Masters 2015 Leaderboard: Live Updates and Storylines to Watch on Sunday
A Jordan Spieth meltdown is all that stands between the 2015 Masters and an exciting final round Sunday.
The 21-year-old has led the tournament virtually all weekend in historic fashion. He withstood a pressure-packed Saturday to move 16 strokes below par—four ahead of everyone else. A handful of contenders tried to make things interesting heading into the final round, but given Spieth's play thus far at Augusta National, the only one who can prevent him from slipping on the green jacket is himself.
Take a look at how Spieth and Co. are doing in the final round below.
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2015 Masters Leaderboard
Tee Times: Masters.com
Storylines to Watch
Spieth's World
Until he gives a reason to believe otherwise, it's Spieth's world at the Masters and everyone else is simply living in it.
Not lost in one of the most impressive leaderboards the Masters has ever seen is what is happening at the very top of it. Spieth dazzled before the weekend with a record-breaking score of 130 through two rounds, but that wasn't enough—so he carded a 70 Saturday to also take the three-round record of 200.
With a four-shot lead, Spieth will be featured in the final pairing, but it's not an unfamiliar sight for him, as Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard noted:
Of the other three golfers who entered Saturday with a five-stroke lead at the Masters, all of them ended up with the green jacket. But Spieth may be feeling the pressure after having to save par on No. 18 Saturday to avoid going three over on his final two holes and seeing Justin Rose just four shots behind him.
The 21-year-old has given every indication that he's cool under pressure, but he was also in a similar situation—albeit with a smaller lead and a much worse score—last year and didn't pull through. If he fails to do so again this time, it will be shades of Rory McIlroy in 2011.
Lefty is Coming
Even amid one of the best Masters performances ever, Spieth is aware of what is happening behind him.
That, of course, is Phil Mickelson making his signature surge up the leaderboard on Moving Day to move one stroke back of second place and just five shots off Spieth's once-untouchable lead. He carded a 67 Saturday to rival the best round of the day, and the leader took notice quickly after his round finished, as per Golf Digest:
But while Mickelson's Saturday surges are usually met with a Sunday lead or at least an appearance in the final pairing, Lefty will have to repeat history if he wants any chance at putting on his fourth green jacket. History doesn't bode too well—although Saturday marked his eighth sub-70 round on Moving Day, he only has five such rounds on Masters Sunday.
Mickelson has never shot better than a 67 in the final round at the Masters, but he may need a lower score than that if he's intent on winning.
Tiger Woods: The Return
How preposterous is it that Tiger Woods is six under par entering Masters Sunday, yet he's all but a footnote of the top storylines?
That, if nothing else, showcases just how spectacular the golf has been this weekend at Augusta. The 39-year-old made a magnificent push with a third-round 68 to move into a tie for fifth place, yet still stands 10 strokes behind the overall lead.
In the course of one hole on No. 13 Saturday, Woods showed both signs of his old self and reasons to believe it's still a work in progress, as per ESPN's Jason Sobel:
Assuming Spieth doesn't get hit by a truck and Woods doesn't have a record-breaking round in him, what's a good finish for Woods at the Masters? After all, simply making the cut would be enough for some to be pleased, but he's already more than topped that.
Given the improvements in his short game, Woods won't have too much trouble posting another one of the top-10 finishes he's accustomed to at Augusta.
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