Masters leaderboard: Buying and selling top golfers at Augusta

It’s one thing to see your name on the Masters leaderboard on Thursday and Friday and quite another to keep it there over the weekend.

Thanks to the combination of diamond-crushing pressure and a course that gets tougher as pin positions and tee boxes are moved around, only the most stalwart are able to remain sharp in the final two rounds at Augusta.

Here is a look at the leaderboard heading into Saturday’s third round:

Now let’s examine the golfers who’ve managed to get hot the first couple of rounds. Which of these men have what it takes to remain in the hunt down the stretch? Which of them will wilt under the bright lights of the moment?

Let’s start with the man at the top, Jordan Spieth.

Buying: Jordan Spieth

So much for Spieth’s slump.

After last year’s historic run at the four majors, including a win here at Augusta, Spieth is picking right back up where he left off. It hasn’t been flawless the past couple of days, but he’s a cut above the rest right now, of that there is no doubt.

The windy conditions Friday afternoon gave the defending champ some issues, but he wasn’t alone.

It would be a major stunner right now if Spieth wasn’t in contention for his second straight green jacket come Sunday afternoon.

Selling: Rory McIlroy

On a day in which many of the world’s top golfers struggled to make par, McIlroy cruised to the finish line with a one-under-par round of 71.

Looking smooth and steady, the Northern Irishman made it look easy at times with the flat stick — the most important club on Augusta’s legendary brutal greens.

One thing that could derail a weekend push by McIlroy is if he starts to lose his advantage on par-fives. Through two rounds, he’s seven under par on par-fives and four over par on the rest of the course. Because of his length and long-iron ball-striking, McIlroy has the ability to score low on these long holes.

Take that away, however, and he’s losing ground.

Throw in his weekend demons at Augusta and we see McIlroy falling behind Spieth and the rest of the top golfers the next couple of days.

Buying: Danny Lee

Since placing fourth at the popular Waste Management Phoenix Open back in early February, this New Zealand-based pro hasn’t been anywhere close to a leaderboard finish until this weekend.

Showing some promise late last year, however, Lee won the Greenbrier Classic and sported a flurry of top-10 finishes to close out the 2015 season.

However, in four previous major appearances, Lee missed the cut his first three times and finished in a tie for 43rd in last year’s PGA Championship. If he is still contending on Sunday afternoon, then it would represent one of the biggest stories of the tournament in recent years.

Selling: Scott Piercy

Heading into the Masters, Piercy had managed just one top-10 finish this season on the PGA Tour, and it came back on November 1 last year.

He’s been a middling golfer for much of the year but has been solid of late, posting finishes of 17, 18 and 19 since the start of March in tournaments that featured tough competition.

It’s possible that we could witness one of the greatest upsets in history this weekend, but it’s not likely. In his only career appearance at Augusta prior to this weekend Piercy finished in a tie for 54th.

Every year we see unknown golfers climb to the top of the leaderboard in the first couple of rounds only to fall out of contention over the weekend. That’s what appears to be the likeliest scenario for Piercy the next couple of days as the level of competition increases and the course gets tougher.

Buying: Hideki Matsuyama

After last year’s fifth-place finish here at Augusta, and given the way he played the first two days this year, you’d be foolish to count out Matsuyama.

The winner of this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, Matsuyama also has three other top-10 finishes, and he’s coming off a tie for sixth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational a few weeks ago.

A well-rounded player who doesn’t have any particular area of weakness, he’s hot at the right time to make a run up the leaderboard this weekend.

Selling: Sergio Garcia

Long has Sergio strived to be a major champion. Long has he fallen short when it matters.

In 16 years, Garcia only has three top-10 finishes. For most golfers, this would be a tremendous achievement. However, Garcia was once one of the most hyped young golfers in the world, and his talent warranted the expectation of success at the highest level.

Unfortunately Garcia has a long history of being able to perform at the highest level when stress runs high in the final rounds of big tournaments.

So when he’s still in contention Saturday evening, don’t kid yourself into thinking this Spaniard will finally break through with a career-defining moment. You’ll just be let down hard once again.

Buying: Brandt Snedeker

Heading into Thursday’s first round, we had Snedeker listed as our dark horse to win the 2016 Masters. Therefore it’s not surprising at all to see his name listed on the front page of the leaderboard after two rounds.

As one of just seven players under par, Snedeker has surprised us in one way, which is how he’s scored. Not known as a long hitter, the American has taken advantage of some stellar play on the par-fives, where he is four under par thus far. He hasn’t been as sharp on the par-threes and par-fours (his normal wheelhouse) and is three over par.

This means that if Snedeker can get his iron play sharpened up on his approach shots over the weekend and starts making hay on some of the shorter holes on the course, he could be set up for a shocking finish over the big guns.

Selling: Bryson DeChambeau (Amateur)

For those who don’t already know the story, here’s the quick version: DeChambeau has come out of nowhere this past year to become only the fifth male golfer in history to win both the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur events in the same season.

He developed his own swing and is sporting an unorthodox set of irons (they are all the same length), and his unique take on golf science is starting to pay off in a major way (pardon the pun).

As well as he’s played so far, there is a good chance that pressure gets to this amateur over the weekend. It sure did on No. 18 Friday afternoon, as he posted a triple bogey on the final hole to move from three-under par back to even par heading into Saturday.

For his sake, let’s hope the youngster can shrug off the bad vibes of dropping so many strokes at the finish.

By Jesse Reed

Former Managing Editor at Sportsnaut. Featured on Yardbarker and MSN.com, and was a breaking news writer/NFL analyst for Bleacher ... More about Jesse Reed