Masters 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Friday Leaderboard Scores

The 2023 Masters tournament appears to Brooks Koepka's event to lose.

Koepka surged out to first place on the leaderboard during Friday's morning wave of tee times at Augusta National Golf Club before the weather turned for the worse.

Koepka heads into Saturday with a three-shot lead over Jon Rahm, who still has nine holes to play in his second round.

Rahm and most of the golfers from the afternoon wave of tee times did not finish their rounds. Play was suspended for good at 4:22 p.m. ET. There was an earlier suspension of play just over an hour before Friday's final shot was played.

Amateur Sam Bennett owns the second-best score in the clubhouse. He turned heads with a second-round 68 that gave him a real chance to be in the final pairing of Saturday's third round.

Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young will have opportunities to put pressure on Koepka when play resumes at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, but the pursuit of the leader may be more difficult because of the less-than-ideal conditions projected for the rest of the weekend.

The conditions could also put Tiger Woods' remarkable run of made cuts in jeopardy. He needs to play even-par or better golf over seven holes to keep playing into the third round.

Brooks Koepka Will Be Hard to Beat

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a shot on the first hole during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Koepka turned in his second impressive round of golf on Friday.

The four-time major winner shot a five-under 67 to pad his lead. He is the only golfer to reach 10 under or higher so far.

Koepka produced a bogey-free round that was headlined by an eagle on the par-five eighth hole.

He carded eight pars and two birdies after that to feel safe with a multi-shot advantage going into Saturday.

Koepka delivered near-flawless golf over the first two days of the Masters. He has a single bogey in 36 holes.

He will go into the weekend as the clear favorite to win the green jacket, and there is a chance he goes into the third round with a three-or-four-shot lead depending on what Rahm produces on Saturday morning.

A large gap going into the third round may be insurmountable, even for a golfer as talented as Rahm, since Koepka has not shown many flaws at Augusta.

Sam Bennett Is the Story of the Tournament

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Amateur Sam Bennett of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Few people knew Bennett's name going into the Masters.

The amateur golfer, who plays for Texas A&M at the collegiate level and won the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship, is the talk of Augusta after he carded consecutive 68s.

Bennett showcased incredible poise for someone playing in his first Masters Tournament. He played with a steady hand, as he's carded 12 pars, five birdies and one bogey so far.

Bennett did not let his early bogey on the par-three fourth hole affect his play. He responded with three straight pars and two birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to make a move up the leaderboard.

He continued the solid play with six pars and back-to-back birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 on the back nine.

Bennett became the first amateur to produce a bogey-free round at the Masters since 1965, and he earned the honor of the third amateur to produce two rounds in the 60s in a single Masters, per ESPN Stats and Info.

Barring surprise performances as other players finish the suspended second round, Bennett will feature in one of the final groups in Saturday's third round, and he could be playing alongside Koepka if Rahm drops out of second place in the morning.

Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods Face Challenges in Second-Round Completion

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Jon Rahm of Spain reacts to his putt on the eighth green during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Rahm and the other golfers with second-round holes left to play face a challenge that no one has faced yet this week at Augusta.

The temperature will drop into the 50s and rain is expected to continue for most of Saturday morning, per the Weather Channel.

Rahm's best chance to chase down Koepka may have come on Friday while the conditions were still favorable to low scores.

The golf course could play completely different in the cold and wet conditions, and that may force the Spaniard to drop a shot or two as he completes the second round.

The poor conditions could also wreak havoc on Hovland and Young, who have been in the top 10 for most of the tournament.

The weather's other effect on the tournament is at the cut line, where J.T. Poston and Tiger Woods are tied for 50th at two over.

The top 50 players and ties make the cut at the Masters. One dropped shot from Woods would take him out of the tournament before the third round.

Woods missed the cut once in his Masters history and that was in his second appearance back in 1996. His streak of 21 straight made cuts at Augusta is in jeopardy if he does not adjust to the conditions.