The Masters 2023 LIVE: Leaderboard and scores as Tiger Woods makes cut at Augusta

Day Two of the Masters saw Brooks Koepka stretch his lead to finish 12 under par, with Jon Rahm three shots back but yet to finish his second round.

That’s as a result of bad weather and two trees falling meaning play was halted on Friday, so Saturday’s 1pm GMT start will be with the remaining groups from Friday finishing off their second rounds. Still fighting to make the cut is Tiger Woods, but Rory McIlroy is heading home early.

Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods have won the Masters in consecutive years and last year’s champion Scottie Scheffler sits at one under par through two rounds, meaning it would take a monumental weekend for him to triumph again.

The first major of the golfing year will also be defined by the return of 18 LIV Golf defectors who have been granted permission to compete in all four majors this season. With relations between LIV golfers and critics of the Saudi-funded breakaway series sour at best, four days of heated competition at Augusta National are likely.

Follow live updates from the opening day’s play of the Masters below:

The Masters 2023

• Day Three of The Masters 2023 takes places at Augusta National on Saturday afternoon

• Brooks Koepka sets target of 12 under

• Tiger Woods makes the cut - will tee off the 10th at 6:06 pm

• Round three tee times in full

• -12: Koepka. -10: Rahm. -8: Bennett (a) -6: Morikawa, Hovland.

• Fred Couples makes the cut - the oldest-ever golfer to do so at the Masters

Tee times in full

16:29 , Ben Fleming

Here are the tee times in full - the first groups head off very shortly.

Masters Round 3 tee times: Saturday’s pairings and schedule

Tiger Woods tees off on the 10th after 6pm

16:23 , Ben Fleming

6:06 pm: Thomas Pieters, Tiger Woods, Sungjae Im

Woods will head off the 10th but has been given the latest tee time. You have to imagine that was deliberate given his body condition - he’ll probably need plenty of time to recover before heading back out there for another 18 holes in those conditions.

He’ll tee it up with Sungjae Im and Thomas Pieters.

Round three start times

16:19 , Ben Fleming

We didn’t have to wait long - the tee times are out. As suspected three-balls and a two-tee system. The first groups get underway in just under 15 minutes but here are some of the final groupings:

5:18 pm - Justin Rose, Russell Henley, Shane Lowry

5:30 pm - Gary Woodland, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann

5:42 pm - Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Cameron Young

5:54 pm - Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Jason Day

6:06 pm - Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Sam Bennett (a)

Tough break for the late round two starters

16:14 , Ben Fleming

We all knew it was going to be hard for those in the afternoon wave on Friday and it sure turned out that way. The rain this morning made the course significantly harder and they suffered as a result. It also puts into perspective how good that round from Jon Rahm was.

Pin positions for round three

16:06 , Ben Fleming

What we do know, however, is the pin positions for the third round. 13 and 18 stick out immediately as some toughies but the greens certainly should be a lot softer which will help somewhat.

Third round coming up

16:03 , Ben Fleming

The rain continues to come down but the action will continue to press on. There’s no word of pairings at present so we don’t know if it will be two-balls or three-balls but it has been confirmed that it will be split tees meaning players will start on the 10th and the 1st.

Jon Rahm reflects on excellent start to Masters

15:57 , Jack Rathborn

“I did a good job to maintain the score I had, to come out and make a two-putt, great par save on 11,” said Rahm.

“It’s not playing easy whatsoever out there. I’m excited, I’ve never gone into the weekend this close to the lead at a major. Let’s keep it going.”

Sungjae Im makes par to avoid missing Masters cut on 18th hole

15:52 , Jack Rathborn

Cam Smith makes bogey on 18 and he’ll slip back to -2.

To finish off the second round, here’s Im for par and to make the cut.

Makes it! Some putt from the Korean, he finishes round 2 at +3.

So Tiger and Im made it, JT didn’t. There was some real drama around the cut to finish up the delayed second round.

Jon Rahm two behind Brooks Koepka after finishing second round at Masters

15:37 , Jack Rathborn

Jon Rahm tidies up, a round of 69. He’s -10 and two behind Brooks Koepka at -12.

He’ll take that. Rahm has had bad luck and the complete wrong side of the draw really, so to just be two back is almost a compliment and suggests he may even have played the best golf so far.

Matsuyama, Smith and Im the final group out on the course.

Justin Thomas misses cut at the Masters after rotten round of 78

15:34 , Jack Rathborn

Justin Thomas on 18, for par, to make the cut at the Masters.

