There is no lack of drama in Augusta, Ga., after Moving Day, even though a few of golf's biggest names aren't in contention for a Masters title.
There won't be any Sunday red, as Tiger Woods recovers from surgery, and several players in the Top 15 of the World Golf rankings, including defending champ Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy, did not make the cut.
All of this, though, sets the stage nicely for a first-time winner of the green jacket, expanding the number of names enshrined at Augusta by one.
Of the top seven golfers through the first 54 holes, only the man in seventh place, Jordan Spieth, has won before. He's six shots back of leader Hideki Matsuyama (-11), with Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman, Justin Rose and Will Zalatoris tied for second and 7 under and Corey Conners sitting at 6 under.
Not even a rain delay could slow down Matsuyama, who started Saturday 4 under and had just birdied 11 to move to 6 under when play stopped.
Matsuyama said, through a translator on the CBS broadcast, he spent the 75-minute rain delay "sitting in my car, looking at my cell phone," which is probably the closest I'll ever come to matching his exploits Saturday.
Whatever Matsuyama looked at worked, as he went 5 under on the final seven holes to get to 11-under and become the first Japanese player to lead after any round of the Masters. He birdied 12 after the delay to tie for the lead at 7 under, then eagled 15 to move into sole possession of the lead.
Matsuyama's 65 on Saturday ties the low round in Augusta this year, matched by Rose's 65 on Thursday.
Rose has finished runner-up twice, in 2015 and '17, and might need another 65 to avoid three second-place finishes in seven years, as Matsuyama looked unflappable on the back nine Saturday. At the least, he'll need to finish under par: Rose carded a pair of 72s on Friday and Saturday, failing to add to his lead when he had the chance.
Schauffele is chasing not just his first Masters win but his first major win, too, and is in good position. His close calls are well-documented, including a runner-up finish to Woods in 2019. He's also the only player within 10 shots of the leader also ranked in the Top 10 of the World Golf rankings, coming in at No. 6.
On the other end of that spectrum is Zalatoris, who was playing on the Korn Ferry Tour last year. Zalatoris never bogied more than three times in a round this weekend and has kept pace by finishing under par in every round.
Matsuyama is in the driver's seat for what would be an impressive first win at a major. Can he run away with it, or will someone else on the leaderboard make things interesting today?