Darren Riehl
Bad weather created some chaos at Augusta National over the last two days.
Trees fell and play was suspended multiple times. On Saturday, players managed to finish the second round and some of the third, but when play was called at 3:15 p.m. local time, the final grouping of Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Sam Bennett had only completed six holes of the third round, meaning there’s a huge amount of golf left to play — and watch! — on Sunday.
Here are five thing to know for Sunday’s final round at Augusta.
What time does play begin on Sunday?
The third round will resume at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, with the final round starting around 12:30 p.m. ET. The players will be regrouped into pairs after Round 3, and will tee off on both Nos. 1 and 10 in the final round.
How to watch on Sunday
While fans have likely gotten used to toggling between streaming the Masters on ESPN+, Masters.com and watching the broadcast on ESPN and CBS over the the last few days, Sunday’s early golf can all be watched on CBS.
You can tune in to the third round starting at 8:30 a.m. and watch until the third round is complete. While final-round play is expected to start around 12:30 p.m., the CBS broadcast will maintain its originally scheduled air time of 2-7 p.m. ET.
Will the players finish?
Given the unpleasant conditions they’ve endured thus far, you may be wondering if all the golf planned for Sunday will even be played.
Luckily, Mother Nature appears to be calming down. According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in Augusta is expected to be chilly — in the mid-to-low 40s when play resumes in the morning — but no rain. Instead, players can expect cloudy, breezy conditions through the afternoon, with the temperature steadily warming to the high 50s by the end of the final round.
What are the storylines to follow?
While anything can happen over the remaining round-and-a-half, it appears that there are three primary storylines shaping up for Sunday at Augusta:
Brooks Koepka
The four-time major winner has a four-shot lead, and is seeking his first Masters, which would mark the third leg of the career grand slam. Given his issues with injury, and his defection to LIV, a win on Sunday would be momentous in more than one way.
Jon Rahm
Rahm got off to a sizzling start in 2023, but his form has cooled in recent weeks. He’s hoping to notch the second major of his career, and a mano y mano battle with Koepka in the final round would be must-see TV. Rahm has work to do, though. He dropped two shots to Koepka before play was suspended, but may feel resurgent in Sunday’s improved conditions.
Sam Bennett — or someone else
Amateur sensation Sam Bennett has admirably held his own thus far, trailing Koepka by seven shots. A win would be unprecedented — and incredible! But there’s a huge gap to fill, and there are many other players who will be looking to pounce on any weakness at the top of the leaderboard. Patrick Cantlay and Matthew Fitzpatrick were on a roll in Round 3, each cruising at three under par on the day before play was suspended. It will take that kind of effort to make a legitimate charge for the green jacket.
So who’s gonna win this thing?
It’s the question on everyone’s mind — and one we tried to answer! Our staff is divided, with several sticking with Koepka and others saying there’s too much golf left to call it.
I guess that means just one thing: We’ll have to tune in to find out.