Masters 2019: Francesco Molinari Leads Tiger Woods, Tony Finau by 2 Strokes

Moving day at the 2019 Masters lived up to that billing, even though it was Francesco Molinari staying on top of the leaderboard with a 54-hole score of 13 under par. 

Molinari started Saturday in a five-way tie for the top spot. He ended it alone with 18 holes left to play with his first green jacket hanging in the balance. 

It won't be easy with Tiger Woods and Tony Finau hot on Molinari's heels at 11 under par. There was a brief moment when all three players were tied for the lead before Molinari got red-hot down the stretch. 

2019 Masters Leaderboard 

1. Francesco Molinari

T2. Tony Finau (-11)

T2. Tiger Woods (-11)

4. Brooks Koepka (-10)

T5. Webb Simpson (-9)

T5. Ian Poulter (-9)

T7. Dustin Johnson (-8)

T7. Matt Kuchar (-8)

T7. Justin Harding (-8)

T7. Xander Schauffele (-8)

T7. Louis Oosthuizen (-8)

Full leaderboard via Augusta.com

All eyes will be focused squarely on Woods heading into the final round. He posted his best score of the weekend Saturday with a five-under-par 67. 

Woods sent the Augusta crowd into a frenzy with this birdie putt on No. 16 that briefly gave him a share of the lead:

Despite not finishing in that spot, ESPN Stats & Info noted history indicates Woods is in excellent position to leave the Masters with his fifth career title:

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus shared the key to Woods' success Saturday:

Woods' recent final-round history at the Masters has been spotty. Last year's 69 was the first time he broke 70 on Sunday since 2011. 

Even though Woods will get a lot of attention, Molinari's late rise put momentum squarely in his court. The Italian star had a run of four straight birdies from No. 12 through 15 that gave him a small cushion to work with.

Finau started Saturday in 16th place following rounds of 71 and 70. He put himself in prime position to leave Augusta with his first career major title with a historic start to the third round. 

The cherry on top of Finau's front nine was an eagle on No. 8 that dropped him to six under for the day.

Moving to the back nine did slow Finau down, at least relative to how he started. The Utah native closed with two birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to bring his overall score to 11 under. 

Finau, Webb Simpson and Patrick Cantlay all finished with scores of 64, tied for the lowest score in any round of this year's tournament. Finau and Simpson used their rounds to put themselves in position to keep pressure on Molinari and Woods. 

One significant adjustment everyone has to make Sunday is how they follow the leaderboard. The PGA Tour announced changes to the final-round schedule in an attempt to combat expected severe weather in Augusta:

If rain plays a factor on the course, it's going to cause everyone to adjust their style of play. Molinari is in the driver seat for his second career major title, but Saturday proved a lot of things can change in a short amount of time.