It falls short and right, a bogey-bogey finish and a round of 78, he’s at +4 and that’s his tournament over. Staggering.

Jon Rahm in trouble on 18 with Tiger Woods poised to make Masters cut

15:31 , Jack Rathborn

Justin Thomas left with about 8-10 feet for par and to get in at +3 and make the cut. Immense pressure on this putt coming up.

Cam Smith on 18 now and ready to get in at -3 or better. The Open champion hangs one way out left, similar to Tiger a half hour earlier. He hates it.

Rahm, meanwhile, chips from the front of the 18th green, it’s pitched up nicely and can’t get to the ridge, it races all the way back down. A nightmare.

A huge putt just to make par now.

Im is on the fairway, but he’s far back and out to the right, does he have the power to muscle a left-to-right approach onto the green? Probably not. He, too, looks to just make par and the cut at +3. It’s suddenly not really about Tiger anymore, he should be safe.

Jon Rahm closing in on round of 68 to sit one off half-way Masters lead

15:25 , Jack Rathborn

Jon Rahm has 211, uphill, but he can’t make the green either. It’s cold and wet out there, the players are struggling to cut Augusta down to size.

Im for par on 17: It slides on past the hole, the Korean moves to +3.

Tiger Woods’ hopes of making Masters cut improve

15:23 , Jack Rathborn

Im’s third shot on 17 leaves him 10 feet for par. He could go to +3 too shortly and then Tiger can really breathe easily in his hope to make the cut.

JT from 217 to reach the green on 18, he’s out left and requires a chip and putt to make par and stay at +3.

The 2021 champion Matsuyama is at -4, certainly not out of this at the other end of the leaderboard.

Tiger Woods given boost after Justin Thomas bogey

15:13 , Jack Rathborn

Justin Thomas for par... NO!

Tiger Woods breathes easy, that’s a bogey for JT and he’ll slip to +3 - so does the cut line.

JT has to make par to stick around. A birdie would still knock out Woods, but the conditions are so tough.

Rahm makes birdie and he’s back to -11, one behind Koepka, incredible.

The equation facing Tiger Woods to make the cut

15:02 , Jack Rathborn

Sungjae Im on 16 now and JT on 17.

One of them must fall back to +3 for Woods to make the cut.

Im’s approach on the par three is solid, it races back and he faces about 20 feet for birdie.

JT hooks a low one to the area behind the bunker on 17, Tiger fans will be hoping he fails to make it up and down.

Rahm recovers on 17 but that’s a tricky up and down with barely any green to work with. Aggressive from the Spaniard.

Tiger Woods hoping for help to make Masters cut

14:56 , Jack Rathborn

Here’s the equation: Tiger, Justin Thomas and Im are all +2.

If two of the three finish at +3, the cut line moves to +3.

Jon Rahm makes bogey on 16 to slip two behind Brooks Koepka

14:54 , Jack Rathborn

That’s a surprise! Rahm with a slight misread there.

The putt is struck well, but it doesn’t come back in time, a bogey and now back to -10.

Woods gives this monster par putt a go, it’s excellent, but leaves him a foot or so to make bogey and come back to +3.

Tiger Woods facing bogey on 18th in bid to make Masters cut

14:52 , Jack Rathborn

Tiger Woods is on 22 consecutive cuts made at the Masters.

Gary Player and Fred Couples have the record at 23, can Woods join them?

A third shot from 66 yards, and it zips back, that’s a huge putt for par.

So, +3 is likely the target and then it’s time to hope the cut drops back.

Tiger Woods recovers in bid to make Masters cut

14:49 , Jack Rathborn

Cam Smith with a gorgeous approach on 15, spins it back to kick-in distance. He’ll go to -3 soon enough.

Adam Scott toughing it out too, moves to 18 at -2 for the tournament.

Schauffele trying to get to -4 down the last, but screams fore, it’s way out left, some work to get in the clubhouse after two rounds at -3.

Tiger Woods aims for par on 18 to make Masters cut

14:43 , Jack Rathborn

Tiger Woods double-crossed the drive on 18 and he’s way out left and in the trees.

That’s a bad look!

Jon Rahm makes birdie and moves one off Masters lead

14:40 , Jack Rathborn

Rahm trickles that short birdie put down on 15... Makes it!

Rahm to -11 and just one behind Koepka now.

Woods with a bogey after going long with his pitch on 17 and two-putting, back to +2 and now the equation is fairly simple, par the last and he’ll make the final two rounds. Bogey? He’s not out of it, but it would make for a nervous wait.

