Saturday at Augusta National was a hybrid of sorts. It saw the conclusion of round two, followed by the affirmation of the cut line (three-over par made the weekend.) Guys like Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy won’t be around, nor will five of the six amateurs. After the morning’s restart of Friday, round three began and lasted for all of six holes for the leaders. The rains came and play was halted around three in the afternoon. The plan for Sunday is a two-tee start, off the first and second nines, in threesomes. By Sunday evening, we should have a champion, and he will certainly be someone who can play over hilly, wet grounds, in overcast, cool weather. We learned a few nuggets during Saturday’s abbreviated play, and we’d like to share them with you here.

The first roar of the round courtesy of Cameron Young. #themasters pic.twitter.com/zP6CrgUfDR

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023

1. Tiger Woods finds a way

Whether it was a nearly-30 feet birdie putt at the 15th, or a fortunate bogey from a fellow competitor, Tiger Woods found a way to stick around for the weekend.

Tiger Woods moves inside the projected cut line. #themasters pic.twitter.com/FH6tZxwQl8

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023

2. If he wins the tournament, Brooks Koepka might recall six holes on Saturday

Those first six holes, when he played one-under golf on Saturday, before play was called, to be precise; those are the ones that I reference. His advantage over Jon Rahm doubled, from two to four. No other in the field was within seven shots of his number. We all remember the Koepka of the mid 2010s, but his inability to endear himself as a human being, made forgetting him that much easier. He had a golden opportunity to win the 2021 PGA Championship, but let it slip away. Now that he is healthy, this one will not avoid his attention nor his grasp. Major number five comes from away for Brooks.

A new day lies ahead, full of potential and uncertainty. It's Saturday at the Masters. #themasters pic.twitter.com/glmGHVkoIk

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023

3. The mudders

Some pundit, early in the week, alerted the golf world to Matt Fitzpatrick’s renown as a mudder. The 2022 US Open champion is currently three-under par for his third round, but chances are quite good that he won’t be able to use his mudding skills much longer. With Saturday’s play suspended, Fitzpatrick will need to be a marathoner on Sunday, playing 25 holes or more to have a shot at a second professional major title. The course will be wet, but not as wet as other courses, given the deluge. After all, it’s Augusta National.

Fitz isn’t the only mudder out there. Patrick Cantlay is also three-deep on day three. Both will certainly figure in the resolution on Sunday, but only a massive Koepka retreat will give them great hope. Asking for nine or more birdies over the next seven hours of play is quite a bit.

Weekend golf in Augusta!! ? pic.twitter.com/lfyIwIOjw7

— Matt Fitzpatrick (@MattFitz94) April 8, 2023

4. This guy has me impressed

I didn’t think that he could get it done at Augusta National. Morikawa has two major championships to his name, but is getting anxious. He hasn’t won a big one (nor any other event) since the Open Championship of 2021, at Royal St. Georges. Right now, he’s plus one on the day and minus-five, in a tie for fourth with Cantlay and Fitzpatrick. Is he a long shot? Sure, but he was one, entering the week. If anyone knows how to pull something out of nothing, it’s this Cal Bear.

Collin Morikawa moves into solo third with a birdie at No. 4. #themasters pic.twitter.com/0CcwYWzybq

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023

5. Some completely off-the-rails notions from this writer

The rain seeped into my brain, and what came out were these thoughts and suppositions ~

*Tiger Woods really didn’t want to play another 36 holes, so he talked Joe LaCava into allowing him to bogey the 36th hole. Unfortunately for Tiger, he needed double bogey to miss the cut …

*Cameron Young is learning to contend at Augusta, before he learns to win. It’s like a super-long, lag putt. You want to get it close to the hole, and if it happens to fall, it’s a plus. We know that Young can play the majors very well. Augusta is a different sort of major, and caddie Paul Tesori knows it …

*Gordon Sargent is exhibit A for why you don’t listen to folks who forecast the next big thing. The only one of those to truly deliver is Tiger Woods. What does that make the winning percentage for all the fails? Sargent will return to Vanderbilt and win loads of events. When it is time, he will win as a pro …

*Adam Scott is so much better as a golfer than an actor. I admired his work on Parks and Recreattion, but I hated him as the bad guy in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty …

A Golden Bell highlight for the Australian past champion. #themasters pic.twitter.com/cuAIQg6RpD

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023