Masters 2023 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Saturday

Saturday is shaping up to be one of the busiest days in recent Masters tournament memory.

Inclement weather suspended the second round on Friday afternoon, and that left 39 golfers with at least one hole to complete.

Jon Rahm's chase of Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods' fight to stay above the projected cut line will resume at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

After those rounds are completed, the Masters field will be cut down to the top 50, and ties and tee times will be scheduled accordingly. Masters.com will have the third-round tee times as soon as they are available.

Saturday's conditions will be drastically different from the favorable weather the golfers played in on Thursday and Friday.

The rain will carry over into Saturday morning, and the temperature will drop 20 degrees overnight, per Weather.com. That could cause all sorts of trouble for Rahm, Woods and others who have holes left to play.

Koepka, amateur Sam Bennett and Collin Morikawa appear to be in the safest positions going into the third round, as they have 36 holes in the books, but no one will be immune to some struggles on the tougher course amid the brutal conditions Saturday is expected to bring.

Jon Rahm Loses Ground to Brooks Koepka During End of Second Round

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Jon Rahm of Spain plays his tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Friday's play was suspended just as Rahm found a rhythm.

The Spaniard birdied the eighth and ninth holes to move within three shots of Koepka.

If the weather held for another 30 minutes, or an hour, Rahm could have gained one or two more shots on the leader before Friday's round ended.

Instead, Rahm has to return to the course on Saturday morning under far less ideal conditions.

It may take a hole or two for Rahm to find his rhythm again as he adapts to the cold and wet conditions.

There is a real chance that Rahm drops one or two shots on the back nine as he makes those adjustments.

Rahm recorded four birdies on the back nine on Thursday, but those types of scores may not be possible. The wet fairways will slow balls down, and that could lead to 20-30 yards being taken off tee shots, which then forces golfers to approach holes in completely different ways. The greens could also play slower because of all the moisture they take in.

Rahm's goal should be to manage the final nine holes of his second round so that he can be within reach of Koepka when they both face the same conditions in the third round.

Tiger Woods Battles to Make Cut

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Tiger Woods of The United States plays his tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Woods comes into Saturday morning on the projected cut line of two-over.

The 47-year-old needs to play at even-par or better over his final seven holes to remain in the top 50 and ties.

J.T. Poston finished his second round at two-over, which would put him in sole possession of 50th place if Woods falls beneath him.

There is a possibility of Talor Gooch, Seamus Power and Zach Johnson dropping from one-over and widening Woods' margin of error.

But Woods can't count on what the other golfers do on the back nine. He must focus on remaining at two-over, or even improving his score.

Woods knows the intricacies of Augusta National Golf Club as much as anyone in the field, and that could play in his favor in the difficult conditions.

He may not have much of a break before he goes back out for the third round, but making the cut has to be the first goal on his mind on Saturday.

Third-Round Leader Drops Below 10 Under

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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 may need to use every part of his three-shot cushion to remain in front after Saturday's third round.

The adverse conditions will not immediately go away, which means the third round could be played in a steady rain. The golfers can play in rain as long as there is no lightning in the area.

Koepka could have at least a four-shot lead before he tees off if Rahm drops back to either tie Bennett, or goes further down the leaderboard.

Every shot of Koepka's lead could be important because he will make some mistakes on a golf course affected by the conditions.

His goal should be to conserve the lead and put himself in a position to surge back in front of the field when the weather improves on Sunday. The chance of rain drops to 14 percent for Sunday's forecast.

An ideal round for Koepka may be to drop back to eight-or-nine-under because of the lack of birdie opportunities caused by some conservative calls on certain holes.

The whole field could struggle to go low on Saturday, and if that is the case, we could head into Sunday with no one above 10 under and Koepka still projected as the favorite to win the green jacket.