Justin Thomas makes bogey and fighting to make Masters cut

14:39 , Jack Rathborn

Hovland misses a great-looking birdie opportunity on 17, the knees buckle in frustration as it skids past the edge of the hole. The Norwegian remains at -6.

Cam Young is still at -7.

But that’s a pull from JT on the green at 15, a bogey and he’s now +2 and in danger of missing the cut.

Shane Lowry finishes second round eight behind Brooks Koepka

14:30 , Jack Rathborn

Shane Lowry is done for round 2, it’s a 72 and he stays at -4, not bad for the Irishman, he’s in this.

Rahm on 15, will he go for this 265 yards... it’s a layup!

Ideal for the Spaniard, who can attack the pin with a wedge in search of a birdie.

Cam Young won’t play it safe, 243 yards, it’s way long. That’s a horrid looking up and down for birdie coming up.

Tiger did miss the pines and comes up just short on 17, not a disaster, up and down well within his capability to remain +1.

Jon Rahm in perfect position on 15 to close in on Brooks Koepka

14:23 , Jack Rathborn

Hovland cleans up for par on 16, still -6 and content enough in these horrid conditions.

Rahm booms one down 15, this is a big birdie chance, you’d expect him to get to -11 here.

A looping fade and he’s in the middle of the fairway, that’s the first job done on this par five.

Tiger on 17 and loses control of that tee shot, it’s way out right into the pines.

Jon Rahm with birdie chance to go one behind Brooks Koepka

14:15 , Jack Rathborn

Tiger (+1) on 16, on the dance floor, about 20 feet away, he'll take two from there if he can.

Thomas on 14: The approach is superb, using the contours and setting up a birdie chance.

The spin is causing the players problems, it’s tricky to adjust.

Now Rahm, high left-to-right shot, similar to JT but a little better as it creeps back towards the pin. Birdie chance coming.

Justin Thomas provides update on Augusta course conditions after heavy rain

14:11 , Jack Rathborn

Justin Thomas on the course, walking with his umbrella, speaks live:

“Just a protein shake, I got a long day ahead of me, it’s easy not to drink water or eat food when it’s like this. 4:45am, I saw my physio, put on every layer I have and here we are.

“When it’s like this, past information out the window, the greens are softer, but they’re slower and skid a lot.

“You’ll see a lot of guys’ shots on 13, they’re laying up, it’s hard out here.”

Tiger Woods makes birdie to ease pressure in bid to make Masters cut

14:05 , Jack Rathborn

Rahm with a massive par on 13, six feet or so, nerveless from the Spaniard, who will hope to get at least one back from his last five holes to halve the deficit to Koepka at -12.

Justin Thomas is badly struggling out there, a lot of people tipped JT to go well this week on a course that appears perfectly suited to his game. But he’s got plenty of work to do now.

Would you believe it!? Tiger with a bomb on 15, magnificent, the fist pump comes out but barely a flicker on his face. +1 and now with a little margin for error.

Tiger Woods suffers bad luck after hitting flag

14:01 , Jack Rathborn

Sensational from Woods on 15, but the spin is vicious and the ball races back and fortunately stops before flirting with the water.

The replay shows it brushed the flag coming down. Woods not daring to show much emotion, still dangerously placed on the cut line.

Jon Rahm closes in on Brooks Koepka as Justin Thomas struggles

13:48 , Jack Rathborn

Jon Rahm’s iron on 13 leaks out to the right, but the Spaniard (-10) is looking to close in on Koepka’s lead some more.

Hovland at -6 and getting back to the form he showed on Thursday, still very much in the hunt.

Justin Thomas is in trouble and one to watch, he's given three shots back to Augusta so far after resumption of play. At +1, he only has a little more room for error or the cut comes into play.

Tiger Woods makes steady start at the Masters

13:47 , Jack Rathborn

Tiger Woods still ticking over nicely, remains at +2 after a tidy eight-footer, now to 15. No more errors and Tiger plays all four rounds.

While Schauffele is making moves and gets to -3.

Cameron Young from the pines at 13, he likes it, but this is playing very long. He’ll have two from there to get to -8 and just four back.

Sam Bennett: Remember the name as amateur enjoys sensational Masters start

13:31 , Jack Rathborn

Texas A&M starlet Sam Bennett is enjoying a dream start to the Masters.

In the clubhouse at -8 after two rounds with many still to finish, Bennett can just relax, four shots behind Brooks Koepka.

The American is the second best amateur through 36 holes with amateur Ken Venturi nine under par at this stage in 1956.

