Masters 2012 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Saturday

The 2012 Masters heads into the weekend with 63 players making the cut, which means the action over the weekend should be quite exciting.

Fred Couples and Jason Dufner lead the tournament at five-under par, with four players, including Rory McIlroy, right behind them at four-under par.

Saturday's third round will be a make-or-break day for many of the golfers at Augusta. The opportunity to climb the leaderboard and head into the final round with a shot at winning the green jacket is one that cannot be passed up.

Let's look at some predictions as well as the pairings for the third round.

Rory McIlroy Will Take the Lead after Third Round

After two fine rounds by co-leaders Jason Dufner and Fred Couples, I fully expect Rory McIlroy to take charge of the tournament and take the lead after Saturday's action has concluded.

McIlroy looks more composed this year at Augusta than he did last year, and is just one shot off the lead. If his game keeps improving, he will be the star of the third round.

Tiger Woods' Performance Won't Get Much Better

Not only did Tiger Woods falter numerous times on Friday, the mental aspect of his game was also quite poor.

He doesn't look comfortable off the tee, and his swing is not effective right now. I can't imagine him having a great round on Saturday to get back into contention.

Notable Tee Times and Pairings for Saturday's Third Round

Tee Time (ET)	Player	Player
10:45 a.m.	Charl Schwartzel	Tiger Woods
11:45 a.m.	Vijay Singh	Phil Mickelson
2:15 p.m.	Bubba Watson	Paul Lawrie
2:25 p.m.	Sergio Garcia	Rory McIlroy
2:35 p.m.	Louis Oosthuizen	Lee Westwood
2:45 p.m.	Fred Couples	Jason Dufner

Follow @NicholasGoss35