Brooks Koepka Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network

Brooks Koepka chased by rain, Jon Rahm at Masters on Saturday

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 4/8/23

The only thing slowing down Brooks Koepka at the Masters is Mother Nature.

As of this posting, Koepka holds a four-stroke lead (13-under) on second-place Jon Rahm and has been the clear golfer to beat at Augusta this week.

Unfortunately, the skies have been anything but clear and play on Saturday was suspended for the second day in a row. With some -- including Koepka and Rahm -- having more than half of their third round left to play, the golfers will be forced to squeezed as many as 30 holes of golf in a single day on Sunday.

They are going to try, though, with the tournament announcing that the suspended third round is scheduled to resume at 8:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, with the final round expected to begin four hours later and golfers teeing off at holes No. 1 and 10.

#themasters pic.twitter.com/QLU2Ve2lKL
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023

The weather should be more agreeable on Sunday. The forecast shows there's only a seven percent chance of rain at 8 a.m.. It only drops from there.

As former ESPN broadcaster Trey Wingo noted, the call to suspend play on Saturday should serve as a boost for Koepka, who already dodged a messy run earlier in the week.

This suspension is actually a HUGE break for Koepka. He added to his lead in the worst weather.. didn’t have to play any of the water holes in this crap and will have better weather tomorrow with a 4 stroke lead #themasters
— trey wingo (@wingoz) April 8, 2023

Koepka benefited from an early tee time on Friday, finishing his second round of golf at 12-under -- and well before the weather took a turn for the worse.

To his credit, Koepka hasn't just been the benefactor of better playing conditions. He was also better able to take advantage of Thursday's dry conditions than most others, finishing the opening round tied for the lead at seven-under with Rahm and Viktor Hovland.

And when he was forced to play in poor conditions on Saturday, he went one-under par through six holes. Rahm, playing in the same group as Koepka, shot two-over par.

Sunday could be a marathon for the golfers as they wrap up the third round and aim to complete the fourth. If the tournament does get pushed to Monday, it would be only the sixth time in Mastesr history and the first since 1983. (h/t Golf Digest)

Koepka is in the driver's seat for the green jacket at this juncture and only Rahm -- and the weather -- look like threats which could derail that pursuit.

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