Tiger Woods fighting to make the cut at the Masters

13:26 , Jack Rathborn

Tiger Woods is +2 through 12 holes in his second round at the Masters.

The cut line is at +2, meaning Woods has no margin for error.

Can he battle his way (deeper) into the weekend?

Well, it’s the ideal start on 13, a birdie try coming up from 20 feet after extracting some check on that pitch, lovely.

Fred Couples makes history at the Masters

13:20 , Karl Matchett

Fred Couples has finished his second round and ends on one over par - he makes the cut, and makes history too.

At age 63 and six months, he becomes the oldest-ever player to make the cut at the Masters.

The 1992 champion has made the cut a monstrous 31 times at Augusta.

Trees collapse near spectators at the Masters

13:14 , Karl Matchett

Reminder of yesterday’s dramatic end to play - thankfully nobody was hurt but it was certainly a close call for a few.

Tiger Woods makes great start to Saturday at the Masters

13:07 , Karl Matchett

What a way to get himself up and running!

Tiger lines up a fantastic approach as he resumes on the 12th hole to give himself a birdie putt chance.

Sandy Lyle, meanwhile, taps in his final shot to wrap up his Masters career.

The Masters 2023: Tiger Woods fights to make the cut

12:55 , Karl Matchett

All eyes will doubtless be on Tiger Woods as he ploughs through his final seven holes of his second round, to see if he makes the cut.

The golfing great is on +2 at present - right on the cut line - so there’s no margin for error.

Also fighting for half a round or so of consistency are the likes of Keith Mitchell and Zach Johnson, while Thomas Pieters is +3 through 13 and Patrick Cantlay is at par through ten holes.

Rory McIlroy and the Masters cut no one saw coming

12:49 , Karl Matchett

Something was wrong as Rory McIlroy’s right hand flew from his club, but the warning signs had been clear long before then. As his approach into the 11th tumbled down the bank and into the pond beside the green, McIlroy slumped at the realisation that another chance was slipping by at the Masters. But, unlike 12 months ago, there is no hope of a comeback from here. For only the second time since his debut at Augusta, McIlroy will surely be missing from the weekend after finishing his Friday with an overall score of +5.

Whether McIlroy makes the cut is now out of his hands. Although his fate may have been delayed by the storms that descended on Augusta, there was a resigned look as he took off his cap after a closing bogey at the 18th, before heading up the hill to sign a card of 77 – declining to speak to waiting reporters as he did so.

His round, by then, had spiralled out of control. With Brooks Koepka setting an imposing target and playing with the confidence of a Masters champion, McIlroy grappled desperately at the other end of the leaderboard. He could not find the form to survive, let alone contend.

It’s fair to say no one saw this coming.

Jamie Braidwood reports on McIlroy’s Masters demise:

Rory McIlroy and the Masters cut no one saw coming

Sandy Lyle set for final putt at the Masters

12:42 , Karl Matchett

Yesterday’s dramatic end of play due to, well, lots of things going on at once, did have one slightly sad knock-on effect: the legendary Sandy Lyle was all set to take his final shot (or shots) on the Masters course when the klaxon went off.

The Scottish two-time major winner waved off the crowd as he departed, but he has to wait until today resumes to finish off his final professional round.

Here is the full list of groups still to finish their second round:

Sandy Lyle, Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch

Fred Couples, Russell Henley, Alex Noren

Adrian Meronk, Kevin Kisner, Louis Oosthuizen

Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee, Harrison Crowe (A)

Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, Keith Mitchell

Patrick Reed, Adam Svensson, Sahith Theegala

Shane Lowry, Mackenzie Hughes, Thomas Pieters

Bubba Watson, Seamus Power, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira

Abraham Ancer, Chris Kirk, Keegan Bradley

Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele

Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Kurt Kitayama

Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young

Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im

The Masters 2023: Saturday tee times and schedule

12:30 , Karl Matchett

The third day of the Masters is approaching...although really, it’s just the rest of the second day.

With play halted early last night, today’s action will resume with over 30 golfers still waiting to finish their second rounds, with those groups getting underway from 1pm GMT - so half an hour from now.

Saturday’s actual third-round action was slated to start from 3pm, but that may still be subject to change depending on the bad weather which is forecast.

Brooks Koepka cleared of ‘staggering’ potential rules violation at the Masters

12:25 , Karl Matchett

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes it was “staggering” that Brooks Koepka and his caddie were cleared of a potential rules violation at the Masters.

