Masters Leaderboard 2015: Saturday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions
Moving day has arrived at the 2015 Masters, but Jordan Spieth has made moving up the leaderboard a near-impossible task entering Saturday.
That's because the 21-year-old went out and posted the best two opening rounds that Augusta National Golf Club has ever seen, shooting a 64 followed by a 66 to mark a 36-hole course record. That put him five strokes ahead of the pack, but it feels like more given his score of 14-under par.
Will we see Spieth's lead grow as he continues tearing up the course, or will a contender make a surge toward his untouched lead? Find out below.
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2015 Masters Leaderboard
Tournament Predictions
Tiger Woods Will Surge to Top-10 Finish
Simply getting past the cut line at the Masters is a big validation for Tiger Woods as he tries to return to his top form. But his game is much closer to contention for majors than flirting with missed cuts.
Without a handful of awful tee shots on his opening-round 73, Woods would be right in the second pack of scores. He bounced back from an over-par start to post a 69 for Friday, bringing him to two strokes under par and returning some of the fire he hasn't shown on the course in what feels like forever but is really more like two years.
But forget a morale-boosting finish—Woods had his sights set on a fifth green jacket entering Saturday, per Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker:
Anything can happen, and Spieth hasn't quite won the thing yet, but 12 strokes is simply too much to make up when the scores are bound to rise from Spieth or someone else. However, that doesn't mean he can't continue his success at Augusta and keep channelling some of his best golf.
The fact Woods hasn't won a major since 2008 has been beaten to a pulp, but what's lost in that is his five top-six finishes at Augusta since 2008. Even amid unbelievable struggles, he's still emerged as one of the best at the Masters.
He'll do so again this year, posting a pair of under-par rounds to move into the top 10. The payday will pale in comparison to Woods leaving Augusta knowing his game is intact.
Dustin Johnson Gives Spieth a Run for his Money
Amid a pack of Charley Hoffman, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Paul Casey, the only golfer within seven strokes of Spieth who has any chance of catching him is Johnson.
Of course, the 30-year-old will have to hope and pray that Spieth somehow falls off his ridiculous pace and at least starts carding par rounds. But with his mix of a huge swing and affinity for eagles, he can make up the ground quicker than most.
Not only is Johnson outdriving the field at the Masters, which was to be expected, but it's not even close, as Golf Digest's Mike O'Malley noted:
Johnson's big drive allowed him to do something that has never been done before at the Masters—hit three eagles in a single round. On his four par-five holes, he shot a combined seven-under par.
Compare that to Spieth's magnificent 66 Friday: He only finished one under on those par-fives.
Pegged as a favorite entering the tournament based on his stellar start to 2015, Johnson will continue putting it together throughout the weekend in pursuit of his first major. He won't get it, but it won't be for a lack of trying as he injects a bit of drama into an otherwise stale Sunday dominated by Spieth.
Jordan Spieth Wins First Green Jacket
What's more foolish: Awarding someone the green jacket after just two rounds of play or comparing someone to Tiger Woods?
Well, to be fair, Spieth has all but warranted that type of talk as he embarks on what could be the next great run for a young American golfer. He's absolutely dominated the field, doing what has only been done a handful of times at any major, as ESPN Stats and Info noted:
While he'll be hard-pressed to continue that sort of dominance throughout the weekend, Spieth will have his hands full even carding a respectable score with the amount of pressure on him. Then again, all he has to do is put all the scenarios out of his mind and shoot one more low-60s round—then he'll have put this thing away.
But spectacularly enough, incredible play from other contenders has left Spieth with just a five-stroke lead. Ignore the gaudy numbers he's putting up, and this tournament is very much up for grabs.
That's why Spieth will come out with an aggressive mentality on moving day, looking to avoid any surging golfers who try to catch up to him. Looking to win this green jacket instead of trying not to lose it, Spieth will complete his stellar weekend with a green jacket.
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