Masters 2015 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Sunday
After 54 holes and a mortal Round 3 from leader Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters will come to an end on Sunday.
Spieth, who is 16 under par, remains the player to watch, despite having a couple of bad holes Saturday. His crowning just doesn't seem as inevitable as it did after Thursday or Friday, with Justin Rose pulling within four shots of the lead. Also in the mix is Phil Mickelson, who is five shots back at 11-under par.
Here's a look at the final pairings for Sunday at Augusta, as well as predictions for how things will play out.
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| Players (Scores) | Tee Time (ET) |
| Jordan Spieth (-16), Justin Rose (-12) | 2:50 p.m. |
| Phil Mickelson (-11), Charley Hoffman (-10) | 2:40 p.m. |
| Rory McIlroy (-6), Tiger Woods (-6) | 2:30 p.m. |
| Kevin Streelman (-6), Kevin Na (-6) | 2:20 p.m. |
| Dustin Johnson (-6), Hideki Matsuyama (-5) | 2:10 p.m. |
| Paul Casey (-5), Ian Poulter (-4) | 2 p.m. |
| Zach Johnson (-4), Jonas Blixt (-4) | 1:50 p.m. |
| Jason Day (-4), Louis Oosthuizen (-4) | 1:40 p.m. |
| Bill Haas (-4), Hunter Mahan (-3) | 1:30 p.m. |
| Sergio Garcia (-3), Ryan Moore (-3) | 1:10 p.m. |
Full list of tee times can be found at the Masters website by clicking here.
What to Watch For
The Dream Pairing
In a perfect world, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would be tied in the final pairing heading into Sunday. The two superstars held up one end of the equation, entering the last 18 holes at six under par, but they have to settle for a battle over fifth place.
McIlroy has been on a tear since flirting with the cut line early on Friday. His 18-hole stretch from the back nine on Friday and front nine on Saturday produced excellent results (via ESPN Stats & Info):
The Masters has never been McIlroy's best tournament, and he doesn't have fond memories of Sunday at Augusta, but the 25-year-old has flipped a switch to reach that gear only a handful of golfers can achieve.
Woods is the wily veteran who is showing the young guard that there's still something left in the tank. He broke 70 on Friday and improved on that with a 68 on Saturday that ended a decade-long drought, per ESPN Stats & Info:
So which player will come out ahead in this clash of titans?
Even though Woods has one of the greatest resumes in golf history, McIlroy's got the edge in age and has shown the ability to shoot 31 on a nine-hole stretch if need be. The Irishman has also been stellar with his accuracy off the tee, hitting nearly 79 percent of fairways, compared to 67 percent for Woods.
The gap between the two on the green isn't substantial. Woods averages 1.57 putts, while McIlroy is at 1.61. McIlroy has more pure talent at this point in their respective careers and can make a big shot with more ease than Woods.
It would make for a nice story if Woods showed the "new dog" who rules the block, but that's not practical given how great the young star has been over the last four years.
The Champion
Forgiving that brief aside for what is a compelling pairing, the only storyline that ultimately matters is who walks away with the green jacket. Spieth is alone at the top, followed by Rose and Mickelson. Charley Hoffman is lurking around, but six shots is a lot to make up on its own, much less with three players ahead of him.
For the purpose of this discussion, Spieth, Rose and Mickelson are the only contenders vying for a green jacket. Using a formula of scoring averages for the tournament so far, Spieth is projected to shoot between 66 and 67.
If he shoots a 67 on Sunday, Spieth would end with a total score of 21-under par. That would set a new Masters record, which would be in keeping with the 21-year-old's week so far, as shown by Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman:
It would also be a nice way to welcome the new guard of American golf, with Spieth taking his first Masters title at an event with Woods playing so well. Spieth spoke last year about his tying for second place at this event when Tiger was absent post-back surgery (via Karen Crouse of The New York Times):
"I wish that Tiger was there," Spieth said. "In order to feel like I can reach a goal (of) one day becoming No. 1 in the world, I feel like I'd like to see him come back stronger than ever."
Woods will be around the clubhouse by the time Spieth finishes, so he will get his wish. If the 21-year-old reaches his perfect-world projection that's been established (67), Rose would need to shoot a 63 to force a playoff, which seems unlikely.
However, here's where things get interesting. Spieth did look vulnerable at times in the third round, quadrupling his bogey total, per ESPN.com's Jason Sobel:
It is important to remember that despite those struggles, Spieth still shot two-under par in the third round. He would need a meltdown of epic proportions to finish over par for a round at this point.
So if Spieth is "only" able to duplicate his third-round score of 70 on Sunday, he would finish at 18 under par. That opens the door slightly for Rose, who would need to shoot a 66 under those circumstances. The South African star hasn't hit that mark yet, but he has been close with two rounds of 67.
Mickelson is hanging on the edge, with a bogey on 17 Saturday really stinging. However, as this long putt on No. 16 in the third round shows, courtesy of the tournament's Twitter account, he's perfectly capable of doing something special at this tournament:
But if Lefty is looking at a scenario in which he's, say, six shots back of the lead, it would require him to post a score of at least 66. He hasn't done that since 2012. It's not an impossibility, but it's a rare round that stands out in his career.
For perspective, in Mickelson's three Masters wins (2004, 2006, 2010), he never shot better than 67. Lefty will need Spieth to hit par in order to have a shot at winning or at least forcing a playoff.
In other words, a lot of things will have to go right—or wrong, depending on the perspective—for anyone other than Spieth to win the Masters. He finally looked human on Saturday, which has added some drama for CBS' telecast on Sunday.
Four shots is a long way for Rose to climb with only 18 holes to play. Bubba Watson won the Masters in 2012 by coming from three back in the final round, needing a playoff to defeat Louis Oosthuizen.
Spieth's incredible start on Thursday and Friday gave him enough cushion to make mistakes over the weekend. He did stumble on Saturday, yet he still carries a big enough lead to make it impossible to project anyone else winning.
The only real question is if Spieth will eclipse Woods' 72-hole scoring record of 18-under par and 270 total shots. He needs another 70 to tie the mark and a 69 to break it. The young Texan has been destined to do great things for a long time. Now is his time to seize the moment.
Winning a green jacket is great, but doing it while breaking a record set by Woods is legendary. Spieth wanted Woods to be around to see him win the Masters, so it would be a disappointment if history wasn't made.
Note: Tournament stats via Masters.com.
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