TV footage from Thursday’s first round, which was posted on social media, appeared to show Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott saying “five” to Gary Woodland’s caddie on the 15th fairway.

If that was deemed to have been advice on which club Koepka had just hit into the par five it would be a breach of the rules, but the pair were quickly cleared of any wrongdoing.

“Following the completion of Brooks Koepka’s round, the Committee questioned his caddie and others in the group about a possible incident on No. 15,” James B. Hyler, Jr, Chairman of Competition Committees, said in a statement.

“All involved were adamant that no advice was given or requested. Consequently, the Committee determined that there was no breach of the Rules.”

Koepka cleared of ‘staggering’ potential rules violation at the Masters

‘Lucky no one was killed’: Masters suspended as trees collapse near spectators

12:17 , Karl Matchett

There were frightening scenes at the Masters on Friday as three giant pine trees fell down due to high winds and stormy weather, narrowly avoiding spectators by the 16th green and 17th tee.

The terrifying footage capturing the incident at the 16th green was broadcast on ESPN’s TV coverage and shows spectators scrambling to avoid one of trees as it collapsed.

The Masters confirmed that no one was injured and said play had been suspended until Saturday morning.

There were shouts as the tree began to topple, which appears to have alerted some to the danger.

Full details and video here:

‘Lucky no one was killed’: Masters suspended as trees collapse near spectators

Amateur Sam Bennett out to ‘do something special’ on dream Masters debut

12:07 , Karl Matchett

Amateur Sam Bennett insisted he could chase down four-time major winner Brooks Koepka as he continued to enjoy a dream Masters debut.

Playing alongside defending champion Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National, Bennett carded a second consecutive 68 on Friday to trail pacesetter Koepka by four shots.

And the 23-year-old from Texas, who won the US Amateur last year to secure his place in the year’s first major, now has his sights set far higher than beating the six other amateurs in the field.

“Everybody coming into the week was, yeah, hope you get Low Am. That’s pretty much all they were saying,” Bennett said.

“I just wanted to put two good rounds up. I knew my golf was good enough to compete out here. I found myself in a situation that now I’ve got a golf tournament that I can go out and win.”

More here from the amazing amateur:

Amateur Sam Bennett out to ‘do something special’ on dream Masters debut

Jon Rahm hoping weather does not hinder his pursuit of Brooks Koepka at Augusta

11:55 , Karl Matchett

A rejuvenated Brooks Koepka took a three-shot lead into the weekend of the 87th Masters as Jon Rahm hoped the weather would not hinder his pursuit of the four-time major winner.

Koepka added a bogey-free 67 to his opening 65 at Augusta National for a halfway total of 12 under par, the joint-third lowest in tournament history alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.

Rahm had reached nine under par midway through his round when play was suspended for the second time on Friday afternoon as strong winds brought three trees crashing down across the 17th tee.

Remarkably no spectators were hurt in the terrifying incident, but play was later abandoned for the day and scheduled to resume at 8am local time on Saturday, although prolonged spells of rain were forecast.

Rahm hoping weather does not hinder his pursuit of Koepka at Augusta

Masters betting odds: Who the golf experts are tipping for 2023 glory

11:48 , Karl Matchett

The best golfers in the world have descended on a famous patch of Augusta countryside ahead of what appears set to be a fascinating edition of The Masters.

A fantastic start to the PGA Tour year has teed up a mightily intriguing first major of the year, with Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka showing good form on day one to share the lead.

Jordan Spieth and Jason Day have also looked back to somewhere near their best in recent weeks and know what it takes to challenge around Augusta.

And then there is the return of the LIV Golf rebels, perhaps a little more motivated than usual after the acrimony of the last 18 months and out to prove their worth on their return to the tour.

But who are the experts tipping to pull on the green jacket on Sunday evening?

Masters betting odds: Who the golf experts are tipping for 2023 glory

Brooks Koepka shrugs off controversy to set Masters target

11:32 , Karl Matchett

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka shrugged off the lingering debate over a controversial ruling to set an imposing clubhouse target on day two of the 87th Masters.

Koepka shared the overnight lead with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland after an opening 65 at Augusta National and was relishing an early start on Friday, with bad weather forecast later in the day.

And the former world number one took full advantage of ideal conditions to post a flawless 67 for a halfway total of 12 under par, the joint-third lowest in tournament history alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.

US Amateur champion Sam Bennett was Koepka’s nearest challenger on eight under after a second consecutive 68 completed shortly before play was suspended due to the threat of thunderstorms.

Brooks Koepka shrugs off controversy to set Masters target