Masters 2017 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Sunday

With just one day remaining at the 2017 Masters, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are tied for the lead at six-under par. Rose is looking for his first win at Augusta, while Garcia hopes to capture his first major title. 

One thing that should keep Rose and Garcia on high alert is the 54-hole leader at the Masters has failed to win the tournament six of the previous seven years. It also helps their focus that five players are within three shots of the co-leaders.

Time (ET)	Player	Player
10:05 a.m.	Ernie Els	-
10:15 a.m.	Larry Mize	Marc Leishman
10:25 a.m.	Bernd Weisberger	Andy Sullivan
10:35 a.m.	James Hahn	Curtis Luck
10:45 a.m.	Louis Oosthuizen	Adam Hadwin
10:55 a.m.	Daniel Summerhays	Ross Fisher
11:05 a.m.	Byeong-Hun An	Kevin Kisner
11:15 a.m.	J.B. Holmes	Brendan Steele
11:25 a.m.	Emiliano Grillo	Matthew Fitzpatrick
11:45 a.m.	Daniel Berger	Stewart Hagestad
11:55 a.m.	Brian Stuard	Francesco Molinari
12:05 p.m.	Branden Grace	Martin Kaymer
12:15 p.m.	Hideki Matsuyama	Steve Stricker
12:25 p.m.	Justin Thomas	Jason Day
12:35 p.m.	Phil Mickelson	Bill Haas
12:45 p.m.	Russell Henley	Pat Perez
12:55 p.m.	Brooks Koepka	Brandt Snedeker
1:05 p.m.	Fred Couples	Jason Dufner
1:25 p.m.	Jimmy Walker	Kevin Chappell
1:35 p.m.	Jon Rahm	William McGirt
1:45 p.m.	Matt Kuchar	Rory McIlroy
1:55 p.m.	Paul Casey	Soren Kjeldsen
2:05 p.m.	Lee Westwood	Thomas Pieters
2:15 p.m.	Adam Scott	Charl Schwartzel
2:25 p.m.	Ryan Moore	Charley Hoffman
2:35 p.m.	Rickie Fowler	Jordan Spieth
2:45 p.m.	Justin Rose	Sergio Garcia

Sunday Predictions

Justin Rose Falls Off the Pace

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Rose had the big surge of the third round. He was in the mix after 36 holes at one-under par but decided to up his game by posting the lowest score of Saturday with a 67, tying Garcia for the lead. 

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the back nine was particularly kind to Rose in the third:

The back nine on Sunday comes with a brighter spotlight. Rose has finished inside the top 10 at the Masters in each of the last two years, so the stage is set for him to finally have that breakthrough at Augusta.

Rose has been consistent in the final round at Augusta with a 70 on Sunday each of the last two years. Jordan Spieth two years ago is the only Masters winner since 2010 who failed to shoot 69 or lower in the final round. 

Since Saturday was the first time in the tournament Rose broke 70, don't expect him to do it again. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist will post another top-10 finish at Augusta, but it won't be enough to earn the green jacket.

Jordan Spieth Will Run Out of Time

David Goldman/Associated Press

If someone would have told you after Spieth opened the Masters with a 75 on Thursday that he would be within two shots of the lead going into the final round, a fair assumption would be the rest of the field couldn't figure out how to navigate Augusta.

Instead, Spieth corrected whatever ailed him in the first round with back-to-back rounds in the 60s to trail Rose and Garcia by two shots. History is on his side to win a second green jacket since the only third-round leaders to win the Masters since 2010 are Spieth (2015) and Bubba Watson (2014). 

Per Sean Martin of PGATour.com, this is a change of pace for Spieth compared to where he usually is after 54 holes at the Masters:

Spieth was 10 shots off the lead after the first round. To even have a chance to win, let alone only be two shots off the pace, is a testament to his talent and ability to compartmentalize. 

He also seems to possess an uncanny ability to manipulate the ball with his shots that no one else on tour can match, as this approach on No. 15 from Saturday shows, via the PGA Tour:

Spieth's climb on Sunday isn't nearly as steep as it was before the third round, but his average final-round score in three previous Masters appearances is 71.7. Shooting par tomorrow isn't going to be good enough for him to win a second green jacket.

It would make for an incredible story if Spieth digs himself out of the early grave he was in and wins the Masters. At some point, though, he will run out of time and adrenaline. 

All Eyes on Sergio

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The only story that would surpass a Spieth comeback from a 10-shot deficit would a Garcia winning his first major tournament. 

There hasn't been a lot of flash to Garcia's performance thus far. Players like Rose and Spieth have posted low rounds, whereas Garcia has shot 71-69-70 through the first three rounds to put himself in a tie for the lead. 

Betting on Garcia to finally have that major breakthrough has led to many disappointments in the past, as this stat from ESPN's Darren Rovell highlights:

At some point, though, the combination of natural talent and fate join hands to provide a sports moment. Phil Mickelson's 12-year wait to capture his first major at the 2004 Masters felt interminable, but Garcia is in his 18th year on the PGA Tour. 

Garcia has experienced some of the lowest lows a professional athlete can have, even taking a break from the sport in 2010. He's since had close calls in majors, including finishing tied for fifth at the U.S. Open and British Open last year, yet still hasn't had that singular moment to properly define his career. 

At 37 years old, Garcia has done virtually everything imaginable on the PGA Tour. He's won nine tournaments on the main circuit, 30 overall and has been ranked as high as second in the Official World Golf Rankings. 

He's put in all the work to give himself a golden opportunity to win the Masters. The past year saw the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Cubs end long championship droughts in dramatic fashion. 

Garcia's futility may have never reached the level of those two franchises, but the agonizing pain of crushing defeats will make his victory on Sunday at Augusta so much sweeter should it happen.