Masters 2018: Live Updates for Leaderboard Scores on Saturday

American Patrick Reed is the leader of the 2018 Masters ahead of Saturday's all-important third round at Augusta National Golf Club.

Reed is two shots clear at the halfway stage after shooting a six-under 66 on Friday to end nine under, ahead of Australia's Marc Leishman.

There are plenty of big names still in contention with Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy both five shots back. America's Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas are a further shot adrift.

Elsewhere, Tiger Woods just about made the cut after shooting a 75 on Friday to leave him 13 strokes off the lead and needing a miracle to get back into contention.

Here's a look at the leaderboard at the halfway stage, per Sky Sports Golf:

Live updates of Saturday's third round can be found in Bleacher Report's live blog.

Saturday Preview

David Cannon/Getty Images

Saturday promises to be another enthralling day, and the weather may also play a part in proceedings. The conditions are expected to be wet with thunder also predicted to hit, per Golfweek:

Here's a look at the pin placement for the third round, per the Masters Tournament:

Leader Reed will be the man to beat, and he will be hoping to maintain the form that has propelled him to the top of the leaderboard. The American hit nine birdies on Friday as he shot a 66 to follow Thursday's 69.

Sports columnist Kirk Bohls highlighted how difficult he may find it to maintain his high standards:

Pushing hard will be McIlroy, who recovered from dropping a shot at the first on Thursday to shoot a 71. He said he is in a good position ahead of the weekend and is not perturbed by the poor weather forecast, as shown by the European Tour:

Spieth also struggled at times on Friday after he went into the day with a two-shot lead, but he hit a double-bogey on the first hole and dropped more shots at the second and the seventh.

The American did not manage a single birdie on the front nine for the first time in his Masters career, per golf writer Harvey Jamison:

Yet he showed his quality to battle back and card a 74 to remain in contention. Spieth said afterward he "got a little brain-dead to start with," per The Independent.

Spieth tees off just ahead of McIlroy and then Reed and Leishman. Kyle Porter at CBS showed the most notable tee times:

The green jacket remains very much up for grabs going into the weekend and predicted tricky conditions may ramp up the pressure even further. Reed has put himself into an excellent position, but there are plenty of quality players still in contention, which should make for another entertaining day's play.