Schwartzel	$290,000
10	Jon Rahm	$270,000

Based on the way Spieth played Saturday, all eyes figure to be on the 23-year-old as he guns for the $1.8 million top prize yet again. 

While it would have been easy to discount Spieth based on the way he played Thursday, he started to build momentum Friday when he closed out his round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18. 

Those positive vibes carried over into Saturday, when Spieth carded five birdies and just one bogey as he throttled his way into contention.

The tournament's official highlights account provided a snapshot of Spieth's brilliant birdie on No. 9 as he made the turn in blemish-free fashion with a 33 on the front nine: 

And as ESPN.com's Bob Harig noted, Spieth could have had a stranglehold on the tournament's top spot had he not collapsed briefly during his opening round: 

Now he's staring at another golden opportunity to capture Masters glory after operating as the 54-hole leader each of the past three years. 

"Waking up and you have a chance to win your favorite tournament that you've dreamed of winning and competing in since you were a kid, and to be able to have your fourth opportunity now...I didn't know going into my first one if I would have five chances in my life," Spieth said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "So it's awesome."

Scott, meanwhile, posted three birdies as he played a clean, bogey-free round that should have his confidence skyrocketing as the final 18 holes approach. 

In order for those powerhouses to complete comebacks, though, they'll have to battle past Garcia, Rose and Fowler—who is one shot back of the lead and will tee off with Spieth in Sunday's penultimate pairing. 

The question, then, is which players will be able to maintain their composure in the harsh spotlight that accompanies the year's first major. 

Garcia and Fowler will both be sweating it out as they vie for their first major championships, but the story differs for the likes of Rose, Spieth and Scott—all of whom know what it takes to come out on top on the game's biggest stages. 

The choice is tough, but Spieth—with the swagger and savvy necessary to make another big move—looks like the man to beat Sunday even though he's starting the day down a couple of strokes.