Masters 2017: Results, leaderboard, highlights, and more from Saturday

It’s moving day at the Masters. The third round of play at Augusta National Golf Club unfolds throughout the day on Saturday, and this is always one of the greatest golf days of the year. A tightly packed leaderboard at the top will only make it better.

Friday’s second round ended with a four-man tie atop the leaderboard. Charley Hoffman, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Pieters, and Rickie Fowler all ended the day at 4-under. None of those men has ever won a major championship, but they’ll comprise the final two groups on Saturday at Augusta. It’s hard not to love that.

Some of the world’s top players are lurking not far behind them. Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth ended Friday at even par, four shots off the lead. (They’re playing together on Saturday, which is exciting.) Adam Scott also ended Friday even, while Jon Rahm and Justin Rose were among the players at 1-under.

There are a few Cinderella possibilities on the weekend, too, perhaps none more compelling than 1992 green jacket winner Fred Couples. There’s so much parity in the field right now that predicting how this will end feels like a fool’s errand.

Fifty-three of 93 players in the field survived the 6-over cut line. Among those missing the cut were two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson and last year’s British Open champion, Henrik Stenson. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson withdrew before teeing off in the first round on Thursday due to a back injury.

We’ll have live updates on the tournament all day long in this space.

6:11 p.m. ET

Charlie Hoffman quietly dropped a shot as Rory McIlroy ended a disappointing, up-and-down day with a par on 18. While McIlroy was posting a third-round 1-under 71 that included four birdies, a bogey, and a double, 18-hole leader and 36-hole co-leader Hoffman was making his fourth birdie of the day, on No. 13.

That birdie gave Hoffman a two-shot lead over Sergio Garcia, who also made birdie on the 13th, but a bogey on 14 followed when Hoffman’s par putt came up short. As it looks now, McIlroy will have to wait until next year — again — to try to complete the career grand slam, while Garcia (tied with Justin Rose at 5-under) is very much still in the running to win his first major.

Though Jordan Spieth, who put on a show all day, will certainly have something to say about that after coming from 10 shots behind Hoffman to start the day to within two strokes of the frontrunner after posting a nearly flawless 68.

7:18 p.m. ET

The final group on Sunday will be co-leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler will play together in the penultimate group.

5:43 p.m. ET:

Jordan Spieth dropped a shot on the par-3 16th hole, three-putting after leaving his tee shot a bit short. He’s knotted with Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia at 4-under, all two strokes back of Charley Hoffman.

5:19 p.m. ET

Jordan Spieth’s been the story of the day. Spieth started the day at even par, and he’s sitting at 4-under for the tournament through 14 holes. He trails exactly one player in the tournament: Charley Hoffman, at 6-under. It’s more or less a certainty at this stage that Spieth will be in serious contention on Sunday at Augusta, as usual.

4:04 p.m. ET

Oh we got something cooking now. Sergio Garcia has birdied to get to 5-under, Jordan Spieth is also in red numbers and charging. Rickie Fowler for a brief moment led the whole thing by himself, but Charley Hoffman got his nose back out in front.

1:57 p.m. ET

A big mover today has been world No. 3 Jason Day. The onetime PGA champion has had a slow start to the year and a slow start to the tournament. He started Saturday at 6-over for the tournament, a full 10 shots off the lead and only narrowly within the cut line. Day got to just 2-over at one point, but he bogeyed No. 17 to go to 3-over.

The fastest-updating leaderboard for the Masters is the tournament’s official one. We’ll also be publishing leaderboard updates here throughout the day.

Here’s a nifty birdie putt by James Hahn on the fourth hole:

Here’s a gorgeous sixth-hole birdie by Jason Day:

TV:

3-7 p.m.: Live third-round coverage - CBS

Streaming at Masters.com:

10:15 a.m.-7 p.m.: Featured groups

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Masters on the Range

11:45 a.m.-6 p.m.: Amen Corner

12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Holes No. 15 and 16

3 p.m.-7 p.m.: TV broadcast (CBS)