Masters 2015 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Saturday
The third round of this year's Masters is going to be one of the most talked-about days of the sports year, for better or worse. All eyes will be on Jordan Spieth, who is walking into Augusta 36 holes away from a green jacket and flirting with history.
After his first 36 holes, Spieth has been on a record pace. He's at 14-under par, carrying a five-shot lead and seemingly doing everything right, as these numbers from the PGA Tour's official Twitter show:
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As good as Spieth has been, there is competition fighting to stay in his rear-view mirror. Charley Hoffman is the closest at five shots back, followed by a group of three at seven-under par and Phil Mickelson at six-under par.
Here's a look at the top tee times for Saturday's groupings and what to watch for.
| Tee Time (ET) | Grouping (Score) |
| 2:55 p.m. | Jordan Spieth (-14), Charley Hoffman (-9) |
| 2:45 p.m. | Justin Rose (-7), Dustin Johnson (-7) |
| 2:35 p.m. | Paul Casey (-7), Phil Mickelson (-6) |
| 2:25 p.m. | Ernie Els (-5). Kevin Na (-4) |
| 2:15 p.m. | Kevin Streelman (-4), Bill Haas (-4) |
| 2:05 p.m. | Ryan Moore (-4), Angel Cabrera (-3) |
| 1:55 p.m. | Louis Oosthuizen (-3), Mark O'Meara (-3) |
| 1:45 p.m. | Jason Day (-3), Adam Scott (-3) |
| 1:35 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama (-3), Charl Schwartzel (-3) |
| 1:15 p.m. | Tiger Woods (-2), Sergio Garcia (-2) |
Full list of tee times can be found on the PGA Tour website.
What to Watch For
The Jordan Spieth Show
It's impossible to overstate what Spieth has done at the Masters so far. History doesn't happen at Augusta often, but when it does, there's a different feeling in the air or on television.
Author Joe Posnanski went so far as to say that what Spieth is doing so far has supplanted Tiger Woods' accomplishments at the 1997 Masters:
However, Spieth will have nearly 24 hours of waiting time from when he finished the second round to the start of the third round. Depending on how he spends that time, the 21-year-old is going to see and hear all sorts of people waxing rhapsodic about his game.
The problem is Spieth still has 36 holes to play. His history through 36 holes is great, but it doesn't mean anything if he can't close this out. The Texas native doesn't need to stay on a record pace and end the Masters at 28-under par, but it will be one of the biggest collapses in history if he's not wearing a green jacket on Sunday.
Spieth has given no reasons to expect a disappointing finish so far. His comments after the round, via Christine Brennan of USA Today, suggest all the noise isn't going to hurt him because of what happened in 2014:
"I got off to a great start and had a chance to win last year on Sunday. I'd like to have that same opportunity this year. Again, this is only the halfway point and I'm aware of that. I'm not going to get ahead of myself and I'm going to try and stay in the moment and very patient these last two days and understand it's going to feel like a whole 'nother tournament.
"
There's a belief in sports that failure is the best way to breed success. Spieth dealt with the "failure" of an even-par 72 in the final round at Augusta last year that left him three shots behind Bubba Watson.
Now, one year older and with more experience, Spieth is ready to take his place atop the iron throne. He's not going to keep shooting in the mid-60s, but another round of 69 seems completely attainable. If that happens, it will leave him one stroke behind Woods' record score of 18-under heading into the final round.
The Rise of Dustin Johnson
It's almost a shame that Spieth has gotten out to such a big lead, as several other players have played well enough to be in the lead most years. Dustin Johnson is one of them, currently sitting at seven under par thanks to a 67 on Friday, his best single round at Augusta since 2013.
Making Johnson's round so unique is the way he destroyed the par-five holes. Per the PGA Tour's official Twitter, the 30-year-old was seven under par on those four holes in the second round:
Without those on Friday, Johnson shot one over par on the 14 holes. He needs to avoid those big mistakes, like the double-bogey on the first hole, in order to put any pressure of Spieth over the final 36 holes.
The positive signs about Johnson's performance so far really revolve around his ability to settle down. He was even par after the first nine holes on Thursday, settled down and got two birdies on the back nine to finish two under par.
On Friday, Johnson went eight holes without a bogey after the first hole problems. Getting out of those bad patterns could give him a round in the mid-60s, which would put his score in the 13- to 15-under range.
Sadly for Johnson, that's not going to happen. Spieth is the only player to break 65, and only three players reached 66 on Friday (Spieth, Kevin Na, Ryan Moore). There's a reasonable expectation that pin placement will be more difficult on Saturday to slow down Spieth's pace, which will have a ripple effect on other players.
Johnson will keep playing well, as he has most of the year, but his third round is going to be closer to the 70 he shot on Thursday than the 67 that happened on Friday.
Phil Mickelson's Tightrope
The things that separate good players from great players is their willingness to take risks in big spots. No player exemplifies that care-free attitude than Mickelson, who is constantly tempting fate with ridiculous shot selections.
Sometimes those choices pay off in grand fashion for Lefty, as they did on Friday. The one that stands out happened on No. 17, as he used a sand wedge to hit a ball 144 yards over multiple trees that landed on the green in perfect position for a birdie putt, which Kyle Porter of CBS Sports made into a GIF.
The back nine saw everything in Mickelson's arsenal working, as he hit a bogey-free 32 to finish at six-under par. He's certainly under no illusions that another green jacket is in his future, based on his comments after the round.
"I think for us to catch him, we're going to have to get a little fire in the golf course," Mickelson said, via Alex Myers of Golf Digest. "But for that to happen, the rains have to hold off."
Per Justin Ray of the Golf Channel, Mickelson's current run of two rounds under par does bring back memories of past success at Augusta:
Yet thinking about shots like the one on No. 17 and how well Mickelson was putting on Friday, it's a tenuous spot to be in. He's always dancing with the Devil, who is going to start winning more with Lefty no longer in his prime at 44 years old.
There will be individual rounds when Mickelson gets everything to work, as happened on Friday. Saturday feels like a day when the universe restores balance. He's not going to implode because of his understanding about this course, but a round at even par feels more in line with where his game is at.
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