Masters Leaderboard 2013: What Experts Are Saying About Day 3 Scores

The third round of the 2013 Masters Tournament has seen plenty of fluctuation on moving day thus far. A lot of contenders are still on the course, but several dark horses have made a lot of noise in the early going.

Most notably, Tim Clark fired a round of 67 thanks to a scintillating 31 on the first nine holes. The South African vaulted from relative obscurity to just three off the lead by the time his round was completed.

Five-time PGA Tour winner Nick Watney and explosive youngster Thorbjorn Olesen had matching 68s to give themselves an outside shot in the final 18 holes.

Let's take a look at what the experts are saying about this impressive trio that lit it up at Augusta National Golf Club Saturday.

Tim Clark

Augusta local sports columnist Scott Michaux, who contributes to Masters.com, alluded to the rules storylines of the week, implying that Clark's putting style will be part of his Masters narrative:

The previous violations included a one-stroke penalty for slow play, assessed to 14-year-old Tianlang Guan, and a two-stroke penalty on an illegal drop for Tiger Woods, per the New York Post.

As for the unique putter that Clark uses, fan favorite Fred Couples also has his flatblade anchored, although he does have a history of back problems. Still, Clark isn't getting much of an advantage, as he has struggled with the flatstick over the past few years.

That wasn't the case on Saturday, however, as he birdied five of his first seven holes before cooling off on the back nine, playing it in even par. The round was highlighted by drilling a bunker shot at the par-three fourth hole.

Clark is at three-under overall and is just three strokes behind leaders Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Angel Cabrera as of 4:30 p.m. ET.

It is somewhat surprising that Clark is hanging tough since his short hitting wouldn't presumably translate well to Augusta National. Something about this course, though, gets Clark going, as evidenced by his runner-up finish in 2002.

If that putter stays hot, don't be surprised if the savvy veteran snags the green jacket on Sunday.

Nick Watney

How unfortunate was Watney's opening round of 78?

A cliche in major championship golf states that a player can't win an event on the first day, but he can shoot himself out of the tournament with a terrible performance.

After playing Saturday's first 12 holes at level par, Watney caught fire, pouring in two birdies, an eagle at the par-five 15th and another birdie at the par-three 16th hole.

The PGA Tour's official Twitter page documented the crazy scorecard during that stretch:

That may ultimately be the case for the American, who has long been expected to have a breakthrough in one of golf's four marquee events.

When Watney has the putter going, he's easily capable of being in contention thanks to his elite iron play. That has been the case over the past two days, as Watney bested a 69 on Friday with a four-under round of 68 Saturday afternoon.

Although he bogeyed the last, as Clark did, it can be argued that Watney has played the best of anyone in the field since Thursday. It's too bad the 31-year-old had so many mistakes that day, because he'd otherwise be very near the lead—or even in possession of it.

Thorbjorn Olesen

Sports Illustrated golf contributor Stephanie Wei pointed out an eerie similarity between Watney and Olesen:

For those who aren't familiar with the talented 23-year-old, there is a reason that Nike signed him to an endorsement deal at the start of 2013.

In Round 3, Olesen played the opening nine well, turning in two-under 34. From there, it was a wild ride. Dropped shots at the 10th and 11th holes now have Olesen playing those holes in four-over for the week.

However, a birdie at the 12th, an eagle at the short par-five 13th and two consecutive birdies thereafter got him back to red figures. His third bogey on the back side happened at the par-three, but Olesen still has a chance at even par overall.

Olesen is one of the most underrated talents in the game. But he had to knock off some rust in the first two rounds after a car accident threatened to keep him from making his Masters debut.

Considering the adversity he has overcome to make his first stroll down Magnolia Lane, the precocious Dane is certainly living up to the hype that surrounds him overseas.

Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman nicely summed up the theme of moving day for these three promising players:

It remains to be seen whether or not someone will separate himself from this log-jammed leaderboard with a spectacular effort. If not, Clark, Watney and Olesen have as good a chance as anyone of exploding to victory on Sunday.