Koepka, who started the day two photographs transparent of Rahm with newbie Sam Bennett an additional two strokes again, had one birdie thru six holes and used to be looking at an 11-foot par putt on the 7th when play used to be suspended at 3:15 pm ET. (1915 GMT) without a gamers having finished their rounds.
It marked the second one consecutive day that rain interrupted play on the 12 months’s first main as 39 golfers returned early on Saturday to finish their 2nd around.
“Yeah, it’s obviously super difficult,” stated Koepka. “Ball’s not going anywhere. You’ve got rain to deal with, and it’s freezing cold. It doesn’t make it easy.”
Players went out in threesomes off cut up tees with hopes of finishing all of the 0.33 around regardless of the forecast of heavy rain and wind that picked up in a while after the overall team headed out with temperatures round 48 Fahrenheit (8 Celsius).
Koepka and Rahm birdied the par-five 2nd hollow simply because the rain intensified whilst Bennett made a 2nd consecutive bogey to drop off the tempo because the 12 months’s first main briefly become a two-horse race.
Four-time main winner Koepka moved 3 transparent on the par-three fourth the place he were given up and down from the left greenside bunker whilst global quantity 3 Rahm made bogey after chipping over the golf green from the opposite bunker.
Rahm, who needed to end 9 holes of his 2nd around within the rain early on Saturday, fell 4 photographs again after a three-putt bogey from 88 ft on the par-four 5th and used to be having a look at a nine-foot birdie putt on the 7th when play used to be stopped.
“When we walked up to the seventh green it was clear to us that that green had been wet for a while. They had been squeegeeing it for a while,” stated Rahm.
“I understand they’re trying to push us to play as many holes as possible, but it was very apparent when they tried to get the water out that it just wasn’t going to happen in our case.”
CONSTANT DOWNPOUR
Players had been bundled up as temperatures dropped considerably from previous within the week and struggled to stay dry whilst Augusta National’s SubAir machine that gets rid of water from the route used to be kicked into overdrive amid the consistent downpour.
Bennett used to be seven photographs off the lead whilst global quantity 4 Patrick Cantlay (thru 13 holes), reigning US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick (11), two times main winner Collin Morikawa (7) and first-round co-leader Viktor Hovland (7) had been an additional shot adrift in a proportion of a fourth.
Three-time champion Phil Mickelson made an early transfer with two birdies throughout his first six holes to transport right into a proportion of fourth position, seven again of Koepka, however briefly dropped again with bogeys over his subsequent two holes.
Tiger Woods squeaked throughout the minimize line to tie Gary Player and Fred Couples for many consecutive instances enjoying into the weekend on the Masters (23).
Woods, one in all a number of gamers dressed in a wintry weather hat, used to be limping down the seventeenth fairway on his rebuilt leg when play used to be known as with him six over par thru seven holes and final a number of the 54 gamers who made the minimize.
Scottie Scheffler, who entered the week having a look to turn out to be the primary participant to effectively protect a Masters name since Woods in 2002, used to be 10 photographs again and two below thru 12 holes.
Sunday’s forecast is for lingering drizzle earlier than drier stipulations later within the morning with overcast skies changing into in part cloudy within the afternoon.
Play will resume Sunday at 8:30 am ET adopted by means of the overall around beginning at 12:30 pm ET with pairing going off cut up tees, environment the degree for a marathon day of golfing.
“I’m not too concerned about playing 29 holes or however many holes we’ve got left. It’s part of the deal,” stated Koepka.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be up for it considering it is the Masters. So I don’t think anybody should have a problem with that.”