Masters Leaderboard 2016: Saturday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions

Jordan Spieth's charge at the conclusion of last week's Shell Houston Open seems to have carried over after two days at the Masters.

The reigning champion is the leader after Friday at Augusta National, holding a one-stroke lead. That's despite Spieth's slow second round after a six-under 66 on Thursday.

Behind Spieth is an interesting combo of contenders. Rory McIlroy heads into the weekend at three under and one shot behind Spieth. Top amateur Bryson DeChambeau was in position to head into the weekend also one shot off the lead, but a triple bogey on the 18th hole dropped the American to even par through two rounds.

The Masters field is more wide-open than it was Monday. Even at one over par, Jason Day can still make a charge with a solid third round. Despite a three-over 75 on Friday, Sergio Garcia is at even heading into the weekend as well.

Here's a look at the updated field as well as some predictions with 36 holes to go.

Tournament Predictions

Jason Day Is Down, but Not Out

Although Day is five strokes back of Spieth and was expected to be in the running at the end, there's still time for the Aussie to make a charge up the leaderboard.

Day closed the front nine at two under par after birdies on No. 5 and No. 8. He then bogeyed 11, 13 and 18 to finish the round and will head into the weekend at one over par.

But despite Day's struggles on the back nine—he's eight over par on the back nine through two rounds—he can't be counted out. This is not the same golfer who fell short in the final round at Augusta in 2011. He's a major champion now who understands how to perform in big-time moments.

And with Day only five shots back, this is his opportunity to make a charge. He'll be teeing off before Spieth and McIlroy on Saturday, so he'll have the chance to put some pressure on the two favorites. He seems to be dealing with some back problems, but as Jason Sobel of ESPN pointed out, this wouldn't be the first time his back troubles resulted in a strong finish in a tournament:

If Day continues his strong play on the front nine, he'll be in the running for the lead by the time Spieth and McIlroy tee off. It's a matter of of staying consistent on the back nine. If he's within striking distance of the lead by the time he gets to the back nine Saturday, he can afford to ease up on the back nine and not be pressured to make every shot count.

Sergio Garcia Lost His Chance

Will it ever happen? Probably not this week.

Garcia began Friday by making birdie on two of the first three holes. Despite a bogey on the fourth hole, he made par up until the eighth hole and got back to four under. It seemed to be another moment in the veteran major-less wonder making a run for his first major.

Then, No. 9 happened. A double bogey began a tailspin for Garcia. He bogeyed on 13 to drop to one under par, but despite getting it back on 14 with a birdie, he bogeyed 17 and 18 to close the round four shots back of Spieth.

Just when it seems like Garcia is inching closer to a major, it takes one hole to throw all those hopes away for him. That double bogey on No. 9, via The Cauldron, showed Garcia continuing to underestimate the downhill slope near the flag:

"

Sergio Garcia made a mistake on the 9th hole. Then made it again...and again pic.twitter.com/ZF0c3Y5N77

— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) April 8, 2016"

The good news for Garcia is he's only four back of Spieth. He has plenty of time to make up ground and climb the leaderboard. But if he hasn't done it now, when will Garcia ever make the final push to win a major?

With Spieth and McIlroy in the fold, it's unlikely it'll be this weekend.