Live leaderboard: Mayakoba Golf Classic

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – After two days of dry conditions and pleasant temperatures, the weather for Saturday’s third round of the Masters is expected to take a turn for the worse. Scattered showers in the morning, then heavy rain and possibly thunderstorms for the leaders in the afternoon. Oh, and throw in wind gusts to 20 mph. How much that will impact the leaderboard on Moving Day at Augusta National will be one of the intriguing storylines. Patrick Reed takes a two-shot lead over Marc Leishman, with several big names lurking dangerously close – guys such as Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas are the next five chasers. Each is ranked among the top 15 in the world. “Whatever the weather is for tomorrow, we’ve got to play in it,â€� world No. 1 Johnson said. “The tougher the better.â€� Many players said Friday’s conditions were difficult due to swirling winds that created shot indecisions. The Round 2 scoring average of 74.563 was nearly a stroke higher than the first round, and just 10 of the 87 players in the field managed 70 or better, led by Reed’s 66. Add torrential rain and brisk winds Saturday, and the difficulty level is expected to increase, even though greens should be more receptive. “It could be a grind tomorrow,â€� said Stenson, solo third at 5 under. “This golf course is not going to give you any more margins just because the weather is bad. So hopefully the game plan we have and the knowledge we have can make us stay in the ballgame.â€� “I don’t think really many of us have played in a windy kind of rainy condition,â€� added Rickie Fowler, in a six-way tie for eighth that also includes two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson. “There’s sometimes you get a little misty or the ground gets a little wet. But it also can benefit if it makes the greens a little bit easier. If they do get a little bit wet and they soften up, they can slow down a little bit, so there are some benefits to having that. “But then you deal with the golf ball being wet and you’re dealing with more surface on the golf ball and the club face. Controlling the golf ball becomes tough into these greens when you’re trying to hit a two or three yard section. But, hey, like I said, we’ll see what it is, and go battle through it.â€� Spieth, the first-round leader who fell back after a Friday 74, thinks the changeup in weather could play to his favor as he seeks a second green jacket. He won’t be surprised at having to play a few mud balls this weekend. “You kind of have to be aware,â€� the 2015 champ said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve just got to be aware, and obviously it becomes a tactical golf course when the conditions get tougher or you’re presented with kind of tough breaks like that – and I think that’s advantage for me. I feel like I tactically play this golf course very well.â€� As for the leader? The confident Reed considers bad weather a non-factor. “I’m from Texas,â€� he explained. “It blows 40 and rains every day, it seems like. I’d say I like it when it’s challenging.â€�

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ST. LOUIS – How effectively the chase pack can reel in leader Brooks Koepka (66, 12 under) in the final round of the 100th PGA Championship may depend on what’s left in the tank. Koepka leads second-place Adam Scott (65) by two shots, and they will go off in the last twosome at 2:55 ET Sunday. Both played just 18 holes Saturday, while others endured a marathon day after a thunderstorm chased them off the course the day before. Shane Lowry (69, 8 under) woke up at 4:30 a.m., and others had a similarly early rise to resume their second rounds. Rounding up, Rickie Fowler (69, 9 under) played 27 holes, Jason Day (67, 8 under) sweated out 28, and Tiger Woods (66, 8 under) and Justin Thomas (68, 8 under) endured 29. “I’m tired,â€� Woods said. “I am definitely tired. … It’s not necessarily the physical, it’s this mentally grinding that hard for 29 holes in this heat. It was a long day. “I’m done with the golf side of it today,â€� he added. “I’ve had enough.â€� Majors are always exhausting, and the heat and humidity at Bellerive had already taken a toll even before what turned into an exceptionally long Saturday. Now the question is who, if anyone, can summon the energy for a come-from-behind victory Sunday? “I think it starts tonight, being able to hydrate,â€� Day said. “If the guys that came this morning and played a certain amount of holes, they definitely need the recovery because it’s going to be difficult to recover fully from what we did today. … Once it gets hot and you start thinking about the heat and how hot it is, then you start making mental errors.â€� Koepka leads by three over Fowler, Gary Woodland (71) and Jon Rahm (66), and there are six players at 8 under, four back, led by Woods, Day and defending PGA and FedExCup champion Thomas. That much of a lead promises to be formidable for a player like Koepka, who at times has manhandled Bellerive and came into this week brimming with confidence after having won the last two U.S. Opens. “For some reason I can really tune in in the majors,â€� he said, “and I have no idea why.â€� How important is stamina here? Woods has played the front nine in 10 under this week, but the back in 2 over. His shocking three-putt for par at 17 Saturday, giving him a deflating par after eying an eagle chance from just under 20 feet, typified his struggles. He’s not the only one who has struggled on the back. Koepka shot 5 under on the front Saturday, but 1 over on the back. This, despite the fact that he actually believes the back is the easier nine. “I think the back nine’s actually more gettable,â€� he said. Fatigue is playing a factor, which is why it may be so important that he is one of the freshest golfers, having to play just 18 holes each day. He is already possessed of a physicality and stamina that sets him apart. Every day this week Koepka has gone to Lifetime Fitness, a way to stay in shape while also giving him something to do before late-afternoon tee times. “Today I was in there with Dustin and everybody wanted a picture with Dustin,â€� Koepka said. “They were talking about him as we left and I was just standing there laughing. They were like, ‘Did you see that No. 1 player in the world was here?’ It’s like, yeah, okay.â€� Koepka smiled. “I don’t know what to say to that. It was like, all right.â€� Making his 100th start on the PGA TOUR, Koepka would be just the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year. In other words, he won’t be going under the radar for much longer. The plan for Sunday is more of the same, starting with Lifetime Fitness. “Probably wake up about 6 o’clock, have breakfast, wait a little bit, chill, and go to the gym,â€� he said of his plan for Sunday. “Same routine I did this morning. By the time — the gym’s kind of like a little getaway for me, especially when you got these late tee times.â€� The plan for everyone else? Hydrate. Try to take advantage of the par 5s and sprinkle in a few birdies on the rest of the holes. Keep the big numbers off the scorecard. And then hope. “It just depends on Brooks,â€� Lowry said. “He could go out and shoot 4- or 5-under tomorrow, and that’s the end of the rest of us.â€�

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