Masters 2017 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Saturday
Friday at the 2017 Masters saw Charley Hoffman come back to earth after a seven-under 65 in the first round, Sergio Garcia (three-under 69) and Rickie Fowler (five-under 67) make charges, and 57-year-old Fred Couples (two-under 70) remain in contention.
What's more, the field was trimmed in half during the second round at Augusta National Golf Club with a cut line of six-over par. Notable names such as two-time champion Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson saw their tournament come to an early end, while Hoffman, Garcia, Fowler and Thomas Pieters paced the field at four-under par.
It all set the stage for a dramatic moving day.
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With that in mind, here is a look at the leaderboard, the pairings for the third round and a couple of Saturday predictions.
The tee times are per Golf.com.
Leaderboard
Saturday Tee Times
| 10:20 a.m. | Jason Day | |
| 10:30 a.m. | Daniel Berger | Branden Grace |
| 10:40 a.m. | J.B. Holmes | Francesco Molinari |
| 10:50 a.m. | Curtis Luck | Larry Mize |
| 11:00 a.m. | James Hahn | Ross Fisher |
| 11:10 a.m. | Matthew Fitzpatrick | Brandt Snedeker |
| 11:20 a.m. | Kevin Kisner | Andy Sullivan |
| 11:30 a.m. | Daniel Summerhays | Adam Hadwin |
| 11:40 a.m. | Emiliano Grillo | Justin Thomas |
| 12 p.m. | Byeong Hun An | Bernd Wiesberger |
| 12:10 p.m. | Steve Stricker | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 12:20 p.m. | Brooks Koepka | Pat Perez |
| 12:30 p.m. | Kevin Chappell | Paul Casey |
| 12:40 p.m. | Brian Stuard | Stewart Hagestad |
| 12:50 p.m. | Russell Henley | Brendan Steele |
| 1:00 p.m. | Bill Haas | Jimmy Walker |
| 1:10 p.m. | Lee Westwood | Marc Leishman |
| 1:20 p.m. | Ernie Els | Jason Dufner |
| 1:40 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama | Martin Kaymer |
| 1:50 p.m. | Soren Kjeldsen | Charl Schwartzel |
| 2:00 p.m. | Matt Kuchar | Rory McIlroy |
| 2:10 p.m. | Jordan Spieth | Phil Mickelson |
| 2:20 p.m. | Justin Rose | Adam Scott |
| 2:30 p.m. | Jon Rahm | Fred Couples |
| 2:40 p.m. | William McGirt | Ryan Moore |
| 2:50 p.m. | Thomas Pieters | Rickie Fowler |
| 3:00 p.m. | Charley Hoffman | Sergio Garcia |
Saturday Predictions
Charley Hoffman Falls out of the Top Five
Hoffman got off to a blazing start with a seven-under 65 Thursday but fell off in the second round with a three-over 75. The fact he was one of two golfers to break 70 in the gusty winds Thursday proved critical, as he is still tied for first place entering moving day.
Momentum played a major role in his outing Friday with three straight bogeys on Nos. 6-8 and two straight on Nos. 10 and 11. There are so many formidable golfers pursuing him (some who already caught him Friday) that there will be even more pressure Saturday.
He still wasn't too upset after his round, per Bill Pennington of the New York Times. Hoffman said, "All in all, three-over par today is not a bad score. I like my position right now because I still have a chance on the weekend."
The momentum will play a significant role Saturday as he continues to slip.
In 12 previous events this season, he missed the cut six times and tallied only two top-10 finishes. He hasn't yet proven he can thrive on this stage in 2017, and his standing as just 73rd on tour in driving distance and 175th in strokes gained putting, per his PGA Tour profile, doesn't suggest a green jacket is in his future.
This year's effort for Hoffman at the Masters is following a similar pattern to last year when he notched a 71 in the first round but a 77 in the second, 73 in the third and 74 in the fourth.
Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today didn't seem too confident in Hoffman's ability to hold off Garcia:
Unfortunately for Garcia, someone else will win the title.
Rickie Fowler Takes the Lead
Speaking of momentum, Fowler posted a one-over 73 in the first round before a complete turnaround in the second with a five-under 67 to ascend to a tie for first.
Fowler was consistent throughout the second round with an eagle on No. 2 and just one bogey on the day. The bogey came on the par-five 15th.
Fowler supporters shouldn't worry too much about the par fives even with that bogey considering he is a solid 27th in par-five scoring average, per his PGA Tour profile. He is also third in par-four scoring average, so there is no reason to think his mastery of those will change over the weekend.
The real reason Fowler is the predicted leader here is his putting. He is ninth in strokes gained putting and demonstrated sufficient touch Friday, as the PGA Tour shared:
He will use that steady putting to surpass Hoffman, Garcia and the rest of the green-jacket contenders Saturday to take the lead heading into Sunday.
If he can replicate that formula during the final day, he will win his first green jacket.
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