AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Live updates from Saturday’s Masters rounds two and three (all times local):
2:50 in the afternoon
The Masters says its prize money for this year will be $18 million, up from $15 million a year ago. The winner will receive $3,240,000. That’s more than the entire purse ($3.2 million) at the Masters 25 years ago.
No major has matched the PGA Tour’s $20 million purse for its sky-high events – The Players Championship has a $25 million purse.
The next major is the PGA Championship, and American PGA officials have been waiting to see what the masters will do with a purse. The PGA Championship also brought in $15 million last year.
Last year’s US Open purse was $17.5 million, while the British Open’s purse was $14 million.
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2:35 p.m
Brooks Koepka opened a four-run lead off Jon Rahm and began to put some distance between the rest of the field in the rain-soaked third round of the Masters.
But three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson lurks on the checkered leaderboard.
Mickelson is 1-under by six holes on Saturday and moved into a tie for fifth place eight shots behind Koepka, who is 13-under. Colin Morikawa on third, six putts into the seventh on third.
Amateur Sam Bennett dropped the pace and finished with 2 today, seven shots behind.
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11:15 a.m
LIV star Brooks Koepka holds a two-shot lead in the Masters over John Rahm at 12-under after a weather-delayed second-round finish.
Although it has been raining steadily, the third round will begin at 11:30 with players battling it out in threes on the front nine and the back nine as tournament officials look to squeeze as much golf as possible with more bad weather in the forecast.
Amateur Sam Bennett trails by four shots at 8-under. First round leader Victor Hovland recovered seven shots after a 73rd shot, leaving him tied for fifth with Colin Morikawa.
Ram came up on the course on Saturday morning at 9-under-9 holes and rallied to pull within one shot for the lead on two occasions, but a bogey on the 18th in pouring rain left him two shots behind Kupka. Koepka finished his second round on Friday and will be fresh for the third round.
Tiger Woods made the cut – just barely – for the 23rd straight year, tying a tournament record. For those fans with hopes of another miracle run and Woods’ sixth Masters title, the biggest 36-hole comeback in Masters history came from Jack Burke Jr., who overcame an eight-kick deficit to defeat amateur Ken Venturi in 1956 by 15 strokes.
Water flowed throughout the completion of the second run and the course became more saturated after an overnight rain, making play more difficult.
“I managed to break 70 this afternoon under the circumstances, the result will be very good,” said Shane Lowry.
Twelve of the 18 LIV golfers have made the cut. ___
10:35 a.m
Tiger Woods has backed up more history at The Masters.
On a cold, rainy morning, Woods. He made his 23rd consecutive cut at the Masters despite closing a weather-delayed second round with back-to-back atmospheres.
The joint record ties Gary Player and Fred Couples. Woods has never missed the Masters since turning pro.
Woods finished the round with a 1-over 73 and came off the course a shot over the expected 2-over 146 cut line. But the streak jumped to 3 over when Justin Thomas made a bogey on the 17th.
Woods’ place was secured for the final two innings when Thomas failed to make a birdie on the 18th.
Thomas ended up losing the wound himself when he committed another bogey on the 18th.
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10 am
Tiger Woods is in danger of losing the Masters for the first time in his professional career.
Woods finished his second weather-delayed outing with consecutive bogeys for one on 73. This left him with 3 on 147 at the halfway point of the tournament.
Right now, he’s 2 short of the expected cut line. But there’s a chance Woods will play the last two rounds if he knocks down another oncoming shot by Justin Thomas or Sungjae Im.
If so, the top 50 cutoff line will move to 3.
Woods has made 22 consecutive cuts at the Masters since turning pro. It’s one step away from tying the record shared by Gary Player and Fred Couples.
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8:30 am
Looks like Fred Kobles will be playing the rest of the weekend at the Masters.
The 1992 champion ended his second run with a bogey, leaving him 1 for the championship and just inside the expected cut-off line. That would make Pairs, 63, the oldest player to make the cut for Augusta National, beating the mark set by Bernard Langer during the 2020 tournament by nearly 3 1/2 months.
It would also be the pairs’ 31st cut, trailing only Jack Nicklaus’ record of 37.
At one point, the pairs made 23 straight cuts to tie Gary Player for the longest streak at the Masters. Five-time champ Tiger Woods could join them by making the cut on Saturday. He had six holes left in the cold, rainy weather and was right on the expected cut line of 2. Woods never missed the cut as a pro.
The players are trying to finish the second round, which was suspended on Friday due to the weather, before the third round begins later on Saturday. The temperature is in the 40’s with a cool drizzle and rain is expected to continue throughout the day with the possibility of storms.
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8 am
The second round of the Masters tournament resumed after storms knocked down three pine trees The previous day and stopped playing on the floor. Brooks Koepka tops the club at the age of 12 under John Rahm among those chasing them.
There were two stops during the second round on Friday, the first of 21 minutes and the second of the day. The second comment came moments after the three huge pines fell near the 17th tee. No one around was hurt.
The forecast for the rest of the weekend is for more rain and high temperatures in the 50s.
Ram resumed his second round with three shots to the back of Kupka With nine back they are still playing. Also yet to finish their second rounds were Victor Hovland, who shared the lead going into turn 1 and was under 6, and Cameron Young, who was under 5.
Tiger Woods is bundled up in a stocking cap and puffer jacket as he warms up under the pre-sunlight floodlights on the training range on Saturday. He was over two years old and just inside the cut line with seven holes left to play. The five-time Masters champion is attempting to make his 23rd straight cut at the Augusta National, tying the record shared by Gary Player and Fred Couples. Woods never misses a Masters as a pro.
Also in contention is U.S. Amateur Champion Sam Bennett, who finished his second U-8 tour. This is the second-best 36-hole score by an amateur at the Masters tournament behind only Ken Venturi, who had the best one in 1956.
Louis Oosthuizen did not return to finish his second run. He was 7 years old before he pulled out due to an injury.
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